The ultimate guide to coronation food

There was nothing actually wrong with coronation quiche, Buckingham Palace’s suggested dish for a coronation lunch. Spinach, broad beans, cheddar: all fine. The trouble was, it wasn’t coronation chicken. When you’re following an actual classic, it’s impossible not to be overshadowed. And coronation chicken is that marvellous thing, a recipe which feels as though it has always been around because it’s so right as a combination of flavours and textures. But like every classic dish, it’s been traduced: take commercial mayonnaise, stir in curry sauce and a bit of mango chutney and a few raisins… and it’s cropping up in all sorts of weird combos now (CC scotch egg, anyone?).

The genuine article was for international guests after Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 and was the creation of Rosemary Hume, who learned her trade at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in Paris. It was thought to be based on the jubilee chicken served for George V in 1935, which mixed chicken with mayonnaise and curry.