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New Platinum Jubilee cookbook shares 70 recipes created for Royals around the world

The Platinum Jubilee Cookbook will celebrate food and British diplomacy with dishes like Jollof Rice and 'Mince Spies' (courtesy of the Chief of MI6)

Georgina Pellant - 25th April 2022

A new Platinum Jubilee cookbook with 70 recipes from British embassies and high commissions around the world is being released to the public later this month, showing how British Royals eat on diplomatic visits.

From Spanish marmalade made in Madrid to green fish curry from the Islamabad High Commission, throughout the book, its recipes – many of them served during royal visits – will tell the stories of how food and British diplomacy intertwine.

The new Platinum Jubilee cookbook book has been endorsed by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and will contain anecdotes about the “profound, almost spiritual significance, of breaking bread with others”, said the Royals, as well as nodding to the importance of dining together in the world of British diplomacy.

It will also look to examine the ways in which the UK’s culinary scene has changed over the Queen’s record-breaking 70-year reign, the longest of any reigning British monarch, reports The Independent.

Other dishes set to be featured include a British-Malaysian fusion Rendang Beef Wellington, Cardamom Lamb, Jollof Rice, Mince Spies (from ‘C’, Chief of MI6), and whisky bread and butter pudding.

In the foreword, Charles and Camilla wrote that the offerings on the country’s kitchen tables were ‘bleak’ when the Queen came to the throne and has since been ‘transformed’ under her reign.

“Several foods were still rationed and the meagre choice of ingredients on offer posed a challenge to even the most creative cook,” they wrote.

“Meals from other parts of the world were almost unheard of. The only option for a takeaway was the ever-faithful fish and chips; and olive oil was sold in small bottles by chemists, for medical rather than culinary use.”

The royals commented how the nation’s tastes have changed over the years, with cuisines from other countries growing in popularity over the decades.

“Today, our tastes have been transformed,” they said. “More than ever before we welcome one another’s culinary heritage into our homes – and, for this, we are deeply grateful.”

“On all royal cisits, food plays an important part, presenting opportunities to enjoy a taste of the host nation’s culinary heritage, while also offering a chance to share the best of British cuisine,” they said.

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“We recognise some of the dishes here, from the British-Malaysian fusion Rendang Beef Wellington we enjoyed in Kuala Lumpur, through to the utterly delicious whisky bread and butter pudding we enjoyed in Washington.”

Authored by Ameer Kotecha, the Platinum Jubilee cookbook is being released on 28 April and can be pre-ordered now.

Feature image – The Royal Family