String up the bunting and put the champagne on ice. The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this summer, and we get to enjoy an extra-long bank holiday weekend, stretching from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. Which means the heady combination of (hopefully) warm summer days, plates piled high with scones and sponges and glasses filled with delicious bubbles is fast approaching.
But how will you be spending your four-day weekend? From refreshing cocktails enjoyed underneath twinkling lights to delicate bakes eaten beneath sunny skies, here’s how to elevate your Jubilee feasting and festivities.
Plan a picnic in the park
Forget shop-bought quiche Lorraine and Scotch eggs — a royal celebration deserves something a little more sophisticated. Invest in a pretty picnic basket and fill it with the finest cheeses, bread and charcuterie. Or, if you want to prep something ahead of time, try this delicious stuffed picnic loaf with your choice of fillings. Then upcycle old jam jars by using them to serve individual green salads in — or to create fun little cake jars, layering leftover vanilla sponge, jam, buttercream and white chocolate chips. Finish with a ribbon tied around the rim.
Have a stylish street party
Perhaps you’re planning to join your neighbours for a vintage street party. If so, we suggest mixing up generous jugs of cocktails and mocktails to place along the table, using some of the delicious flavours created by Cotswolds-based brand bottlegreen. Its cordials and sparkling pressés are inspired by quintessentially British ingredients, such as hand-picked elderflower, aromatic ginger and luscious summer raspberry, making them the perfect addition for a thirst-quenching summer drink.
If you want something zesty and refreshing, whip up a speedy jug of Mojito. Over ice, mix bottlegreen’s new Lime & Mint Cordial with white rum and top up with soda water to taste. Add some fresh mint leaves to serve. Or make a pretty pink mocktail by combining bottlegreen Sumptuous Pomegranate & Elderflower Cordial with a dash of rosewater over plenty of crushed ice, before topping up with lemonade. Float some fresh rose petals on top, or a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, and serve in your chicest coupe glasses.
Throw a garden soirée
An elegant late-afternoon garden party is the perfect way to spend a long bank holiday. Think large platters everyone can help themselves to, a beautifully laid table with vases of wild flowers, and twinkling fairy lights strung overhead. Skip the starter and simply fill your table with generous sharing dishes, such as this spring vegetable tart or cod and chorizo tray bake, which make lovely centrepieces. For dessert, serve an indulgent pavlova grazing board, layering up meringues, berries and white chocolate chunks, alongside little bowls of lightly whipped cream and jugs of raspberry coulis on a platter. Then give everyone plates and spoons and let them dive in.
Take high tea with a twist
What could be more British than a delicious high tea? Alongside delicate finger sandwiches, inject a little spice with these tasty curry rarebit bites. Scones are another tea-party classic — add a floral note to your usual recipe by whisking together four tablespoons of bottlegreen Hand-Picked Elderflower Cordial with milk and egg before mixing in your dry ingredients. Serve with a traditional lemon curd finished with a dash more cordial for a tasty twist on a British favourite.
To drink, mix up an elderflower and Earl Grey Collins by adding bottlegreen Hand-Picked Elderflower Cordial, gin and lemon juice to an ice-filled tumbler. Top up with soda water and swirl an Earl Grey teabag around the glass until you see the tea infusing with the cocktail, before serving.
Head to the seaside
When the weather is good, there’s nothing better than a trip to the coast — it’s the perfect spot to celebrate with some seafood and a glass of fizz. Our pick of the best beaches includes Herne Bay, where you can enjoy locally caught lobster at Oyster and Chop House, Appledore in Devon, where you can stop for an ice cream at the iconic Hocking’s van, and Tenby in southwest Wales, where we recommend picking up some fresh crab sandwiches at Simply Seafoods by the harbour. Just add champagne.
bottlegreen adds a dash of extraordinary to any occasion — discover the full range of cordials and sparkling pressés at bottlegreendrinks.com
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the cocker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
