King Charles' signature coronation dish mercilessly mocked
With the coronation comes one of the most famed traditions in the Monarchy, the creation of a signature dish, made to be shared and enjoyed across the Commonwealth in honour of the new Monarch.
The Queen’s coronation made history in 1953, with the ‘Coronation Chicken’, a recipe that has since embedded itself into British culture.
Charles’ crowning marks 70 years since the last coronation, and with the event coming up on May 6, the reveal of the signature dish has been highly anticipated. A culinary delight, like Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘Poulet Reine Elizabeth’, that will make its way down from generation to generation.
The Royal Family verified Twitter account shared the long-awaited dish.
“Introducing… Coronation Quiche!”, the tweet read.
“Chosen personally by Their Majesties, The King and The Queen Consort have shared a recipe in celebration of the upcoming #CoronationBigLunch taking place up and down the country.”
Introducing… Coronation Quiche!
Chosen personally by Their Majesties, The King and The Queen Consort have shared a recipe in celebration of the upcoming #CoronationBigLunch taking place up and down the country. pic.twitter.com/aVcw9tNarP
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 17, 2023
King Charles III has officially unveiled his signature coronation offering, which will be served at the palace’s ‘Big Lunch’ event on May 7, also to be served at several community events and street parties across coronation weekend.
The coronation quiche recipe consists of spinach, broad beans, cheese and tarragon, although Buckingham Palace’s chef Mark Flanagan says those who want to bake their own can easily make adjustments to suit their preferences.
Charles, Camilla and Flanagan chose the dish because it’s a convenient “sharing” dish that can be served either hot or cold.
The coronation quiche has left a bad taste in many individuals’ mouths, going viral online and becoming quite the laughingstock for a few reasons.
The most profound stems from the well-known egg shortage in the UK, with production at its lowest in over a decade, according to The Guardian.
In 2022, almost a billion fewer eggs were packed compared to 2019 due to producers hit by price hikes and a disastrous outbreak of bird flu.
Shoppers calling for supermarkets to stock up on the ingredients for the coronation quiche have posted online to point out the obvious issue.
The UK:
- There's a shortage of eggs in the supermarkets.
Royal Family:
- The "Coronation Quiche".
#CoronationBigLunch #coronationquiche pic.twitter.com/xjEtjiUCuS
— Pauline (@tlnlndn) April 17, 2023
Aside from supply shortages, many people decided the egg pie wasn’t very fitting.
This is the lamest thing I’ve ever heard. Imagine having 70+ years to think about it and choosing QUICHE. I despair. #Coronation https://t.co/jEeXmxP1Ss
— Julie Lovell (@ficklishjlo) April 17, 2023
Elizabeth’s coronation saw famed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu London’s creation of the ‘Coronation Chicken’, which consisted of cooked chicken meat in a creamy curry sauce with dried apricots. It was served with a simple salad.
When it was first produced the dish came as a surprise due to many of the ingredients not being pantry staples and the country was still under post-war ration restrictions.
The chicken dish has evolved over the years, with it now commonly served on a brioche bun and garnished with various trimmings from crisp coconut chips to mangetout and sultanas.
Quiche the ‘Coronation Chicken’ goodbye and stay occu-pied with the recipe below.
Pastry:
- 125g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 25g cold butter, diced
- 25g lard
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 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. To make the pastry: sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your finger tips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
2. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.
3. 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.
4. Preheat the oven to 190C.
5. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C.
7. Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
8. Scatter half of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
9. 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.
10. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.
Image credits: Getty/Twitter