In celebration of street parties

There is something very equalising about a street party. At one gathering I attended last year on a central London mews, a trust fund baby peered nervously out from his living room window before deciding to emerge, carrying two bottles of champagne and a flower vase filled with a tumultuous mess of a Platinum Jubilee trifle. When the lemonade for the Pimm’s ran out, the champagne was mixed in instead. He didn’t seem to mind.

It’s good for us British to be thrust into these social settings. I get the impression that some of the Mediterranean peoples do this sort of thing every weekend: long balmy evenings help I suppose. But we are less accustomed to letting strangers in on our mealtime rituals. The unpredictable weather forecast for this weekend should at least provide an icebreaker. Other reliable conversation starters you may wish to employ include whether or not the broad beans are the making or the downfall of the coronation quiche.

Street parties seem to have begun on a mass basis around 1919 after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles: ‘peace teas’ were encouraged, mainly as a treat for children, many poor and orphaned by the war and the Spanish flu pandemic. They have become a mainstay of community celebrations at big royal moments. This week has seen a flood of last-minute applications for coronation street parties, with councils reporting a further 600 requests for road closures in the past week alone. Authorities appear keen to lower barriers to entry (the government website seeks to bust various myths that might put people off), though some will no doubt still encounter the megalomania of local councils. There is also plenty of guidance available on the Big Lunch and Street Party websites should you have so much fun at your coronation party that you decide to make it a regular thing.

The good folk at the Eden Project who are spearheading street party fun report that 65,000 ‘Coronation Big Lunches’ are set to take place across the country this weekend. The government website also offers an interactive map where you can find street parties and events happening in your area. We know that in-person social interaction is on the decline and contributing to a rise in loneliness, particularly among the young. We know spending time outdoors is good for us. Hanging bunting and arranging chairs is a form of exercise, of sorts. Heck, anything leading us to spend less time on our phones and more time living in the real world has to be good for us. Street parties provide food not just for the tummy but for the soul.

Choosing what to bring can be fraught. This year, one gentleman enthusiastically tells me he is bringing a whole poached salmon with quivering dollops of homemade mayonnaise and a cucumber and edamame bean salad to his village’s get-together. Sign me up. His neighbour meanwhile has informed the street their contribution will be crackers (presumably so someone else knows to bring the cheese). Remember that going to some effort may earn you a valuable cat-sitter when you next need one. Bite off more than you can chew of course and you may be left with egg on your face. Though even culinary catastrophes can endear you to the crowd; no one likes too much of a show off.

In that spirit of aiming for the stars, a recipe. It has been provided by Richard Corrigan, the Irish celebrity chef and thrice winner of Great British Menu. It is an elevated take on coronation chicken. There’s no doubt it’s a bit cheffy: Corrigan uses vadouvan curry powder, cashew oil and smoked olive oil in his restaurant kitchen but the recipe below has more readily available substitutes. And of course you don’t need to make the sparkling wine pickles, but then what’s a bit of showing off between neighbours? After all, coronations don’t come around every day.

Elevated coronation chicken by Richard Corrigan

Serves 3-4

For the chicken

1 large chicken

200g ginger sliced

100g spring onions

6 garlic cloves

1 bunch thyme

3 bay leaf

2 whole lemons

For the dressing

350g creme fraiche

Zest of 2 lemons

25ml nut-based oil

3 tblsp chopped chive

3 tblsp chopped mint

3 tblsp chopped parsley

1 tblsp chopped curry leaf

60ml olive oil

1 tblsp curry powder

50g diced semi dried mango

For the sparkling wine pickles

100g kohlrabi

100g daikon

100g radish

100g baby fennel

50g asparagus

2 tbsp Chardonnay vinegar

100ml English sparkling wine

1 tbsp salt flakes

70g sugar

Juice and zest of 1 orange

Method:

For the chicken

1. Season the chicken generously with salt. Stuff the chicken cavity with the ginger slices and spring onions.
2. Place the chicken in a large stock pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2 cm), and season with garlic clove, thyme, bay leaf, lemon peel and salt to taste.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75°C. Remove the pot from the heat.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool. Discard the ginger and green onion.
5. Once cool enough to touch remove the chicken from the bone and shred as finely as possible.

For the dressing and the sparkling wine pickles

1. Add all dressing ingredients together and mix well.
2. Mix with the shredded chicken and ensure all the chicken is coated in the dressing.
3. Wash and cut vegetables into finger-thick slices.
4. Mix all pickle ingredients, add vegetables, place in zip-lock bag and refrigerate for 2 hours and they are ready to use.

For the crisp chicken skin

1. Pre heat oven to 180°C.
2. Place reserved chicken skin on a non-stick baking tray, cover with non-stick greaseproof paper and place a second tray on top to press down.
3. Place trays in oven and bake for 12 minutes, remove and cool leaving the tray on top.
4. Remove the skin, break into 5cm x 5cm pieces and place on paper towel to absorb any extra chicken fat.

To assemble

1. To really impress, prepare a platter with crushed ice.
2. Add a small bowl of the coronation chicken in the centre of the platter.
3. Pick large fresh leaves from radicchio and dress with salt and nice quality olive oil, and place on ice.
4. Place pickles around the chicken on ice.
5. Serve the chicken skin crisps on the side. Bring out on to the street, with a rather smug grin, and enjoy.