With just over a week until Charles is crowned King of the United Kingdom I thought I’d share what is apparently an appropriate way to celebrate! I would have loved to have been in England for the coronation, but the truth is you will get a better view on the news than if you were there.
What you don’t get is the atmosphere. Events ‘up town’ have a certain atmosphere that I have yet to feel anywhere else. As a little girl of 11, I went ‘up to town’ for the Queen Mother’s funeral. I don’t remember much, but I remember the priceless crown sitting on top of her coffin as it paraded through the street, nobody tried to grab it. In a somewhat cynical way I said I wished somebody would try something, just so I could see the soldiers who line the streets jump into action!
The other thing I remember was the respect in the air, the ability for so many thousands of people to be completely silent outdoors without prompting. My Dad was up in town at the Queen’s funeral procession where there were a great many more people than there had been for her mother’s. He said the thing the news didn’t comment on was that the whole crowd about 100 feet in front of the coffin just suddenly went silent. Nobody said shh, no announcement was made, even the babies stopped fussing.
On May 6th however, the atmosphere will be quite different. Smiles and laughter will replace the silence and tears of the funeral procession; there may even be applause. One thing will remain the same however; the air of respect.
It is fair to say that Charles has not always had the greatest amount of sympathy from the public. There is a large proportion who wished the crown could have skipped Charles and gone straight to his son William. Let’s just say that Prince Harry gets some of his behavior genetically. However, Charles gained a lot of respect in the way he held it together speaking to the world so soon after his mother’s death. Whatever the opinion, it will be Charles that is crowned on the 6th of May 2023. So how can we celebrate?
Ok, the USA is independent from the UK now. But there’s a small part in most people’s hearts that enjoys the idea and celebration of royalty – otherwise why are there so many fairytales featuring royalty! Have some fun with this, even if you’re just using it as an excuse for a party!
What should you eat?
Royal media people have released a specific quiche recipe called The Coronation Quiche. The recipe is featured later in this article. I only included the pre-made ready-to-roll pastry version since American’s seem to be a fan of that.
If you’d like to do it the proper way, look up “short crust pastry”. It’s really not hard. The most English way to celebrate would be to make “tea”, and this is so much more than a drink. The fun part about “tea” is it’s pretty. It’s lots of dainty little things on fancy china plates. It’s cucumber sandwiches, quiche (usually ham and cheese), sausage rolls, cheese scones (British ones – I’ll get to that!).
‘Coronation Chicken’ also seems appropriate (you’ll have to look up that recipe). The new king’s favorite things have been researched and he is apparently a massive fan of boiled eggs and “cheese and biscuits” (I’ll get to that too!) For sweet stuff consider fruitcake, sweet scones with cream and jam, a Victoria sponge. The new king’s favorite is apparently things that are lemon flavored.
I don’t want to use a whole page of the paper so I will refer you to google a bit. British scones are similar to American biscuits. Best eaten fresh and can be plain (with cream and jam in the middle) or cheese (add grated cheese to the recipe, strong cheese is best). When I refer to “cheese and biscuits” I’m referring to a cheese board and crackers.
What should you drink?
The King is a big fan of a Martini before dinner. He also likes whiskey. If you’re not a fan of alcohol; his favorite tea is Darjeeling with honey and milk.
What should you do?
Charles likes magic tricks apparently! Otherwise you sit around stuffing your face, politely of course. It’s amazing how full you can get on all those little dainty things.
What should you listen to?
This one might not be so popular…but stick to classical radio. As a child, Charles played the piano, trumpet and cello. If you really can’t stand classical he enjoyed Diana Ross and Barbara Streisand.
What should you wear?
Obviously this is Idaho, people wear PJs to Walmart. But how about breaking out your ‘Sunday Best’. Even better if you have a fancy hat. United Kingdom colors are also red, white and blue so as long as it doesn’t have stars and stripes – go ahead and use your leftover 4th of July decorations (I can’t believe I just said that). Order some fun decorations online, or print off a few! The Power County Press and The Aberdeen Times offer professional printing, small or large orders.
Here is the official quiche of the coronation. It doesn’t appeal all that much to me, but maybe it will to you.
Coronation Quiche Recipe
A deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of Spinach, Broad Beans and fresh Tarragon. Eat hot or cold with a green salad and boiled new potatoes – perfect for a Coronation Big Lunch!
x1 20cm Flan Tin
Serves 6
Ingredients
Pastry
Or 1 x 250g block of ready-made shortcrust pastry
Filling
• 125ml milk
• 175ml double cream
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon,
• Salt and pepper
• 100g grated cheddar cheese,
• 180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped
• 60g cooked broad beans or soya beans
Method
1. Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 375F
3. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 320F
5. Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
6. Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
7. If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.
8. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.
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