Royal Wedding Fever
The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is taking place on the 19thMay and is sure to be one of the biggest events of 2018. The sun is meant to be shining and the festivities will be in full flow, so we thought we’d share some favourite Royal Wedding recipes to keep your celebrations in full flow! These recipes are also perfect for any summer parties throughout the year.
Starters
Asparagus Cigars
This is a great snack for celebrations, simple and easy to make. We would advise doubling the recipes as they disappear quickly.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 16 sharing
You’ll need:
2 bundles of British asparagus
4 sheets of ready-made filo pastry
50g butter melted
2 handfuls of finely grated parmesan
Salt
Black pepper
What to do:
Pre-heat the oven to 190°c
Cook the asparagus in well salted water, cooking it for only 1 - 2 minutes once it has come back to the boil.
Drain and cool the asparagus in cold water then drain again, making sure it’s thoroughly dry with a tea towel.
Cut the asparagus 2/3 of the way down, either discarding the lower stem or saving it for a soup, such as pea and asparagus & sorrel.
Take one sheet of filo pastry and brush it lightly but thoroughly all over with butter. Cut each piece into four. Place each asparagus spear along the bottom of your filo piece and roll snugly but not over tightly.
Picking it up with your fingers brush the outside with butter again, then scatter the grated parmesan thoroughly over the top of each cigar.Lay them down on a tray lined with greaseproof paper with the outside edge of the filo facing down on the paper, this stops them unravelling when they cook.
Once done grind over with a heavy bombardment of black pepper.
Place in the oven for 15- 18 minutes until deep golden and crispy.
Credit: British Asparagus
French Breakfast Radish, Spring Onion and Goats' Cheese Crostini
The perfect canapé to share with friends or loved ones. The peppery radish compliments the creamy goats' cheese with the spring onion making this is a winning combination.
Serves: makes 10 crostini
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
You’ll need:
10 slices of French stick or Ciabatta
Drizzle of olive oil
125g soft goats’ cheese
4 spring onions, sliced
10 French breakfast radishes, sliced
What to do:
Heat the grill and lay the bread on baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Toast each side under the grill until golden.
Once toasted, spread each slice with goats’ cheese and top with some slices of radish and spring onion.
Season with a little salt and pepper and serve.
Credit:
Mains
Isle of Wight Tomato Lunchbox Tarts
Super simple to make, these beautiful Isle of Wight tomatoes do the talking in this dish. Use plenty of pesto and creamy mozzarella to make this dish sing!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You’ll need:
375g pack fresh ready-rolled puff pastry
2 heaped tbsp fresh basil pesto
50g Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Basil and Extra Virgin Oil, roughly chopped
Two big handfuls of Piccolo tomatoes, halved
100g mozzarella roughly chopped
Olive Oil
Fresh basil leaves to serve
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Unroll the puff pastry and cut into four equal rectangles. Score a 1cm border around the edge. Prick the centre of the pastry all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Spread the pesto over the centre of the pastry, top with the chopped Slow Roasted Tomatoes and then the halved Piccolo tomatoes and finally the mozzarella.
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
Serve with a few fresh basil leaves on top.
Credit: The Tomato Stall
Shallot, Courgette and Asparagus Salad
A deliciously light salad with few ingredients and ready to eat in 15 minutes.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
You’ll need
250g bunch of British asparagus
4 shallots, finely sliced
2 small courgettes, sliced into disks
100g feta, broken into small pieces
2 tsp poppy seeds
4-5 sprigs tarragon, leaves roughly chopped
½ lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp creme fraiche
What to do:
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 2-3 minutes. Add the sliced shallots to the pan for 30 seconds then drain the pan and run the veg under cold water.
Drain again and put into a salad bowl with the courgette, feta, poppy seeds and tarragon.
To mix the dressing put the juice of the lemon, oil, mustard and creme fraiche in jar with a screw top. Season and shake to combine. Drizzle over the salad and toss well.
Taste and adjust the seasoning of necessary.
Credit: UK Shallot
Desserts
Royal Wedding Trifle
Nothing says Royal Wedding like this trifle. Even Meghan and Harry would be impressed!
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 30 mins
You’ll need:
1kg Berries (strawberries, raspberries & blueberries)
30g Icing Sugar
8 Madeleines cakes, shop bought is fine
3 tbsp Marsala Wine (optional)
700g ready-made custard
200g mascarpone
400ml double cream
Extra raspberries, strawberries and blueberries to decorate
What to do:
Hull and chop any large strawberries and put into a bowl with raspberries and blueberries, sprinkle over the icing sugar and give everything a gentle mash with a fork. Set aside to macerate.
Lay the Madeleines in the bottom of a large trifle bowl, spread out to fill the gaps as much as possible. Drizzle over the Marsala wine if using. Once the berries look juicy, spoon half of them, with their juice, over the cake and leave to soak in.
Whip together the custard and mascarpone until smooth and spoon half over the berries spreading to the edges. Spoon over the rest of the berries then top with the remaining custard.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon 2/3 over the trifle and level.
Use the extra berries to create a union jack pattern leaving a gap between each colour. Using a narrow piping tip, pipe the remaining cream between the berries to create the white parts of the flag.
Credit: Berry World
Mixed Berry Cheesecake
A little birdie has told us Meghan and Harry are having edible flowers on their wedding cake so this cheesecake will be a real showstopper. Beautiful, juicy berries and edible flowers on top make these cheesecake stand out.
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 30 mins plus 2 hrs chilling
You’ll need:
125g digestive biscuits
75g ginger biscuits
100g melted butter
300g Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries
150g icing sugar
400g cream cheese
300g double cream
Extra berries to decorate
What to do:
Line the bottom of a 23cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Put the biscuits into a food processor and whizz into crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and whizz again then tip into the cake tin. Use the bottom of a glass or back of a spoon to press down evenly then refrigerate to set.
Put the berries into a pan with the icing sugar and heat. Stir and mash the berries until they break down, allow to bubble for a few minutes until the mixture looks like jam. Allow to cool for a few minutes then sieve into a bowl and leave to cool.
Beat the cream cheese and cream together then whip in the berry juice until well combined.
Spoon the cream mixture over the biscuit base, level the top and return to the fridge to set for 2 hours or until firm.
To serve, carefully remove the cake tin, use a pallet knife to separate the greaseproof paper from the base. Slide onto a serving plate and top with extra berries.
Note: Edible flowers look great on this cheesecake too.
Credit: Berry World
Drinks
Strawberry Daiquiri
This refreshing fruity number is bound to impress at any celebration. Perfect for warmer weather!
Makes two
You’ll need:
8 fresh strawberries, plus 1 strawberry to garnish
4 tsp caster sugar
70ml light rum
The juice of two limes and slices to garnish
What to do:
1. Chill your glasses, by filling with ice.
2.Put the strawberries, caster sugar, rum and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and mash with the end of a rolling pin.
3.Add ice, place the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake well.
4.Strain the mixture into a glass and garnish with half a strawberry and a slice of lime by placing them on the side of the glass.
Credit: Berry World
Gin and Blueberry Twist
If gin is your thing, make sure you try this gin and blueberry twist!
Makes four
You’ll need:
1 punnet blueberries (approx. 150g)
1 tbsp caster sugar
Juice of half a small lemon
2 grinds of black pepper
120ml gin
30ml Limoncello
Ice, for shaking
Soda water
What to do:
· Put the blueberries, caster sugar and lemon in a cocktail shaker and mash with the end of a rolling pin.
· Add the black pepper, gin, Limoncello and some ice and shake well.
· Put a large ice cube into each glass along with 3 blueberries and pour the cocktail in through a sieve. Top up with soda water.
Credit: Berry World