Free In The Royal Manner by Paul Burrell

the lettuce on a serving plate with the flowers and sit the snails on top to serve.

    BUG AND BUTTERFLY SANDWICHES
     
    Makes: 8
     
    Preparation time: 30 minutes
    No cooking
24 slices white bread from a ready–sliced loaf
300g tub cheese spread
12 slices lean ham
42 Twiglets or potato chipsticks
14 small cherry tomatoes
2 pitted black olives, cut into rings
4 radishes, trimmed
I small carrot, peeled and cut into 6 sticks l mini cucumber, thinly sliced A few chives
     
    1. Cut off the crusts from the bread and, reserving about 2 tsp cheese spread. cover each slice with the remainder. Lay slices of ham over 12 slices and then sandwich together.
    2. To make the Ugly Bugs, stamp out a 10cm/4in round from 6 of the sandwiches using a pastry cutter. Press 6 Twiglets or chipsticks round the sides of the circles to look like legs. Break the other Twiglets or chipsticks in half and set aside.
    3. Spread a little of the reserved cheese spread on the bottom of 12 cherry tomatoes and press on to the bread in pairs lo resemble eyes. Top with a small amount of the remaining cheese spread and sit a piece of olive on top. Use the broken Twiglets or chipsticks as antennae. Quarter the remaining tomatoes and arrange as mouths on the bugs.
    4. For the butterflies, stamp out a butterfly shape from each of the remaining sandwiches and arrange the sliced vegetables on top to make the patterns of butterfly wings. Arrange 2 chives on each as antennae.
    5. Place the sandwiches on a large flat plate to serve.
    Cook's note: fill the sandwiches with any filling you like and butter the bread first if preferred. For a sweet version, fill with chocolate spread and decorate with sweets and mini marshmallows. Cover with clear wrap to prevent the sandwiches from drying before serving.
    SPIDER AND BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES
     
    Makes: 12
     
    Preparation time: 35 minutes plus cooling.
    Cooking time: approx. 20 minutes
100g/4oz caster sugar
100g/4oz butter or margarine, softened
2 medium eggs, beaten
100g/4oz self–raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
A few drops strawberry essence
A few drops pink food colouring
     
TO DECORATE
3 liquorice Catherine wheels (or suitable length of thin liquorice)
75g/3oz ready–made buttercream
12 chocolate buttons
24 plain chocolate polka dots
Assorted tubes of writing icing
1 strawberry lance (or strawberry liquorice)
2 tbsp Hundreds and Thousands or multicoloured sugar strands
     
    Preheat the oven to 190° C/375° F/Gas 5. Lightly grease and flour 1 2 buns tins.
    1. In a mixing bowl beat together the sugar and butter or margarine until creamy and pale. Gradually beat in the eggs with a little of the flour. Sift the remaining flour into the mixture and fold in using a metal spoon.
    2. Transfer half the mixture to a small bowl. Sift the cocoa into one bowl and add the essence and colouring to the other. Stir both mixtures. Spoon the chocolate mixture into 6 tins and the pink mixture into the other 6. Smooth over the tops and bake for 15–20 minutes until risen and firm. Remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack.
    3. For the spiders, unreel the liquorice and cut into 5cm/2in lengths and set aside 2 pieces for the butterflies. Push 8 pieces into the sides of each of the chocolate cakes. Secure a pair of chocolate buttons on the top of each with a little icing, secure a polka dot on each and dot the middle to resemble eyes. Pipe a smiling mouth on to each.
    4. For the butterflies, slice off the top layer of the pink cakes and split in half–these will be the wings. Lightly spread the tops of the cakes with a little icing and lightly coat each wing with same icing. Push a pair of wings on to each cake and sprinkle with a few sugar strands. Cut the strawberry lance into short lengths and lay across the wings for a body. Cut the reserved liquorice into very thin strips and arrange 2 pieces per cake to resemble antennae. Detail the eyes with black writing icing and place 2 of the Hundreds and Thousands on as eyes.
    5. Arrange the cakes