With Christmas now just a few days away, the palace chefs will be hard at work getting ready for the King’s annual Christmas Day luncheon complete with all the trimmings. Yet while the lavish spread that will feed the extended royal family may be a little beyond the budget of many of us, royal fans can experience a taste of the royal menu for themselves by following the tried and tested mince pie recipe adored by King Charles himself.
Handcrafted by a small tram of experts at Buckingham Palace, the delicious treats are lovingly produced each year - and back in 2017, the Palace even went so far as to share the recipe with the world for keen chefs to recreate at home. Prior to the release of the recipe, Royal Pastry chef Kathryn Cuthbertson shared some sage advice, as she told fans: “Give yourself plenty of time.”.
“Pastry is not something that likes to be rushed,” agreed Chef de Partie, Victoria Scupham, who Kathryn hired to work alongside her, before adding that “cold hands” would also be beneficial to work the dough. The pair were responsible for producing around 1200 mince pies every Christmas, to cater for both royal functions and festive receptions at the various palaces around the holiday season. Yet despite the epic volume of work, the duo revealed that it was perfectly doable, so long as they planned things in advance and remained organised.
