by Louise-Anne Geddes, Mindful Mum, 29th May 2012

• Strawberries dipped in pink lemonade
• Pinwheel Sandwiches
• Victoria Sponge
• Iced Earl Grey Tea
• Strawberries and raspberry ice cubes
• Jubilee Salad
• Jubilee coloured smoothies

Strawberries dipped in pink lemonade

While it’s not quite champagne, the little ones will love feeling grown up by dipping their strawberries just like mummy and daddy! Pink lemonade can be bought in most supermarkets (sugar free varieties are also available, so perfect for a healthier treat too!), or you can make your own using sugar free blackcurrant squash diluted with diet lemonade instead of water.

Pinwheel Sandwiches

Little ones will love all the fun (and mess!) of helping to make these sandwiches! Cut all the crusts off your bread and cut each slice into two or three strips long ways (depending on how dainty you wish your sandwiches to be!). Now for the fun part! Let the children choose the fillings (spreads such as jam, chocolate spread, cheese spreads or thinly sliced meat/cheese works best as they are rather dainty!) and once they have been places on the bread, roll the bread up to look like a pinwheel. Marmite works particularly well to let them see the effect of the pinwheel, but any filling can be used, so let imaginations run wild!

Victoria Sponge

What tea party would be complete without the perfect Victoria Sponge? Here’s how to do it!

Ingredients
200g unsalted butter (plus 25g extra for greasing the tins)
200g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
8 tbsp good quality jam (why not try Stawberry, Raspberry or Blueberry as an alternative, in perfect keeping with the Jubilee colours!)
250ml double cream, whipped
75g icing sugar for dusting

Instructions
Make the cake batter by combining the butter, caster sugar and vanilla in a food processor (or the old fashioned way, mixing bowl and wooden spoon) until you reach a creamy consistency and it lightens in colour
Beat in the eggs, one by one, and then slowly add the sifted flour
Grease two shallow sandwich cake tins (approximately 7-inch / 18cm in diameter)
Divide the cake batter between the two tins
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes (or until golden brown on top and cooked through) in an oven at 190 degrees C (180 degrees C for fan oven / gas mark 5)
Allow the cakes to completely cool
Spread jam on one of the cakes, and then top it with the cream
Sandwich the cakes together
Dust with icing sugar

Or why not go one step further and decorate the top of your cake with some Jubilee coloured icing? Or perhaps some plain icing topped with a Union Jack made of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or any of your other favourite Jubilee coloured fruits! There are loads of possibilities and we’re sure the little ones will be more than willing to give them all a go!

Iced Earl Grey tea

There is nothing more refreshing than iced tea on a warm summer’s day, so why not try this typically British iced tea with a twist! Plus, June is national Iced Tea month, so it is almost fate that every Jubilee party should serve it! Here are the basics to get you started.

Boil water (calculate as you would for making normal tea, depending how many people you are making it for!)
Steep the tea and strain it (if you used loose leaves), or remove the tea bags.
Add sugar to taste. Some people prefer unsweetened but it depends on personal taste.
Cool. It can be refrigerated, poured over ice or mixed with ice water, depending on how you like it!

Strawberry and raspberry ice cubes

If you’re serving punch or mocktails at your jubilee parties, why not have some ice cubes with a twist? Using frozen strawberries and raspberries in drinks instead of ice cubes (this works particularly well in rose wine, or cocktails for Mum too!) gives drinks a special touch for this once in a lifetime occasion.

Jubilee Salad

Something a bit more sophisticated for the grown ups, and the little ones will love all the different colours and textures. Here’s Simon Hopkinson’s seasonal salad recipe

Serves 5-6
For the salad cream
2 eggs
1 dssp caster sugar
5 tbsp tarragon vinegar
a pinch of salt
250ml whipping cream
4 round lettuces, trimmed of all floppy outer greenery and separated into leaves
1 cucumber small, peeled and thickly sliced
6 ripe tomatoes small, peeled and quartered
6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced into short lengths
1 bunch of radishes, trimmed, washed and quartered
4 boiled eggs (see above), peeled and quartered or sliced
1-2 bunches of watercress, depending on size, washed and picked into small sprigs
3-4 medium sized beetroot, cooked, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks

To make the salad cream, first beat together the eggs, caster sugar, vinegar and salt in the top of a double boiler, or in a stainless steel or china bowl suspended over barely simmering water until thick, mousse-like, and the whisk leaves thick trails through the mixture. (Use an electric hand whisk for the speediest results.) Remove from the heat and continue beating until lukewarm. Leave to cool, then loosely whip the cream and carefully fold it into the sauce. Note: if you feel the salad cream is a touch too thick to pour, thin with a little milk.
Now, delicately wash the lettuce in very cold water, spin or shake dry and lay out on to a handsome large platter. Attractively arrange the cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions, radishes and eggs over the leaves, then strew with the watercress. Finally, scatter over the beetroot, spoon over the dressing and serve at once – and before the beetroot bleeds over everything!

Jubilee coloured smoothies

Smoothies are really quick and easy to make, and are always a favourite with kids! All you need are your choices of fruit and natural yogurt, blended together and you have a yummy and healthy drink! Why not experiment a bit with the Jubilee coloured fruits, strawberries and bananas make a lovely pale red coloured smoothie which is one of the most popular sold in shops. These can be served garnished with your choice of Jubilee coloured berries as a refreshing alternative to the pink lemonade and iced tea!

Sources: Jubilee Victoria Sponge Cake Iced Tea Jubilee Salad

Photography: mamamusings @ Flickr

More Jubilee fun!:

Cutest Jubilee style for baby.

Great ideas for a very royal kids Jubilee party.