A lot of my overseas friends have been asking how we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee in our little village. As with many village Diamond Jubilee celebrations ours was spread out over 4 days, with events spread out across the entire village. Instead of longwinded descriptions I thought I would let some of the photos I took of our village Diamond Jubilee celebrations do the talking.
We're lucky to have 4 really good pubs in our village, all of which put on special Diamond Jubilee events. One of the better pubs in our area is the Black Pig. They put on a Hog Roast and barbecue.
If you've never had a hog roast, it's one of life's pleasures. They take an entire pig and roast it slowly over a spit. I'm told the chef was up at the crack of dawn to get the roasting underway before the lunchtime feast.
On the first bank holiday Monday our village had a local produce and food fair on a clearing called the Moor. Local food merchants set up tents and stalls from which they sold hot and cold food, as well as arts and crafts.
This woman made the most incredible deep-dish quiches from produce she'd grown herself. She also had homemade Scotch Eggs (what's a Scotch Egg?) in a variety of different flavours including Angus Beef and smoked salmon.
Our local butcher was on hand to serve bacon rolls (a British staple), ribeye steak sandwiches, and grilled sausages.
They sold out of bacon rolls pretty quickly!
The Black Pig was also there with a selection of local beer and a full seafood bar.
Jellied eels are a typically British seaside delicacy. Have you ever had them?
A selection of local beers, wines and ciders including some from the awesome Chapel Down winery. Gotta love some of the names!
The beacon is similar to thousands all over Britain that were lit to mark the Diamond Jubilee. Their original purpose, as the legend goes, was to alert villages to the impending arrival of the Spanish Armada. Lookouts positioned in church towers would see local beacons being lit and would light their own in turn, and so the warning was broadcast.
This woman was selling a variety of knitted sweaters and garments made from local wool. She was putting on a knitting demonstration as we walked past. Either that or she was really bored!
That evening I grilled a full leg of lamb on the barbecue for a Jubilee celebratory feast. It turned out beautifully! I might do a separate post on how I did it so you can try doing it yourself.
The following day our local church set up a projector and screen for the Jubilee service at Westminster Cathedral. Everyone got a glass of champagne to mark the occasion!
They did the same thing for the Royal Wedding last year but there weren't nearly as many people for the Jubilee service, I think because there were so many other festivities going on across the 4 days.
My son absolutely loved the music and emerged from the children's play area every time there was any type of music in the service.
To cap off the 4 days of celebrations the Queen thanked the nation in a brief televised address. I think she probably collapsed with a large tumbler of scotch shortly after filming it.
Did your village do anything special for the Jubilee? Did you have a street party? Tell me about it, I'm curious to know how ours compares!