The King’s Coronation is just weeks away, so if you haven’t already, it’s time to start planning how you will celebrate with your guests. The grand occasion is taking place on Saturday 6th May, but we’ve also been graced with an extra bank holiday on Monday 8th May, so there’s a whole weekend to be spent celebrating.

To help you create a meal fit for a king, we’ve put together a few recipes which are sure to excite and delight your customers. Your first thought may be to make something like Coronation Chicken – after all, it did take centre stage at Queen Elizabeth II’s event – but according to the official website, we can get more creative than that…

For extra inspiration, take a look at the Coronation official website, where they have recipes, including an Asian-style rack of lamb and a take on Coronation aubergine. There’s also a recommended playlist and a host of games and colouring-in drawings, which are great for schools and family-friendly pubs.

STRAWBERRY & THYME CREAM ECLAIRS

These delicious eclairs are filled with vanilla chantilly with thyme and fresh strawberries.

INGREDIENTS: MAKES 10 

Choux Pastry

• 60g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 60ml whole milk
• 60ml water
• 40g plain flour
• 45g strong white bread flour
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 large eggs, beaten

Filling

• 400g strawberries
• 2 sprigs of lemon thyme
• 2 tbsp. caster sugar
• 600ml double cream

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c (160c fan) 
2. Make the choux pastry by adding the butter, sugar, salt, milk and water into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil. 
3. Once at temperature, add in the plain and strong white bread flour and immediately mix together with a wooden spoon until it forms into a ball of dough.
4. Tip the pastry into a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
5. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating until combined before adding more. Add enough egg until the pastry is thick, glossy and has reached dropping consistency.
6. Place the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip (roughly 1cm wide).
7. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. You could draw ten 12cm lines onto the back of the parchment, 6 per sheet, to help guide you. 
8. Pipe the choux pastry into eclair shapes, using the lines as guides. 
9. Bake in the oven at 180c (160c fan) for about 30-35 minutes or until the choux is golden brown. Set aside until cooled.
10. To make the filling remove the green tops from 300g of strawberries and cut into small cubes. 
11. Mix together 1 tbsp of the sugar and the thyme, then add the strawberries and set aside for an hour or so to macerate.
12. Place the cream, vanilla and remaining sugar into a large bowl and whisk until the mixture holds soft peaks.
13. Once the eclairs are cooked and cooled, cut through the middle and fill the base of each eclair with the strawberries (leaving the juice in the bowl so they don’t go soggy!).
14. Place the cream into a piping bag and pipe the cream on top of the strawberries.
15. Take the rest of the strawberries and cut into thin slithers, then add on top of the cream. 
16. Close the eclair lids and dust with a little icing sugar.

If you want to make a few desserts, you could also try Michelin star chef Adam Handlings Strawberry and Custard Trifle, as recommended on the Coronation website. 

RACK OF LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE

This is great served with some smashed new potatoes and roasted vegetables! If you’re planning a BBQ, you could do the same with a lovely leg of lamb, roasted on the BBQ and served on a plate with salsa verde for guests to help themselves.

INGREDIENTS: SERVES 4

• 2 x 6-bone racks of lamb, trimmed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh rosemary and four garlic cloves in skins
• Butter for cooking

For the salsa verde 

• 2 small handfuls of fresh mint leaves
• 2 large handfuls of fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 8 anchovy fillets, rinsed
• 100ml olive oil
• 2-4 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C
2. Remove the skin from the lamb if it is still attached, then score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, trying not to cut into the meat. 
3. Take a large frying pan, big enough to fit one rack of lamb, and put on medium to high heat, add the butter, rosemary and garlic cloves – smashed with the back of a knife. Add oil if needed to stop butter burning.
4. Once hot, add the racks, one at a time, and sear the meat, rendering down the fat on all sides – remove and place in a roasting tray.
5. Season well, spoon over some of the meat and butter juices, and add the garlic and rosemary into the roasting tray, then cook in the oven for 22-28 minutes, depending on how pink you like it to be.
6. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, put the mint, parsley, capers, anchovies, olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a food processor. Whizz for 1 minute, then taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste if needed.
7. Once the lamb is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven, cover it with foil and rest for 10 minutes. 
8. Cut the chops and serve three per person. Add a drizzle of the salsa verde or a pot on the side.

CORONATION SCOTCH EGG

Put a twist on this wonderful pub classic and make your scotch egg with a coronation sauce.

INGREDIENTS: MAKES 4

• 7 medium egg
• 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• spring onions, roughly chopped
• 100g plain flour
• 100g panko breadcrumbs, blitzed in a food processor until fine
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Coronation Mayo:

• 50g mayonnaise
• 70g Greek yoghurt or similar
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp mango chutney (add honey if isn’t sweet enough)
• 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD: 

1. Bring a pan of water to a simmer over a medium heat. Carefully lower in four eggs and cook for 6 mins – you want a soft egg. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of water and ice, to stop the cooking.
2. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and set aside on a board or plate.
3. Add the chicken, curry powder, thyme and spring onions into a food processor with 1 tsp salt. Blend until the mixture clumps together and resembles sausagemeat – the chicken should be minced. 
4. Tip the mixture into a bowl and divide into four portions, then roll each portion into a ball. 
5. Working with one meatball at a time, gently flatten into a disc in your palm and sit one of the boiled eggs in the middle, then bring the meat around the egg to encase it and gently roll it in your hand to ensure it’s fully sealed. 
6. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture and eggs and set aside.
7. Crack the three remaining eggs into a bowl and whisk together.
8. Now tip the flour into a separate bowl and the panko bread crumbs into another – shallow bowls are the easiest to work with.
9. Gently roll each scotch egg in the flour, followed by the beaten egg and then the panko bread crumbs, until they are all well-coated. 
10. Put on a plate and chill for 30 mins before cooking.
11. While the scotch eggs chill, make the coronation mayo by mixing together the mayonnaise, yoghurt, curry powder, turmeric, lemon juice and mango chutney. Season to taste and chill until needed.
12. If you have a deep fat fryer, bring to at least 160C, otherwise, fill a large saucepan (no more than a third full) with oil and heat to 160C.
13. Lower the scotch eggs into the oil (1-2 at a time) and fry for 10-12 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate, lined with kitchen paper, to drain.
14. Cut the scotch eggs in half and serve with the coronation mayo on the side.