Streets ahead

STREET parties—bunting-decked, cake-laden, joyously singalong affairs—are as British as lighting the fire on a Sunday evening or saying ‘sorry’ when you mean ‘excuse me’. They were held to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, and (after a period on the wrong side of the law after the First World War, when they were thought to be encouraging ‘rowdiness’) they honoured George VI’s coronation in 1937. But the monarch they’ll forever be most closely associated with is The Queen, whose own coronation was marked with celebrations that were all the more moving set against the still-solemn post-war backdrop.

Heavy rain on June 2 that year meant that many of the ‘street’ parties took place in village halls and gymnasiums, but that didn’t deter magnificent spreads of what the historian David Kynaston records in his book Family Britain as ‘a huge swanky tea’ of sandwiches, jellies, ice creams and blancmanges. Although the latter might raise a few eyebrows, most of the menu would be greeted as rapturously today as it was all those years ago.

Whether you’re organising a Platinum Jubilee celebration or have simply volunteered to do some baking, what should you be keeping in mind? Aim for a balance of savoury and sweet, perhaps leaning towards the former with plenty of Jeremy Lee’s cheese straws; excessive sugar, bunting and small children create a combustible combination. Serve twice as many finger sandwiches as you think you’ll