The Coronation Quiche is the recipe of choice to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, Camilla
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne, a Coronation Chicken recipe (or poulet reine Elizabeth) was created for the queen’s coronation banquet. Cordon Bleu chef Rosemary Hume had a hand in it, as she commandeered the kitchens for the event, along with food writer Constance Spry. The original was a take on an Indian-inspired creamy curry sauce. The recipe, even sans social media back then, went viral so to speak, and quickly made its way as a salad or a filling for sandwiches. The Coronation Chicken Sandwich is still a staple in sandwich shops and afternoon tea across the United Kingdom as well as many commonwealth nations.
Now that Charles is about to officially don the crown, he’s added his own taste to the recipe books. He, along with Queen Consort Camilla, have chosen a meatless Quiche as their coronation dish. Working with royal chef Mark Flanagan, the couple reportedly chose it because it’s easy to share with a party – just the thing for celebrating a coronation or any occasion, including The Coronation Big Lunch.
The King and The Queen Consort in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. 📷 Hugo Burnand
This community initiative follows years of tradition during the Queen’s reign where, every year on her jubilee and birthday celebrations in June, people come together, share a table and, according to The Royal Family’s website, royal.uk, “for friendship, food and fun.” Camilla has been a patron of the initiative since 2013, including hosting her own Big Lunch last year at The Oval cricket ground to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The recipe’s ingredients lean on Charles’ love of “anything eggs and cheese,” according to a former palace insider, but don’t let the healthy spinach and broad beans also in the recipe fool you. This is still as rich as it gets.
Here, courtesy of The Royal Family website, royal.uk, is how to make it. So go ahead. Let them eat quiche.
Coronation Quiche Recipe
A deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of Spinach, Broad Beans and fresh Tarragon. Eat hot or cold with a green salad and boiled new potatoes – perfect for a Coronation Big Lunch!
Serves 6
x1 20cm Flan Tin
Ingredients
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
- To make the pastry…
- Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your fingertips 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Line the pastry base with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind (pre-bake) for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F).
- Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
- Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
- If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry base.
- Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.
