Move over, coronation chicken, because here comes … the quiche?
On Monday, the royal family announced the ceremony’s signature dish – which they’re aptly naming “the coronation quiche” – that was personally chosen by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
However, it got a less than an egg-squisite reception from royal fans on Twitter, and it looks like a lot of people won’t be firing up their ovens to try it out.
The dish, which features a mixture of spinach, broad beans, cheese and tarragon, is encouraged to be served at parties throughout the weekend.
The royal family’s official Instagram account even posted a video on their page of how to make it.
The coronation is slated for Saturday, May 6 at Westminster Abbey. It marks the official transfer of power to Charles after the passing of his mom, Queen Elizabeth II, this past September.
But on social media, some people labeled the egg dish as “embarrassing” while others just couldn’t seem to hide their eggsplosions of anger.
“#Coronation quiche? Is Charles serious? No sane person chooses to eat quiche,” one person fumed.
Another chided, “The ‘coronation quiche’ looks absolutely grim, so I suppose it’s a fitting choice.”
“The fact that we have a coronation recipe is embarrassing enough, but this?” one user questioned in response to a tweet from the royal family’s official Twitter account announcing the quiche. “A huge country full of unique cuisines and THIS is the crap you choose?? Coronation quiche? It’s 2023, not 1973. Are we having vol-au-vents and cheese with pineapple on a stick with it?”
Others slammed the royal family for choosing a quiche as the coronation’s official dish when there is currently an egg shortage that is affecting both the US and the UK, per the BBC.
“Coronation quiche when there’s an egg shortage lmaoooo,” one person tweeted. They’re so tone deaf it’s comical.”
However, not all social media users were turned off by the controversial quiche.
“That coronation quiche looks lush to be fair,” one individual admitted.
Another agreed, writing, “We will be making the Coronation Quiche, because the recipe sounds as though it tastes nice.”
The Post reached out to reps for the royal family for comment.
Alas, if you’re in the no-quiche camp, you could opt to make the traditional coronation chicken, a creamy, decadent dish using curry that was created for Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremony in 1953, according to Le Cordon Bleu.
However, the focus of the celebration weekend may not end up being about the cuisine – it might be the familial drama that could potentially ensue. Last week, the royal family announced that Prince Harry will be attending his father’s coronation ceremony sans wife Meghan Markle.
His appearance comes amid tension between the family and Harry after the January release of his tell-all memoir, “Spare,” and Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan.”
In his memoir, he alleged that his older brother, Prince William, “physically attacked” him.
But maybe a quiche could smooth things over between the brothers.
And for those bold enough to try it, the official recipe is below – straight from the royal family’s website.
Ingredients:
- 125g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 25g cold butter, diced
- 25g lard
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Or 1 x 250g block of ready-made shortcrust pastry
For filling:
- 125ml milk
- 175ml double cream
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon,
- Salt and pepper
- 100g grated cheddar cheese,
- 180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped
- 60g cooked broad beans or soya beans
Preparation instructions:
- “Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your finger tips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb like texture.
- Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough.
- Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes
- Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.
- Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C.
- Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
- Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
- If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.
- Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.”