Recipe: The best treats to whip up on Queen's Birthday weekend

Scone recipe
What better way to celebrate the Queen's birthday than with some fresh scones? Photo credit: Supplied/ Hello Fresh.

Thanks to the Queen being born, we get yet another long weekend this weekend! What better way to celebrate her birthday than to dust off the china, pull out our best silver, and put on a spread.

Here are some recipes for entertaining Royal company this weekend, whether you feel like delicate sweet scones or something a little more hearty for the cold weather.

Three ingredient scones 

 

There's no better way to celebrate than with a British staple scones, paired with a nice warm cup of tea. To help you satisfy your soft, fluffy and oh so heavenly cravings, we've got an easy recipe that'll give you all the feels in no more than 30 minutes.

By combining flour with lemonade (to act as a leavening agent, add sweetness and a hint of citrus) and cream (for fat content and as a binding agent), you can whip these treats up in a flash, using ingredients you might already have in your pantry.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup double or clotted cream
  • 1/2 cup lemonade
  • 1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted, plus extra for kneading and dusting

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. In a large bowl, add flour and make a well in the centre of the flour with your hands
  3. Add lemonade and cream and begin to bring together with a spoon. You can use your hands to ensure all of the flour is brought into the wet dough mixture. Don't worry if the dough is quite sticky at this stage.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough until it feels smooth and no longer sticks to your fingers. Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll the dough so you have a thick mat, around 3-4cm thick
  5. Using a ramekin or biscuit cutter around 7cm wide, cut out the rounds that will form your scones
  6. Give them a little plump with your hands, dust lightly with sifted flour, and pop them on a lined bakery tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the scones are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
  7. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with freshly brewed tea, clotted cream and strawberry jam (jam on first, please!)
Recipe: The best treats to whip up on Queen's Birthday weekend
Photo credit: Supplied/Hello Fresh.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Cheesy Kumara Top

We love this twist on a classic British dish - it's the ultimate comfort food. Although commonly made with minced lamb and topped with a thick layer of mashed potato, our vegetarian take on this classic is nothing short of delicious.

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

  •  Olive oil - refer to method
  •  Sweet potato - 3
  •  Butter - 60g
  •  Salt - ¼ tsp
  •  Brown onion - 1
  •  Carrot - 1
  •  Garlic - 1 cloves
  •  Rosemary - 2 sticks
  •  Thyme - 5g
  •  Lentils - 1 tin (brown lentils)
  •  Tomato paste - 2 tbs
  •   Diced tomatoes - 390g
  •   Brown Sugar - ½ tsp
  •   Water - 2.5 tbs
  •   Vegetable stock - 1 cube
  •   Baby spinach leaves - 120g
  •   Shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Peel and cut the kumara into 2cm chunks. Add the kumara to the boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add butter (50g for 2 people/100g for 4 people) and the salt and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Set aside. 
  2. While the kumara is cooking, finely chop the onion. Finely chop the carrot (unpeeled). Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves. Pick the thyme leaves. Grate the Cheddar cheese. Drain and rinse the lentils.
  3. In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened.
  4. Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes with roast garlic & onion, brown sugar, the remaining butter, the water and crumbled vegetable stock (1 cube for 2 people/2 cubes for 4 people) to the frying pan. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Add the baby spinach leaves and stir until wilted. TIP: Add a dash of water if the mixture looks dry!
  5. Transfer the filling into a medium baking dish. Top with the kumara mash and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
  6.  Divide the lentil shepherd's pie with cheesy kumara top between bowls.
Recipe: The best treats to whip up on Queen's Birthday weekend
Photo credit: Supplied/Hello Fresh.

Classic Bangers and Parmesan Mash

Not that we ever need an excuse to indulge in bangers and mash, but the Queen's b'day is sure a good enough reason. This popular British dish is a delicious combination and sure to be a crowd pleaser at the dinner table.

Recipe: The best treats to whip up on Queen's Birthday weekend
Photo credit: Supplied/Hello Fresh.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  •  Olive oil - refer to method
  •   Potato - 2
  •  Chives - 7g bunch
  •  Green beans - 200g
  •  Carrot - 1
  •  Brown onion - 
  •  Garlic - 1 clove
  •  Parsley - 20g bunch
  •  Parmesan cheese - 50g
  •  Classic pork sausages - 4 pack
  •  Milk - 2 ½ tbs
  •  Salt - ¼ tsp
  •  Butter - 40g
  •  Plain flour - ½ tsp
  • Water - 1 cup
  • Caramelised onion chutney - 40g
  • Beef stock - ½ cube

Method

  1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2cm chunks. Finely chop the chives. Trim the green beans. Slice the carrot (unpeeled) into thin batons. Thinly slice the onion (see ingredients list). Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Finely chop the parsley. Grate the Parmesan cheese
  2.  In a large frying pan, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the classic pork sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Add the potato to the boiling water and cook until very tender, 10-15 minutes. In the last 8 minutes of potato cook time, place the carrot in a colander or steamer basket on top of the saucepan. Cover with a lid. In the last 5 minutes of cook time, add the green beans to the colander, cover and steam until tender. Transfer the carrot and beans to a bowl. Cover to keep warm. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Add the milk, salt and 40g butter. Mash until smooth. Stir through the chives and grated Parmesan cheese. Cover to keep warm.
  4. Return the frying pan to a medium heat with a drizzle more olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the plain flour and stir to coat. Add the water, caramelised onion chutney and crumble in the beef stock (1/2 cube for 2 people /1 cube for 4 people). Simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add a splash more water if the gravy is too thick. TIP: Scrape any bits of sausage from the bottom of the pan, these add to the flavour!
  5. In a medium microwaveable bowl, place the garlic and 40g butter. Microwave in 30 second bursts until melted. Add the parsley, steamed green beans and carrots to the garlic butter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. TIP: If you don't have a microwave, heat the butter and garlic in a medium frying pan, add the steamed veggies and toss to coat
  6. Divide the sausages, Parmesan mash and garlic veggies between plates. Serve with onion gravy.

All recipes were provided by the team at Hello Fresh. 

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