All hail the Duchess of Cambridge!

I am too excited! Kate will be known as the Duchess of Cambridge. Eady and I called Cambridge home for a few years so we have a very soft spot in our hearts for it. Infact,  I am sure this means that Kate and I are practically related, us both having the Cambridge connection in common now - me having once lived in Cambridge, Kate now ruling over it. Perhaps next time I visit, we could have afternoon tea together (with extra clotted cream on skinny-minny Kate's baked scones!).

Oh but Kate, hasn't she done us former Cambridgeshire residents proud! I couldn't really picture what sort of dress she would wear but as soon as I saw her beautiful Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress I thought it was THE most perfect choice for her.  Whilst there have been comments from some corners that it was a wasted opportunity and hardly exciting or dramatic enough to have really justified being designed by Sarah Burton, I  think it was the perfect choice for a Royal-to-be. Certainly, for me there were subtle signs in the silhouette and structure of the dress that highlighted the design aesthetic of McQueen but at the same time, the dress was very appropriate to the occasion. So beautiful and I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it more every time I see it!

Pippa Middleton was gorgeous in her dress and dare I say it, nearly outshone the bride. Seeing her from behind made me wish I had of layered several pairs of spanx under my pyjamas whilst watching the telecast...

I loved the outfits worn by Mrs  Middleton and Camilla - I always love a skirt that finishes just below the knee. The muted pastels they both wore were just divine.

I liked the Queen in yellow. It was a lovely understated shade that was perfect for such a happy occasion.

Such a gorgeous day for the happy couple and for Eady and I too. It was lovely watching the festivities curled up beside him on the couch laughing and reminiscing about memories from our own special day...

Love is in the air and it sure smells delicious!

So with the television tuned to the BBC wedding broadcast, the crystal champagne flutes Eady and I were given as a wedding gift filled to the brim with Piper, my Royal Albert Moonlight Rose dinner setting (a present from my parents for my 21st birthday) laid on the table and lots of candles scattered about the place, the mood was set for our Royal Wedding celebratory dinner.

First, we started with oysters with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Notice the dried beans I have used to hold the oysters in place? It was a little nod to the Brits love of a curry.

Then we had my 'specially created RW oyster shooters featuring a single oyster topped with a splash of red wine vinegar, a splash of sweet sherry, a splash of warm water and some finely chopped shallots and chives.

 

For main, a hearty winter beef and stout stew accompanied by yorkshire pudding. I hadn't ever cooked yorkshire pudding before and was not convinced by the whole plain flour/rising to triple the pre-cooked height equation but you know what? It worked a treat and was a bit of carboliciousness amongst all of that protein!

For desert we ate treacle pudding served with fresh egg custard. This picture shows the pudding just out of the oven after it has been skewered in several spots and a delicious concoction of melted golden syrup poured over to then seep into the pudding.

To finish off the evening, I made a chocolate biscuit slice that was based on a recipe that was served at the actual RW accompanied by a glass of deliciously syrupy sherry.

It is probably a bit of an understatement to say that our digestive systems were put under a bit of strain after all of that. However, for us, it was the perfect way of celebrating the wedding of Wills and Kate.

Woo hoo, one more sleep to the RW!

Just one more sleep to the Royal Wedding and by golly, is there a lot of excitment in the K house about this! For me, I can't wait to coo over the dress and flowers worn by the lovely Catherine as I am sure that whatever she wears, she will look absolutely beautiful. As for Eady, he is very excited at the thought of my British inspired menu for the night. Once I decided that we weren't going to attend a Royal Wedding party (God forbid I miss a single second of the telecast by having to be social), I began mulling over what I would cook in honour of the big day. It needed to be reminiscent of the time we lived in good old Blighty yet be ritzy enough to make Eady and I feel like we are celebrating with Wills and Kate despite sitting on the couch in our flannette pyjamas on the other side of the world. So that ruled out bangers and mash. To help with the decision making I turned to a quaint cookbook called "National Trust Recipes" which was given to me by our lovely Scottish friends on our move back to Australia some 5 years ago. The book is a collection of recipes that are served in various heritage listed properties across England and Wales. So after much debate I have decided to start with oysters (Cornwall), proceed to Stout and Beef Casserole (York) before sweetening up with treacle pudding and egg custard (our desert of choice at our local in Cambridge). Earlier tonight I made a chocolate slice that is rumoured to be Will's childhood favourite which I will serve with some sherry tomorrow night a la The Queen. I have warned Eady that he might want to limit his food intake during the day in anticipation of this monumentally stodgy calorific feast but he is pretty confident that he is up to the challenge...