Queen Elizabeth II of England became the first British monarch to complete 70 years of service this year on 6th February. Her historic reign is being celebrated as the Platinum Jubilee on a special weekend from 2nd to 5th June, 2022. The celebratory anniversary weekend will include a series of public events, community activities and initiatives. And could any celebration ever be complete without food? The official pudding that will represent the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations has just been selected - it is a Lemon and Swiss Roll Amaretti Trifle. The Duchess of Cornwall declared this pudding and its creator Jemma Melvin as the winners of a nationwide contest.
(Also Read: Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Souvenirs Manufactured With Typo)
The contest was organised by Fortnum and Mason and aired on BBC One, with an intention to find the right celebratory pudding, cake or tart for the Queen and her 70-year Platinum Jubilee celebrations. There were approximately 5,000 entries for the contest as per reports, with age groups ranging from eight to 108. Five finalists were then shortlisted to compete for the title of 'The Jubilee Pudding', which finally went to 31-year-old Jemma Melvin.
Claiming to be inspired by her grandmothers, Jemma Melvin's trifle pudding has clearly become the talk of the Queen's celebrations. "I really think we'll be making Jemma's trifle for at least the next 50 to 100 years without a doubt," said Fortnum & Mason's Executive Pastry Chef Roger Pizey. Jemma's trifle is made with layers of lemon curd Swiss roll, St Clement's jelly, lemon custard, mandarin coulis, amaretti biscuits and fresh whipped cream. All these ingredients can be easily procured from the local supermarket, thus adding to the recipe's simplicity and making it appropriate for not just the Queen, but the entire country.
You can access her pudding's full recipe here.
Lemon trifle is a much-loved dessert.
The Lemon Trifle will not be the only dish served at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Historical dishes such as the Victorian sponge and the coronation chicken will also be part of the momentuous occasion. The sponge, in fact, was a favourite of Queen Victoria's and was named in her honour in 1861 after Prince Albert's death, according to BBC. It is made with buttercream and raspberry jam filling.
Meanwhile, the Coronation chicken was created by the Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in 1953. Also known was 'Poulet Reine Elizabeth', it was originally made for the Queen's coronation ceremony. The dish's original chef, Angela Wood, spoke to AFP about the original recipe - chicken poached with a bouquet garni with a sauce made with a reduction of chopped onions, curry powder, tomato puree, red wine and lemon juice. The mixture is then cooled and added to mayonnaise, lightly whipped cream and apricot puree. "It's a strange mixture. And people do the first bit (curry powder and wine) and taste it and it's just so horrible and strong. I mean you can't believe that it can be right," Wood told AFP.
What did you think about the dishes that will be served at Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
About Aditi AhujaAditi loves talking to and meeting like-minded foodies (especially the kind who like veg momos). Plus points if you get her bad jokes and sitcom references, or if you recommend a new place to eat at.