This Is The Family Recipe That Kate Middleton Always Makes For The Queen
•January 19, 2017

This Is The Family Recipe That Kate Middleton Always Makes For The Queen

It's an old Middleton family recipe.

If you think your grandmother-in-law is hard to shop for, try buying a Christmas gift for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

"I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, 'Gosh, what should I give her?'" the Duchess of Cambridge said in her first solo interview, which was filmed last year for a documentary made in honor of the Queen's 90th birthday.

As it turns out, the best gifts really are the ones that come from the heart. "I thought back to what I would give my own grandparents," said Kate. "And I thought, 'I'll make her something,' which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny's recipe of chutney."

The old Middleton family recipe is for marrow chutney — a kind of fruity condiment that many pair with cheese or bread. (You might be glad to know that marrow here refers to a squash rather than the bone variety.)

"I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I've noticed since she's done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody," Kate said.

If it's good enough for the Queen, it's good enough for me. Find the full recipe, which was printed in Pippa Middleton's entertaining book, Celebration, below.

Ingredients (Makes eight jars):

4 pounds of marrows, peeled, deseeded and chopped into small chunks

4 medium onions, peeled and chopped into small chunks

3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks

1 cup of sultanas or raisins

1 cup of stoned dates, roughly chopped

2.5 cups of malt vinegar

4 cups soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices, secured in a piece of muslin

How to make:

Put the chopped marrow, onions and apples into a large preserving pan, add the rest of the ingredients and the bag of spices and stir together, then place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer gently from 1 ½-2 hours or until well blended and thick. Take the pan off the heat, cool and remove the muslin, squeezing the liquid form from the bag. Spoon it into sterilized jars with vinegar-proof lids, filling them to within 1cm of the top. Ensure the rims are clean, screw on the sterilized lids and store in a cool place for up to 12 months. Once open, store in the fridge and use within one month.

16 Hosting Rules Kate Middleton Never Breaks

8 Sit in the "Duchess Slant."

Posture makes a Duchess. "Typically 'the Duchess Slant' is used when a lady has to sit for an extended amount of time while keeping poise and posture," says Meier. Sit straight, with an egg-width between your back and the seat, and your chin parallel to the ground. Keep ankles and knees together, heels always on the floor, even when ankles are crossed in a "Cambridge Cross." The slightly slanted knees create a zig-zag effect, Meier adds, which keeps anyone from seeing up your dress — and makes your legs look longer.

9 Hold a wine glass at the stem.

This is to avoid heating the liquid. Remember that wine should only be poured to just underneath the widest part of the glass. And if you are wearing lipstick, be sure to drink from the same place on the glass each time in order to not create a "lipstick ring" around the glass.

10 Fold your napkin in half, with the crease facing you.

Don't place your napkin in your lap until the hostess does, as soon as they sit. When you need to wipe your hands or mouth, wipe inside the fold so the mess doesn't get on your clothes.

11 Take three bites, then stop.

The Duchess takes three bites (four, max) and puts her silverware down. For soup, the Duchess always scoops away from her.

12 Your knife stays in your right hand, your fork in your left.

Yes, even when you're taking a bite. Put food on the backside of the fork to eat. (The Queen is known for her skill of putting peas on the back of her fork, Meier shares.) Same rules — three bites, then rest — apply. When the Duchess is finished eating, she lays her silverware diagonally across the plate: handles at 4:20 and knife blade facing in.

13 Never announce you're going to the ladies' room.

Instead, simply excuse yourself. As you get up from the table, lay your napkin on the table gently.

14 Keep the powder room in tip-top shape.

If you want your bathroom to be welcoming — and up to etiquette, declutter and follow Meier's rules (left). "The Duchess will also probably have lightly scented soap and paired hand cream," Meier says. "Many upper class British homes prefer bar soap to liquid, so the duchess may use that in her private quarters." Skip unhygienic reading material and candles; hide a diffuser. To note: Kate would never call it a bathroom unless there is an actual bath in it. She likely says, "the lavatory."

15 You hold tea in a pinch, but loop your finger through a coffee cup.

The same rule applies for a coffee cup. For tea, hold your cup by pinching your thumb and index finger together and then resting your middle finger underneath the handle. For coffee, your index finger may loop through the handle. (Tip: Keep your pinkie down; it feels pretentious sticking in the air.)

16 Don't let guests do the dishes.

"A good guest should always offer to help; however, an even better hostess would never accept," says Meier. "Hosting is hard work and your goal is to make sure your guests are relaxed and feel taken care of at all times. They should not be helping in the kitchen or cleaning."

The Lion King - Circle of Life

Kiss the Girl - The Little Mermaid - Kiss de Girl - Lyrics

Intro song to Toy Story, Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me"

Snow White ~ Whistle While You Work

A Rumor in St. Petersburg - Anastasia

Track 1 from the movie Anastasia. This is one of my favourites

Lyrics:
[townspeople]
St petersburg is gloomy
st petersburg is bleak
my underwear got frozen
standing here all week
since the revolution
our lives have been so grave!
thank goodness for the gossip
that gets us through the day
hey!

have you heard?
(whisper) theres a rumor in st petersburg
have you heard?
(whisper) what they're saying on the streets

(spoken)
Although the czar did not survive
one daughter may be still alive!
the princess Anastasia
but please do not repeat

its a rumor, a legend, a mystery,
something whispered in an alleyway
or through a crack.
its a rumor thats part of our history

they say her royal grand-mama
will pay a royal sum
to someone who can bring the princess back!

a ruple for this painting,
its Romanov i swear
count Dusophs pajama's
come buy them by the pair
i got these from the palace,
its lined with real fur
it could be worth a fortune
if it belonged to her

[Dimitri]
its the rumor,
the legend, the mystery
its the princess anastasia
who will help us fly
you and i friend
will go down in history
we'll find a girl to play the part
and teach her what to say
dress her up and take her to Paris
imagine the reward her dear old grand-mama will pay
who else could pull it off but you and me!
we'll be rich
[vlad]
we'll be rich
[dimitri]
we'll be out
[vlad]
we'll be out!
[both]
and st petersburg will have some more to talk about

(whispered)
shh
have you heard?
theres a rumor in st petersburg
have you heard?
what they're saying on the streets
[shout]
hey! (3x)
have you heard?
theres a rumor in st petersburg
have you heard?
comrades what do you suppose?
a fascinating mystery,
the biggest con in history
the princess anastasia
alive or dead?
who knows? (shhh)

Cinderella- Mouse Song..

This movie was made in the times where sewing was regarded as a "women-only" thing; kinda like cooking/cleaning.

Work song (Cinderelly) Cinderella lyrics

A song in Cinderella by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.