If the hat fits…

TV pastry chef Cherish Finden unveils edible hat made from macarons!

The ladies of Royal Ascot are infamous for wearing hats that look ‘good enough to eat’ with designs boasting candy floss tulles and cupcake colours. With this in mind, we commissioned award winning pastry chef, Cherish Finden to create a show-stopping hat that tastes as good as it looks.

Coral Ambassador Carly Baker, who modelled the hat found it irresistible as she plucked and devoured one of its edible macaron decorations.

TV’s Cherish Finden, renowned for her delicate confections took nearly 100 hours over six months to create the delicious hat. Inspired by the Queen’s 65^th anniversary and made completely by hand, the main headpiece is made of edible paper and dusted with a pearl sheen. Sugar blue sapphire gemstones pay homage to Her Majesty’s blue sapphire jubilee; the sweet edible blue gems are nestled around stunning white paper roses that cover the base of the hat.

Cascading down one side are dainty edible butterflies introduced to soften the design and to celebrate summer. The hat’s real showstoppers are the coral coloured macarons, which sit proudly on top of the hat – crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle and set with a blood peach filling. The perfume and acidity of the blood peach centre perfectly balance the sweetness of the macaron.

Coral PR Manager John Hill says, “Royal Ascot is as famous for its hats as it is for its horses, and one of the most popular wagers each year is betting on the colour of Her Majesty’s hat. Our edible hat was inspired by The Queen’s 65^th anniversary, the sapphire jubilee and so we’re offering odds of 2-1 that Her Majesty wears blue on day one of Ascot.”

Cherish Finden comments, “This has been one of my most rewarding projects because it was a big challenge for me as I’d never made a hat before. Designing the hat was like solving a puzzle and all of the time I had to remind myself that this is for Royal Ascot, the hat needed to be elegant and flamboyant while at the same time good enough to eat!”