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When it comes to preparing your menu for your Kate and William wedding-watching party, I reckon there are a few themes you could employ to keep the nosh in the spirit of the day.
My personal choice is the English afternoon tea idea – you can’t get much more patriotic than cucumber sandwiches and scones. It’s also ideal for a buffet as it’s all finger food. Take inspiration from some of London’s great hotels which offer afternoon tea – you can read the Ritz’s menu here. I’m thinking smoked salmon sandwiches, fairy cakes (not cupcakes, fairy cakes are more English), and plenty of nice china. Oh, and doilies – I’ve already bought mine from eBay (to avoid the rush, dontchaknow).
A more alternative idea is to page homage to the location where the happy couple were engaged – Kenya! Unfortunately, it’s difficult to pin down Kenyan cuisine or get some of the staple ingredients, but a quick look online should help. You could try serving some exotic animals instead (there’s an online butcher here) – I’ve seen loads of episodes of Come Dine With Me recently where they’ve been chowing down on zebra, for some reason!
Perhaps you could try a menu composed of Will’s childhood favourites? Sadly, we have no idea what Kate Middleton enjoyed eating as a child (WHY NOT? Did no one THINK to ask her this vital question?) so this idea seems a little lopsided to me, but hey. I seriously doubt that cottage pie as most people know it will be gracing the banqueting tables (although I wouldn’t put it past a chef to try a ‘deconstructed’ version or some such nonsense), but it would make for a nice, easy hot buffet lunch. And pate and smoked salmon canapes – and champagne… I can do that!
You could always try to replicate some previous Royal weddings. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) enjoyed a meal of Consommé à la Windsor, Suprèmes de Saumon Reine Mary, Côtelettes d’Agneau Prince Albert, Chapons à la Strathmore, and Fraises Duchesse Elizabeth in 1923. In 1947 for the marriage of Prince Philip and our present Queen, diners enjoyed “Filet de Sole Mountbatten; Perdreau en Casserole, Haricots Verts, Pommes Noisette and Salade Royale; Bombe Glacee Princesse Elizabeth; Friandises; Dessert”. However, I’m not sure harking back to Will’s parents’ wedding would be in the best of taste, so best to avoid the dishes that appeared at their wedding breakfast in 1981: brill in lobster sauce, chicken breasts garnished with lamb mousse and strawberries with Cornish cream. Mind you, that last dish sounds pretty good…
Considering it’s, y’know, just another wedding (in the grand scheme of things, anyway), you could just serve your idea of fantasy wedding fayre. If you’re already married, maybe serve a few of the dishes you enjoyed on your big day. If you’re not married, maybe come up with some things you’d love to have for your wedding. Or just go with your classic wedding breakfast menu, which seems to be pate, soup or melon for starters, overcooked chicken breast in a mushroom sauce for your main, and something gooey and chocolatey for pudding (this is based on my memories of weddings past and looking through FAR too many brochures for my own wedding!) And don’t forget that wedding cake…
Finally, you could serve something based on the couple’s actual meal. No information is available about this yet, but there’s loads of speculation online. This is a particularly good article (and here) that details previous wedding menus and discusses some British produce that could be served – nab some ideas!
Related Articles
- Kate and William: planning your wedding watch! (distractedgourmet.wordpress.com)
- “Prince William, Kate Middleton Royal Wedding Party: Prince Harry Best Man (Video)” and related posts (blogs.babble.com)
In Britain, we have a long tradition of producing hideously tacky commemorative crockery for Royal weddings. Even my family has some, which is a miracle considering my granddad was so anti-Royalist he used to screw his mouth into a cat’s bum whenever the Queen came on the telly. (You get bonus points for any now-ironic items you might have, so we have loads thanks to our Charles and Diana cups and the Fergie and Prince Andrew plate. Score!)
I’m not so into that side of things, but I did really like a couple of KK Outlet’s amusing alternative designs for the wedding… Priced at £20 each (or £75 for the whole set) I won’t actually be buying any, but I can admire them online!
Let’s face it, though, the designs aren’t really that pretty, it’s more the witty comments that appeal… So for that reason, I’ll have to pass up the opportunity to part with my cash, so I can regret it in about 40 years when I finally sit down to watch The Antiques Roadshow.
Buy your Will and Kate plates here - feel free to pick me up a couple too, if you want, I don’t mind getting some if they’re free. My favourites are the Facebook and ‘It Should Have Been Me’ designs, for the record!
Related Articles
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For my wedding watching party, I’m thinking classic English tea party – cucumber sandwiches, Victoria sponge, scones and a great big teapot full of tea! But there’s a great menu in Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals which would be perfect for adapting to a wedding watch party; his British Picnic, which features sausage rolls, mackerel pate, asparagus crunch salad and Pimm’s Eton Mess. In fact, I might steal some of these dishes for myself… they sound awesome! The sausage rolls have fennel seeds and sesame seeds added to them, the pate features horseradish sauce along with the mackerel, lemon and cream cheese, and the crunch salad has watercress, pickled onions and pear… Interesting! It’s on page 252, if you’re up for it…
Related Articles
- How to Cater a Royal Wedding (newsfeed.time.com)
Distracted (what did you expect?) away from my Jamie project, I’m anticipating Kate and William’s wedding on 29 April – an excuse for a nosh-up if ever I heard one. I’m an unashamed royalist and can’t wait to throw an English themed tea party to celebrate, so expect plenty of planning posts as the day grows nearer…
Meanwhile, in anticipation, I present to you some important party-related details: nails and earrings.
It seems as though there are plenty of Kate and William related products out there for people to snap up – most of it is tacky, but I’m loving this nail varnish from Butter London, available to pre-order for £12 from their site: http://www.butterlondon.com/collections/no-more-waity-katie/no-more-waity-katie-0. Check out the hilarious name – not so funny if you’re Kate Middleton, I guess…
I also reckon you need themed earrings… I’m thinking crowns…
Or crowns with pearls, even more classy…
Or, to score extra bonus points, combine crowns with pearls and sapphires (Kate’s engagement ring stone):
Or, Accessorize has some pretty English-country-garden style stud sets here. And, let’s face it, you can’t go wrong with plain, simple pearl studs… Got to stay classy!
More planning tips later, including decorations, menus and party games!
Related Articles
- Prince William & Kate Middleton: Choose Family for Royal Party (nowpublic.com)
- Royal wedding party announced! Harry is Prince William’s best man (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
- Kate Middleton Inspires Eco-Friendly Nail Polish, “No More Waity, Katie” (ecorazzi.com)
- Prince William & Kate Middleton Pick Wedding Date & Venue (since1910.com)
