Why Meghan Markle Might Cook Something For the Queen This Christmas
If you think your grandmother-in-law is hard to shop for, try buying a Christmas gift for Her Majesty Elizabeth II.
When Meghan Markle attends Christmas at Sandringham this year, she'll be expected to bring presents, but not the luxury items one might expect at a royal gift exchange. Rather, the Windsors are known for giving each other silly gag gifts or homemade products on Christmas Eve.
While she could take a cue from her beau, and gift the Queen a profane shower cap-Prince Harry reportedly once gave his grandma one with “Ain’t life a bitch” on it-we'd recommend she follows Duchess Kate's lead and make something.
"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 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 8 jars):
1.8 kg 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
225 g sultanas or raisins
225 g stoned dates, roughly chopped
600 ml malt vinegar
900 g 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 1 month.
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