Tag: King Charles

King Charles III: The Coronation by Hellen Jay Rhind

Books, Children, coronation, Family Life, Gifts for children, Learning, Stocking Fillers

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

The past 12 months has been a royal whirl with the late Queen’s Lying in State, Funeral and now the Coronation of King Charles in May.  Hellen Jay Rhind has written a children’s book about the day King Charles III was crowned and what the different parts of the ceremony mean.

The 30 page book is aimed at children aged 6 to 12.  Starting with the details of Prince Charles (as he was when he was born) and how the late Queen was crowned in 1953 at Westminster Abbey, the story tells the Royal Family up until 6 May 2023 when the King is crowned. The day is explained with illustrations on one side and details on the opposite page. However, the drawings are not accurate to the members of the Royal Family, nor are the illustrations that of Westminster Abbey nor Buckingham Palace, but they are fairy palaces which will appeal to young children.

The book goes into detail about the types of carriages that were used, the Household Cavalry, the ceremony route and the types of jewels used as symbolic gestures. At the very back, there are photographs of the state crowns, The Royal Robes, The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and The Sovereign’s Orb, making them easy for children to identify. 

This is a great bedtime book, or a book for children interested in royalty, kings and queens and princess castles! The book takes about 15 minutes to read and would act as a prompt for children to ask more questions about the monarchy and what happened at the Coronation in May. It’s also a nice keepsake for the Coronation for anyone who was there on the day or wants to remember it!

Available on Amazon (ignore the link being to King James!) for £9.90 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/King-James-III-Coronation-Day/dp/1399954482/ref=sr_1_2?crid=24QN5QMCWBPBP&keywords=Hellen+Jay+Rhind&qid=1686772725&sprefix=hellen+jay+rhind%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-2

Sponge Coronation Pinata Cake

coronation, Food & Drink, Gluten Free

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

With the whole country looking forward to the Coronation on the 6th May we’re planning a fantastic long weekend of celebrations. With a street party, a family party and a community event in our village it’s certainly going to be a fun packed weekend and one we’ll remember for a very long time! The Union Jack bunting is ready to go up and we’re going with a red, white and blue theme for both decorations and food.   

If like us, you’re looking for a patriotic touch for the food, then you need to look at Sponge – the online cake company – they have the perfect showstopper cake for any coronation celebration. The Coronation Pinata chocolate cake looks just like any normal chocolate cake, but this rich and indulgent chocolate sponge cake is hiding a patriotic surprise in the middle! Four layers of delicious chocolate sponge are sandwiched together with chocolate buttercream and when you cut into it you will discover red, white and blue chocolate beans and edible golden crowns. The cake is covered with flakes of chocolate and is lovely hot or cold with a pouring of cream or ice cream. It is light and fluffy and the chocolate beans were a hit with both children and adults. It would make a lovely centrepiece on the table of any Coronation party and is perfect to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

The cakes from Sponge are incredibly well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with bio-degradable film so there is no need to worry about it getting squashed in transit. Once opened the cake should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and any leftovers can be frozen – although there’s not much chance of that at my house!!!

Sponge caters for all types of dietary requirements, and the Pinata Chocolate cake is also available as a gluten free cake. They make all their cakes from scratch, using only high-quality ingredients and they deliver all over the UK.

There is still time to order one of Sponge’s show-stopping pinata cakes – so what are you waiting for???

RRP £26.50 (serves 8)

Ryman’s Royal Coronation Range

Children, coronation, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

First with the Platinum Jubilee and now the Coronation, there have been lots of Union Jack products around to help us celebrate. For the Coronation this year, Ryman have a whole range of items to both help celebrate and commemorative items to remember this year.  We were sent some lovely Coronation decorations and souvenirs to review from the team!

For the big street party, there’s the fabric bunting (£1.99). At 3.6 metres long, it’s enough to tie between two lampposts or adorn to the front of the house.  As it’s fabric, it will be more durable in the British weather should you choose to keep it outside for longer than just the Coronation day, and can also go in the wash afterwards for you to use again.

The Union Jack 3 tier Cupcake Stand (£2.99) arrives flat packed but fits together easily. It’s made from cardboard but you can use it again and again for either cupcakes or it would suit sandwiches and scones too if you are going for the full afternoon tea.  The Union Jack design makes it very photogenic for the Coronation Street Party, standing 34cm high and 39cm wide.  After using it, you can easily dissemble it and pack away for another day.  

We were also sent a 1000 piece Charles III jigsaw and water bottle.  The Charles III jigsaw (£19.99) depicts His Majesty The King over his lifetime from boy to King, and some of the events of his life such as becoming the Prince of Wales in 1969 and his military uniforms.  1000 pieces is a family sized jigsaw, suitable for adults as well as teenagers, and makes for a fabulous pastime during the long weekend. Don’t forget that there are 3 Bank Holidays in May alone this year so you’ll have plenty of time to play with it!

The final item was the Coronation Water Bottle (£13.99). The 500ml bottle has the official Coronation crest on the front, and you have the option of personalising it for up to 20 characters, just below the logo, or you can leave it blank. The screw top bottle can be kept cold in the fridge although it can’t go in the dishwasher and is hand wash only. It’s a really useful keepsake of the Coronation as well as a lovely present for someone.

The whole Ryman range of Coronation items is available online, with a mixture of decorations, mementoes and lovely items for the street parties like Union Jack paper plates and straws. Most of the items are reusable and environmentally friendly too!

Items available from the Ryman online store at: 

https://www.ryman.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=coronation