Free In The Royal Manner by Paul Burrell Page A

on a flat plate to serve.

    LADYBIRD MERINGUE TOADSTOOLS
     
    Makes: 12
     
    Preparation time: 30 minutes plus cooling
    Cooking time: approx. 45 minutes
1 large egg white
65g/2l caster sugar
4 tbsp ready–made buttercream
2 tsp drinking chocolate/cocoa mix
A few red Smarties or M&Ms
A tube each of white and black writing icing 100g/4oz desiccated coconut
Green food colouring
     
    Preheat the oven to 150° C/300° F/Gas
    1. Whisk the egg white until very stiff and whisk in half the sugar until stiff and glossy. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the remaining sugar.
    2 Place the meringue mixture in a large piping bag fitted with a plain lcm/lin nozzle and pipe 12x4 cm/l lin rounds on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment – these will be the toadstool tops. On another lined sheet, pipe 12 x 4cm/ll in ‘stalks’. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Leave to cool on the baking sheets and then peel them off the paper.
    3. Carefully secure the stalks to the tops with the buttercream. Dust the tops lightly with the drinking chocolate or cocoa mix and secure a red Smartie on each. Decorate each by piping a head, spots and eyes on to each.
    4. Secure each meringue to a serving plate with buttercream. Place the coconut in a bowl and colour with green food colouring. Sprinkle the coconut around the base of each mushroom. Make some more Smartie or M&M ladybirds to decorate the plate.
    Cook's note: take care when attaching the stalks to the tops–you may find it easier if you make a small indent in the meringue for the stalks to sit on. You may need to trim the ends of the stalks in order to make them stand up in the buttercream. Alternatively, you can simply arrange the mushrooms on a serving plate on their sides.

    SPIDER'S WEB COOKIES
     
    Makes: 12
     
    Preparation time: 30 minutes plus cooling and setting
    Cooking time: approx. 20 minutes
300g/10oz plain flour
175g/6oz butter or margarine
50g/2oz ground almonds
75g/3oz caster sugar
1 medium egg, beaten
Assorted tubes of coloured writing icing
12 brown Smarties or chocolate buttons
24 chocolate polka dots
     
    Preheat the oven to 1 80° C/350° F/Gas 4
    1. Sieve the flour into a bowl then rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs. Stir in the ground almonds, sugar, beaten egg and enough water to form a firm dough.
    2. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then roll out to a thickness of 6mm/l in. Using a 7.5 cm/3l in round cutter, stamp out 12 circles, rerolling as necessary. Place on lightly greased baking sheets and chill for 30 minutes, then bake for 15–20 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
    3. To decorate, pipe a web design on to each biscuit. Place a chocolate button in the centre of each web–this will be the spider's body–and secure 2 polka dots on top with icing. Pipe detail on to each polka dot to resemble an eye. Pipe 8 legs on to each spider and stand for 10 minutes to set before serving.
    CREEPYCRAWLIES IN JELLIES
     
    Makes: 12
     
    Preparation time: 20 minutes plus cooling and setting
    No cooking
2 packets green jelly/gelatin
2 packets yellow jelly/gelatin
350g/12oz assorted jelly (gummy) bug sweets –not sugar–coated
2 packets orange jelly/gelatin
     
    1. Make up the green jelly according to the packet instructions. Cool and then pour into 12 small plastic cups or dishes. Chill until set.
    2. Make up the yellow jelly according to the packet instructions and allow to cool. Sprinkle a few jelly bugs on to each of the green jellies and then pour the liquid yellow jelly on top. Chill until set.
    3. Make up the orange jelly according to the packet instructions and allow to cool. Pour over each jelly and chill until set.
    4. Decorate the jellies with more jelly bugs, snakes and lollipops as required.

    LADYBIRD BIRTHDAY CAKE
     
    Cuts into approx. 32 slices
     
    Preparation time: 2 hours plus cooling and drying
    cooking