When it comes to the days after Christmas and before the New Year, it’s safe to say there’s a bit of an energy dip. People can forget what day it is, never mind sticking to a strict diet plan or bothering with keeping on top of the food shop.
So, if you’re finding yourself at a loss at what to eat, but you can’t face any more Christmas dinner leftovers, why not turn to the royals?
From their old-fashioned Christmas dinners, Meghan Markle's healthy Christmas cocktail and Kate Middleton's go-to bargain breakfast, there's always something to inspire from their kitchens.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked at Buckingham Palace for over 10 years, shared a Victorian recipe for something the royals are thought to tuck into around Boxing Day on his YouTube channel.
The dish - Kedgeree - consists mainly of fish, rice and eggs, and has a rich history dating back to the Victorian era.
As he explains in his video for the dish, “One of the most popular breakfast dishes that I cooked for the Royal Family, is a dish called Kedgeree. It’s the ultimate comfort food dish that was brought over to the Victorians in the era of the Raj by the returning British colonials.”
“The original dish was made of beans and rice and lentils and by the 19th century in the UK, it became a more sophisticated, classy dish for breakfast and brunch, entertaining with the addition of smoked haddock and boiled eggs.”
Ready to give the dish a whirl? We’ve parsed down Darren’s instructions for an easy recipe.
First, you must poach the fish and you can poach in water if you want to, but it’s actually best to poach in milk. As Darren explains, “Milk has that fat in it and as it’s poaching the fat actually holds onto the flavours that are coming out of the fish, that smokiness that comes out of the fish.
“It just needs to poach for about eight to 10 minutes, so pop it in the pan and then we’re going to pour over some milk. We need to cover the fish completely, even though it has a lid on.”
Darren also advises pouring “a little cream in there as well - the opulence of this Victorian dish!”
“The fish will poach in this liquid and then we’ll take the fish out and flake that up once it’s gone cold. The liquid will reduce down a little bit. and then add the rice to it.”
“Smoked haddock has such a distinct flavour and taste to it, that once you’ve tried it you never forget that taste or smell. Once the cream has reduced and this has been reducing for about 10 minutes, I’m going to add a little curry powder in there, and then a little salt and a little pepper. Whisk all those together.”
“Once the fish is cold, then you can start flaking it, so carefully just pull off that skin and then break the fish into little flakes. Traditionally white rice is used, if you want you can use brown rice in there, or you can use cauliflower rice, or even quinoa.”
“Now we can pour this into the bowl. Then I’ll add some hard-boiled eggs.”
“Delicate but delicious smoked haddock, nestling in a creamy almost porridge of curried cream, garnished with a hard-boiled egg and fresh parsley - the ultimate Victorian culinary decadence.”
