][1]A partner of one of the in-laws was recently invited down to the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace; an invite which caused sharp intakes of breath among the more republican wings of the family.
A jolly time was had by all until a moment towards the end when Margaret Thatcher sailed past on the back of a golf cart. Apparently, half the garden party wanted to salute and the other half were getting ready to lob their lemon drizzle slices.
It cleared the gardens though and suggested a tactic which pub landlords might wish to employ when trying to get tardy customers to shove off at the end of the night. Maggie on a widescreen would certainly empty most boozers north of the border.
Anyway, the Holyrood Garden Party is taking place in July and once again the blog’s invite seems to have been lost in the post.
For readers in a similarly embarrassing position, you might want to try the Edinburgh’s Sheraton which is laying on a month-long Royal Afternoon Tea featuring classic cakes and pastries which are typical of the Queen’s Garden Parties.
The menu includes Choux Swans, Queen of Puddings, Cherry Jubilee Cake and a range of finger sandwiches with fillings such as Coronation Chicken.
Swans are of course the ‘royal bird’, the Queen of Puddings was created at Buckingham Palace for Queen Victoria , and coronation chicken was created for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in 1953.
Alternatively, head to the Sheraton’s Santini restaurant whose 5pm offer means 50% off the price of the food bill when you eat from the a la carte or the regional menu.
‘Ya dancer!’ as the Queen probably wouldn’t say.