ON Friday, June 3, The Castle at Taunton will lay on a banquet fit for a queen in its newly refurbished Garden & Wisteria Room, recreating the exact menu that was served at Buckingham Palace nearly 70 years ago when Elizabeth II was crowned.

The special menu will feature favourites such as poached sole, rack of lamb, and strawberry and Pimm’s jelly.

During its long history, the Castle at Taunton has hosted royalty including Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King Edward VIII, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret. The last Royal visit was from Her Majesty in 1987 (pictured). while she was in Taunton to open The Queen’s Building at Musgrove Park Hospital.

A coronation chicken canapé will also be on the menu; a dish which was developed for international guests who were being entertained at the palace after the coronation.

The dish holds a special place in Royal culinary history. For the coronation, the food had to be prepared in advance, and florist Constance Spry proposed a recipe of cold chicken in a curry cream sauce with a dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs. The recipe won the approval of the Minister of Works and has since been known as coronation chicken.

There are only 80 places available at the banquet.