Posted by Jane McMorland Hunter on June 4th, 2022

The long Jubilee weekend is the perfect time to indulge in a really good afternoon tea. It should obviously have a royal theme and whether you are organising a street party for a hundred or sitting round the kitchen table Carolyn Robb’s Tea at the Palace is the perfect starting point.

Each chapter is set at one of the royal palaces with suitably-themed recipes: Garden Party dainties for Buckingham Palace, Gingerbread Soldiers in Sentry Boxes for Kensington Palace, Scotch Pancakes for the Castle of Mey and ‘Bunch of Flowers’ Biscuits for Kew Palace. Traditional scones, Victoria Sponge and mini Cornish pasties sit alongside savoury wraps, fruit tartlets and, of course, chocolate cake. Each of the royal residences has its own individual character and they are engagingly described giving glimpses of royal life. Carolyn Robb was a royal chef for thirteen years and cooked for TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry and TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

If you are planning a lunch or dinner for the Jubilee holiday you need The Platinum Jubilee Cookbook. Her Majesty is the most travelled monarch in history and these seventy recipes come from all the corners of the globe. They have been contributed by Her Majesty’s Ambassadors and High Commissioners and many have been served to members of the Royal Family. Insights and revelations from the various embassies bring the dishes to life and will ensure that your party has a truly royal flavour. In between the sumptuous and exotic dishes there are pieces on the foods for which Britain has become famous: Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade, Colman’s Mustard, Pimms and Tunnock’s Tea Cakes. Whether you aspire to cooking a banquet fit for a queen or are interested in how our eating habits have changed over the past seventy years, this is a perfect culinary souvenir of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.