SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Queen Elizabeth IIState & Ceremonial

A lunch fit for a Queen: Inside the Patron’s Lunch hamper

When over 10,000 people come together on The Mall to celebrate The Queen 90th birthday this June, there is a fair chance that a lot of them will be hungry. Now, Marks and Spencer has revealed the treats that members of the public can expect to receive in its Patron’s Lunch hamper.

The retailer has been tasked with catering for Britain’s largest-ever picnic which will take place on Sunday 12 June. Tickets, which cost £150 per person, are being allocated through a ballot system and will see thousands of people will join guests from more than 600 charities of which The Queen is patron.

The selection of food and drink – all contained in a wicker basket – has a distinctly British feel to it and is inspired by some of Her Majesty’s favourite places in the UK. Guests will be able to enjoy a Best of British sandwich selection that includes options from all corners of the UK, including Roast Northern Irish beef, Smoked Scottish Loch Etive trout, Farmhouse mature Welsh cheddar and Applewood smoked Wiltshire ham with Tewkesbury mustard.

For those with a sweet tooth, the hamper will also contain a ‘posh’ raspberry royale; a dessert which mixes Norfolk Tulameen raspberries and strawberry jelly, layered with a sponge and clotted whipped cream hand decorated with a chocolate plaque.

Also among the delicacies will be a Scottish smoked salmon mousse, a Pembrokeshire chicken salad and a mini piccalilli pork pie, all of which can be washed down with a 250ml can of Pimms, a bottle of water and Apple juice which has been freshly pressed in Windsor.

Each person attending the Patron’s Lunch will receive their own hamper before sitting down at the specially prepared tables that will line the Mall outside Buckingham Palace. Marks and Spencer are also making sure that nobody forgets who is providing the catering arrangements; with the hamper’s turquoise plastic plates, cutlery and packaging all showing the retailer’s logo.

Thousands of people are expected to converge on the Mall for the weekend of celebrations for The Queen

Thousands of people are expected to converge on the Mall for the weekend of celebrations for The Queen

Sandra Ziles, Head of Product Development at M&S, said: “The Patron’s Lunch Hamper has been created by our food experts who have put all their passion and creative know-how into devising a very special menu for the celebration. We’ve worked closely with our farmers and producers to ensure we showcase the very best of British produce at The Patron’s Lunch and we’re looking forward to seeing guests enjoying the picnic on The Mall.”

The Lunch will be the culmination of a weekend of national events marking The Queen’s official 90th birthday and honours the monarch’s lifetime dedication to service.

The first set of engagements to celebrate Her Majesty’s landmark birthday will take place between 12 – 15 May. More than 1,500 riders and performers will join 900 horses for a celebratory extravaganza in a purpose-built arena the private grounds of Windsor Castle. The Queen will attend on the final evening and the event will be broadcast on ITV and hosted by Ant and Dec.

The weekend of official birthday events will get underway on Friday 10 June with a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral. The congregation will be made up of invited guests only, but the service will be televised and is expected to see senior members of the royal family take part. The date also marks the Duke of Edinburgh’s 95th birthday, but he has previously specified that he does not want any public celebration.

Saturday 11 June will then see the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony take place on Horse Guards Parade in London. Otherwise know as The Queen’s Birthday Parade, it is an opportunity for The Queen to review soldiers in the Household Division and Her Majesty and other members of the Royal family will travel to and from Buckingham Palace in carriages. The family will then appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1pm to watch a fly-past.

If you don’t have a ticket to the Patron’s Lunch on Sunday 12 June, but still want to be part of the event in London, there will be room for 15,000 people to watch the event on giant screens in St James’s Park and Green Park. It is advised to arrive early and, unfortunately, you won’t receive one of the b hampers although there’s no reason you can’t bring your own!


Create your own Patron’s Lunch: what’s inside The Queen’s 90th birthday street party hamper?

Main Courses:

  • Best of British sandwich selection: Roast Northern Irish beef with horseradish mayonnaise and baby watercress on soft white bread; Smoked Scottish Loch Etive trout with a dill dressing and watercress on soft wholemeal bread; Farmhouse mature Welsh cheddar with Kentish Claret tomatoes and Windsor apple chutney on soft malted brown bread; Applewood smoked Wiltshire ham with Tewkesbury mustard on soft white bread
  • Pembrokeshire chicken roulade with Wye Valley asparagus and minted Cornish potato salad with pea shoots, creamy mayo and a herb drizzle
  • Scottish Smoked Salmon mousse with hot and cold Sandringham oak smoked Lochmuir salmon

Accompaniments:

  • Cornish Cove mature cheese and Red Leicester with Scottish seeded oatcakes
  • Mini piccalilli pork pie

Dessert:

  • ‘Posh’ raspberry royale – Norfolk Tulameen raspberries and a strawberry jelly, layered with a sponge and clotted whipped cream hand decorated with a chocolate plaque
  • Two butterfly cakes – one light vanilla sponge cake with strawberry frosting and the other a lemon cake topped with lemon frosting

Drinks:

  • Pressed Windsor apple juice
  • Pimm’s
  • Bottle of water

 

About author

James is Royal Central's Director of Broadcasting and Communications. He's a recognised royal commentator and correspondent and has experience with numerous TV and radio networks including the BBC, ITV, Sky, CNN and MSNBC among others.

1 Comment

Comments are closed.