It’s Queen’s Birthday weekend, and even if you’re not much for ‘God Save the Queen’, a long weekend is as good an excuse as any to have a bit of theming fun. The Colombo is getting up to its wellies in British spirit, and if you pop in this weekend you can enjoy the celebratory atmosphere and Queenly decorations while you sip a cup of tea – English breakfast, of course.
Here are some ideas for celebrating Queen’s Birthday in the poshest way possible.
Have a pudding contest
The official Platinum Pudding Competition for the Queen’s jubilee already has a winner – a lemon Swiss roll and amaretti trifle – but you can hold one of your own! Challenge your friends to come up with the most English dessert they can think of, and then you can all enjoy eating them when you’re done.
Watch out for the beacons
Communities all across the UK will be lighting a beacon for the Queen’s jubilee, and so will every country in the Commonwealth, 54 in total. Ours is in Wellington, and there’ll be a special event with a unique Kiwi flavour to officially light the beacon. You can watch a livestream of the event at QueensPlatinumJubilee/livestream.
Have a cream tea
This most English of English treats isn’t actually about putting cream in your tea – it’s about the cultural treasure that is a fresh-baked scone (or scones) with fresh clotted cream and fruit preserve, accompanied by a pot of traditional English breakfast tea, of course. Whip some up, or grab some from a local café this weekend, and don’t forget to leave your pinky sticking out.
Brush up on your Queen trivia
Did you know that the Queen was a Girl Guide? She joined the group at the age of 11, and the Australian Girl Guides even provided the ingredients for her wedding cake. She’s the oldest and longest-reigning monarch in history, surpassing the previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, in 2015. She’s been served by 14 Prime Ministers, including Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, an indication of just how long she’s been in the job! She also has two birthdays – her official one this weekend, and her real one on April 21. One of the privileges of being Queen.