Royal Recipes: Scones, Pancakes, Sticky Toffee Pudding and More Foods The British Royal Family Loves
The personal lives of the British royal family have always been a topic of intrigue—from what they wear, where they shop, to how they like their food prepared. With the Queen's calendar cleared and our favourite royals hunkering down in their estates, Buckingham Palace has been generous with sharing recipes from the royal kitchens, including the Queen's birthday cupcakes and her garden party scones. We've included more recipes from Prince Charles and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge that you can try yourself for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea at home.
Read also: #Tatlergram: The Youngest Members Of The British Royal Family
1/6 Buckingham Palace's Garden Party Fruit Scones
Garden parties have been held at the Buckingham Palace since the 1860s. Queen Elizabeth is known to host three parties in the gardens of the Palace and one in Holyroodhouse each year, welcoming more than 30,000 guests from all walks to life. While there won’t be any garden parties this summer—including Princess Beatrice’s wedding reception—you can still recreate these fruit scones from the royal pastry chefs, which are traditionally served during the occasion. Remember to hashtag your creations with #royalbakes.
Ingredients
500 grams plain flour
28 grams baking powder
94 grams butter
86 grams sugar
2 whole eggs
140ml buttermilk
Optional: 100 grams sultanas (cover in hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, butter and sugar together in a bowl, until a crumb is formed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together.
4. Add the liquid to the crumb mixture.
5. Continue to mix the dough, until it is smooth.
6. Add the sultanas and mix until evenly distributed. (Optional)
7. Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten the dough and cover.
8. Leave to rest for approximately 30 minutes.
9. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2.5 cm and cut to the desired shape.
10. Rest the scones for another 20 minutes.
11. Gently eggwash the top of the scones.
12. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
13. Cool before serving with jam and clotted cream.
2/6 Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones
Here’s an interesting story behind Queen Elizabeth’s drop scones recipe—the Queen is believed to have personally made these scotch pancakes when former U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower and his wife visited Scotland's Balmoral estate in 1959. The recipe was revealed in a personal letter written by the Queen to the president, complete with tips noting that she has also tried using golden syrup or treacle instead of only sugar, which was “very good, too” and that the mixture “needs a great deal of beating while making, and shouldn’t stand about too long before cooking.”
Serves 16
Ingredients
4 teacups flour
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teacups milk
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons melted butter.
Method
1. Beat eggs, sugar and about half the milk together.
2. Add flour and mix well together
3. Add the remaining milk as required, bi-carbonate soda and cream of tartar
4. Fold in the melted butter.
3/6 Prince Charles' Cheesy Baked Eggs
While Prince Charles is famous for his love of eggs, and he is also a proud champion of native British cheese. To mark the British Cheese Weekender this month, the Clarence House released one of the Prince of Wales’ favourite recipes, Cheesy Baked Eggs—perfect for breakfast or brunch. The recipe can be recreated with any British cheese, and is best made with organic ingredients.
Ingredients
100 grams wilted spinach
1 cherry tomato or sun-dried tomatoes
35 grams strong soft cheese (e.g. Tunworth, Golden Cenarth or other strong soft cheese)
1 egg
80ml double cream
15 grams grated hard cheese (e.g. Old Winchester)
Fresh basil leaves, torn
Optional: Charcuterie
Method
1. Butter a small ovenproof dish and line with wilted spinach, making a small well in the centre.
2. Place the cherry tomato (quartered) or the sundried tomato (chopped) on top of the spinach.
3. Dot the soft cheese around the dish amongst the tomatoes. Add the torn basil leaves.
4. Add any charcuterie. (Optional)
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Crack the egg into the centre of the spinach.
7. Pour the double cream over the egg—avoid breaking the yolk.
8. Sprinkle with grated hard cheese.
9. Place in a hot oven (180 degrees Celcius) for 8 to 10 minutes.
10. Let it stand for a few minutes before eating.
4/6 Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Cupcakes
In celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 94th birthday this year, the royal pastry chefs shared a chocolate cupcake that anyone can make at home for special occasions. Share your creations on Instagram with the hashtag #RoyalBakes.
Serves approximately 15
Ingredients
For the cake sponges:
15 grams vinegar
300ml milk
50ml vegetable oil
60 grams butter (melted and cooled)
2 eggs
5ml of vanilla essence
250 grams of self-raising flour
75 grams of cocoa powder
300 grams caster sugar
10 grams bicarbonate of soda
100 grams white chocolate chips
Cupcake cases
For the buttercream topping*:
90 grams of high percentage dark chocolate
100 grams butter
125 grams icing sugar
Food colouring
*Can be replaced with pre-made royal icing
Method
For the cake sponges:
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcius.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs in a separate jug, with the vanilla essence, melted butter, oil, milk and vinegar.
4. Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, little by little.
5. Ensure the batter is smooth with no lumps.
6. Finally, add the chocolate chips (alternatives could be nuts, dried fruit).
7. Lay the cupcake cases onto a tray.
8. Use a metal spoon to equally divide the mixture into the cases.
9. Bake for around 15 to 18 minutes, take out of the oven when golden and springy on touch.
10. Leave to cool, then decorate.
For the buttercream icing:
1. Cream the sugar and butter together, until light and creamy.
2. Add in the warm melted chocolate.
3. If you have a piping bag to hand, pipe the icing on the top of cakes for decoration (otherwise gently use a teaspoon or small spatula to ice).
For the royal icing:
1. If decorating with royal icing, roll the icing out and cut into circular disks.
2. Lay the disk over the cupcake and mould to the required shape.
Read also: Meet 13 Of The Youngest Royals From All Over The World
5/6 Kate Middleton’s Marrow Chutney
The Duchess of Cambridge loves a good home-cooked meal, and it was her grandmother’s marrow chutney recipe that helped her win Queen Elizabeth’s heart during her first Christmas with the royal family. She revealed in a documentary for the Queen’s 90th birthday: “I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present… I thought, ‘I'll make her something,’ which could have gone horribly wrong, but I decided to make my granny's recipe of chutney.” Kate added that she noticed the next day that the Queen had placed it on the dining table. The recipe was published in her sister Pippa Middleton’s cookbook, Celebrate in 2012.
Ingredients
1.8 kilograms marrows (peeled, deseeded and chopped into small chunks)
4 medium onions (peeled and chopped into small chunks)
3 apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
225 grams sultanas or raisins
225 grams stoned dates (roughly chopped)
600ml malt vinegar
900 grams soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices, secured in a piece of muslin
Method
1. Put the chopped marrow, onions and apples into a large preserving pan.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and the bag of spices and stir together, then place over medium heat.
3. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
4. Take the pan off the heat, cool and remove the muslin, squeezing the liquid from the bag.
5. Spoon it into sterilised jars with vinegar-proof lids, filling them to within 1cm of the top.
6. Store in a cool place for up to 12 months. Once open, store in a fridge, and use within one month.
6/6 Chef McGrady's Chocolate Sticky Toffee Pudding
According to chef Darren McGrady, who was the former chef to Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace, this sticky toffee pudding recipe was Kate Middleton’s favourite, and that “the Queen loved this at Sandringham when it was really cold outside”. Darren, who is now the owner of Eating Royally Fine Dining shared this recipe on his website, The Royal Chef.
Serves six
Ingredients
For the pudding:
6 ounces (approximately 28.35 grams) Medjool dates, pitted and each cut into about 8 pieces
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
½ pint (approximately 237ml) boiling water
2 ounces (approximately 56.67 grams) butter
6 ounces (approximately 28.35 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup Scharffen Berger chocolate chunks
1 egg
8 ounces (approximately 226.8 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 teaspoon baking powder
For the sauce:
11 ounces (approximately 311.85 grams) dark muscovado sugar
7 ounces (approximately 198.45 grams) unsalted butter
½ cup Scharffen Berger chocolate chunks
9 tablespoons heavy cream
Method
1. Prepare the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a heavy-based pan.
2. Stir over high heat until everything is combined.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Pour about 1 ½ cups of the sauce into a greased 2-pint pudding basin and allow to cool. Save the remaining sauce to pour over the pudding.
5. Place the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate soda and the boiling water.
6. Stir until the soda dissolves and leave to cool. The above steps can be done a day ahead.
7. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the egg and vanilla and keep beating.
8. Fold in the flour and baking powder followed by the date mix and chocolate chips.
9. Spoon the mix into the bowl on top of the cold sauce.
10. Steam the pudding in a double boiler for about 1 ½ hours.
11. When the pudding is ready, reheat the remaining sauce.
12. Invert the pudding onto a warm plate and pour over the sauce.
13. Serve with clotted cream, whipped cream or ice cream.