This blog features London Mums’ party hosting tips on how to throw a great Platinum Jubilee party.
1. Bunting
Oodles of the stuff. Bunting is brilliant and this is the perfect moment to go bananas with it. Personally, I like the old-fashioned fabric kind but there are all sorts of options out there now, from beautifully embroidered stuff to nicely weatherproof plastic. Use it in copious quantities indoors and out.
2. Red, white and blue
You may not want to plaster your house with Union Jacks, but any terribly British party should really have a colour scheme that incorporates the colours of our flag. This has the added benefit of leaving you with some items that you might actually get to re-use at some point before the next big royal event.
3. Best of British
Feed your guests a selection of traditional regional classics in miniature, from mini pork pies to a regional cheese board and breaded fish goujons with mini chips in newspaper print canapé cones. And for drinks? It’s got to be gin & tonic, Pimm’s and lemonade or an ice cold bitter lemon.
4. More tea, vicar?
Reference our national obsession with tea by serving tea-based cocktails in teacups, poured from tea pots.
5. Cake
In the UK, we love our cake. Whether it’s a Victoria sponge or Queen cake, there are lots of cakes with a royal lineage that you can include in your menu. If you don’t have the time to research recipes go literal – make gingerbread princes and princesses, and biscuits shaped like crowns with jelly tot jewels.
6. Precious metals
Gold is officially a food additive, and is thus perfectly safe to eat. Add a bit of sparkle to a long drink with gold leaf flakes that will dance on the bubbles, or make a dessert a little more regal by topping it with some gilded berries. If you’re on a budget or worried about your craft skills then you can buy edible gold and silver food sprays online that are more affordable and super easy to use.
7. Great British music
Fortunately for us, the UK has a rich and varied musical heritage, which means that you can make an all-Brit soundtrack to suit every taste, from the Beatles to Adele or Ed Sheeran.
8. Queen for the day
Party guests love to dress up – it’s a great ice-breaker – so get online and order a big pile of cheap novelty crowns, tiaras and jewels from party suppliers. Throw in a few grey wigs, false moustaches and purple sashes and you’ll be up to your ears in royal impersonators before you know it.
Photo by London Mums’ reporter Laura Castelli
9. Lawn games
No British summer party is complete without lawn games – whether croquet, lawn tennis, cricket or badminton, they’re perfect for a lazy summer afternoon’s socialising.
10. Jam favours
Send your guests away with a taste of the British summer in the form of mini jam pot favours filled with homemade fresh fruit jam. It’s super easy to make from scratch using fresh fruit and jam sugar (see sugar pack for directions), and for an extra homespun touch tie a Jubilee-theme fabric swatch around the jar lid with a commemorative label.
Recipe: My Granny’s Summer berries Jam (child-friendly)
Read even more Platinum Jubilee party tips in this piece here.
