There aren’t many TV shows that are as clever and stylish as this modern take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective novels. BBC’s Sherlock hit the mark in a way that means I still think about it years after it finished. My Sherlock party menu is inspired by the food and visuals of the show, along with a few puns I couldn’t resist dropping in. Ready for the next case?
Contents
- BBC’s Sherlock
- BBC Sherlock Party Menu
- BBC Sherlock Party Menu Graphic
- Speedy’s Snax & Sarnies
- Sherlock’s All Day Chips
- John’s Moustache Bites
- Baker Street Smiley on the Wall Desserts
- Smiley on the Wall Desserts Recipe
- The Hounds of Baskerville Hound Paw Shortbread
- Hound Paw Shortbread Recipe
- The Abominable Bride Lipstick Smears
- Moriarty’s IOU Apples
- The Reichenbach Fall Crisps for Molly
- A Study In Pink Goodies
- Mrs. Hudson’s Pot of Tea (eyeballs optional)
- Earl Grey Moriar-tea
- Irene Adler’s “Brainy is the New Sexy” Punch
- BBC Sherlock Watch Party Food
- BBC Sherlock Party Menu PDF
BBC’s Sherlock
2010 to 2017 gave us just a handful of episodes in this excellent show, but my goodness, they are superb ones.
The success of Sherlock was global, which I saw for myself in person. When I was teaching in Japan, I bonded with a student over our mutual love for the show. She couldn’t get over the fact that I was from the same country that Sherlock was made in and her passion for the show was visible through the sparkle in her eyes. It’s a fond memory, that’s for sure.
Created by the stupendously talented Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, BBC’s adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s series of books gave us a modern day interpretation of arguably the most famous literary detective.
Playing the high-functioning sociopath version of Sherlock Holmes was Benedict Cumberbatch: the perfect actor for this role, I have to say. Joining him as – more often than not – the sensibility to counterbalance the chaos was Martin Freeman (any The Hobbit fans here?) as John Watson.
Benny C and Marty Free became the ultimate sleuthing duo thanks to this show. Their character dynamic drew in millions of dedicated fans.
Such depth in the storytelling was executed supremely well by season regulars, including massive British performers like Andrew Scott; Mark Gatiss, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey, Vinette Robinson, Jonathan Aris, Lara Pulver, Amanda Abbington, and more.
Each thrilling episode brought more familiar faces in the forms of more superb acting talent like Gemma Chan; Russel Tovey (I see you Gavin & Stacey fans), Zawe Ashton, Toby Jones, Tom Brooke, Yasmine Akram, Phil Davis, Ed Birch, Lars Mikkelsen, Linsday Duncan, and more.
It really was a who’s who of acting talent in Sherlock, but I was never surprised by that considering the high quality of the production as a whole.
Can we also just take a beat to appreciate the superb soundtrack this show got? I listed a couple of the scores in my movie and TV scores playlist post for good reason: Michael Arnold and David Price worked magic.
Now, let’s get to the food, shall we?
BBC Sherlock Party Menu
Like my Howl’s Moving Castle movie night food spread, I wanted to make sure that this Sherlock party menu didn’t require oodles of work. The dishes and drinks included don’t require tons of effort and most of them are numnums that you can find in your local supermarket.
For my international friends here: some of the food listed in this menu is rather U.K. specific, so don’t stress if you can’t find the exact products. Opt for the nearest alternative you can easily find and that will work just fine.
This Sherlock party menu is designed to cater for a group of people having a Sherlock watch party (why not host one even though the show has finished?). There are customisable snacks and optional drinks, so just have fun with it!
You can find the printable graphic of the menu at the end of this post so feel free to print it out for your Sherlock watch party or themed birthday party.
BBC Sherlock Party Menu Graphic
Here is the text on the image in case you prefer to see it outside the graphic:
Sherlock Watch Party Menu
Speedy’s Snax & Sarnies
Sherlock’s All Day Chips
John’s Moustache Bites
Baker Street Smiley on the Wall Desserts
The Hounds of Baskerville Hound Paw Shortbread
The Abominable Bride Lipstick Smears
Moriarty’s “IOU” Apples
The Reichenbach Fall Crisps
A Study In Pink Goodies
Mrs. Hudson’s Pot of Tea
Ear Grey Moriar-tea
Irene’s “Brainy is the New Sexy” Punch
You can find the downloadable PDF to print this menu graphic at the end of the post!
Speedy’s Snax & Sarnies
Sherlock and John are regulars at Speedy’s Cafe, so it would be rude not to include something inspired by the food they eat in this Sherlock party menu.
We see throughout the series that the cafe offers breakfast, sandwiches, and more in its menu, so I opted for the easiest option: sandwiches. If you look closely whilst watching the earlier episodes, there appears to be a sign dictating that the cafe offers “Snax & Sarnies”.
Translation: snacks and sandwiches.
You can fill your sandwiches with whatever filling you like! Customise them to your heart’s content.
I opted for a British classic: cheese and Branston pickle, and I made my sandwiches more dainty. Almost afternoon tea like, which made sense considering the inclusion of tea in this menu.
However, you can mix it up and make them more like sub-sandwiches if preferred, or get really creative with your fillings.
Classic/old school British sandwich fillings include the likes of:
- Marmite and cheese
- Ham and cheese
- Ham and mustard
- Ham and egg
- Egg and cress
- Smoked salmon and cream cheese
- Chicken and Branston pickle
- Coronation chicken
- Cucumber and cream cheese
If any of my fellow Brits can think of more classic sandwich fillings, feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments!
The “snax” element of this dish is another free-for-all.
Grab your favourite crispy snacks and serve them up. It’s as simple as that.
Photographed in my spread are cheese savouries and bacon rasher snacks. The latter pays homage to the breakfast side of Speedy’s.
Sherlock’s All Day Chips
A favourite food of Sherlock’s that appears regularly throughout the show is chips [fries]. Whether as a full fish and chips meal or just on their own, this fella seems to consume them more frequently than anything else.
Either cook up some frozen oven chips as I did, or go that step further by grabbing some from your local chippy. Either way works, so long as you serve them with salt and vinegar (if that’s your taste, of course).
The more vinegar, the better, I say.
John’s Moustache Bites
This little snack is a fun reference to the moustache John Watson sports in the beginning of season three.
From what I remember, this moustache was a real talking point among Sherlock fans, so it was only right that I throwback to that with an easy snack.
Spread a little soft/cream cheese on a cracker of your choice. Slice a few small pickled beetroots in half, then make incisions in each half so that they resemble a full moustache. Top the cheese covered crackers with the beetroots as if they were a face.
Simple.
Baker Street Smiley on the Wall Desserts
You know I had to get a cute and easy dessert in this BBC Sherlock party menu!
The yellow smiley face that Sherlock paints on the wall of 221B Baker Street quickly became a defining image for this show.
Naturally, I look at that smiley face and think “dessert”.
This is a mousse dessert that I use and adapt regularly, just like I did for my Disney Mulan breakfast desserts. It’s super easy and requires minimal effort. You are also welcome to swap out the extract for your favourite to make it your own.
Smiley on the Wall Desserts Recipe
Makes: 8 (recipe can be doubled/halved to change the yield)
Ingredients:
- 600ml [2½ cups] double [heavy] cream
- ½ tin condensed milk
- 1 tsp lemon extract or extract / flavouring of your choice
- Yellow food colouring
Method:
- Whisk together the double cream, condensed milk and extract in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Continue to whisk on medium – high until the mixture has thickened and can hold its shape.
- Spoon 2 tbsp of the mixture into a smaller bowl and add a few drops of yellow food colouring. Whisk in until an even colour is achieved. Add more food colouring if necessary, but avoid over-whisking the mixture.
- Spoon the remaining mixture into small serving dishes i.e. ramekins and smooth over the top using a cutlery knife.
- Wipe the edges clean, then pipe a smiley face using the yellow mixture on each dessert.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve and consume within 3 days.
- Option: freeze to turn these mousse desserts into ice cream! If doing so, secure each dessert in a separate food bag or box to protect the container and consume within 2 months of making.
The Hounds of Baskerville Hound Paw Shortbread
This one is the first of my BBC Sherlock party menu dishes that is inspired by a specific episode: The Hounds of Baskerville.
Shortbread is a classic sweet treat and is my little nod to Scotland Yard as the location for the acting police force in the show.
These biscuits are super cute and quick to whip up!
Note: To keep things simple, I have written this recipe with the intention of making half the batch into hound paw shortbreads and the other half into the lipstick smear biscuits that are the next dish on this BBC Sherlock menu.
Hound Paw Shortbread Recipe
Makes: up to 24 biscuits (can be doubled or halved to change the yield)
Ingredients:
- 200g [7 oz] unsalted butter
- 100g [½ cup] caster sugar
- 300g [1¾ cups + 2 tbsp] plain [all-purpose] flour
- 24 chocolate buttons
- 72 chocolate chips
Method:
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and mix in until a dough has formed. Be mindful that overmixing or kneading can lead to a tough biscuit!
- Bring the dough together with your hand and then place on a clean and lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough out until around ½ inch in thickness. Using a round 4 inch cookie cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can. Place the rounds of dough on a lined baking tray.
- Gather the remaining dough back together and repeat step 3 until all the dough has been used up. You will need at least two lined baking trays – 12 biscuits on each one.
- Chill the biscuits in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 160°C fan.
- When the oven is up to temperature, bake your shortbread biscuits on the middle shelves for 8 minutes to start with.
- After 8 minutes, remove one tray. These biscuits will be your hound paw shortbreads. As the dough will still be soft, gently press a chocolate button into each biscuit, then follow with 3 chocolate chips on each one in an arch shape to create a paw image. Work as quickly as you can here to prevent the biscuits from cooling too much.
- Place the biscuits back in the oven with the others to bake for a further 2 – 3 minutes, until golden brown. Keep an eye on the colour of ALL the biscuits and feel assured that they will continue baking on the trays during the cooling process.
- Once baked, allow all of the shortbread biscuits to cool completely on the trays. The plain half of the batch can be decorated for the next dish.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for 4+ days.
The Abominable Bride Lipstick Smears
That’s right, friends. It’s another snack inspired by a specific episode.
I loved that they took us back to the Victorian era with this one – giving us a version of these characters that was more aligned with the time that Conan Doyle’s novels were written and published.
The “Abominable Bride” character wore a distinctive red lipstick. It was always smeared around her mouth, so that’s the image I pay homage to with the second half of the shortbread biscuits.
Simply top the other half of shortbread biscuits with a red royal icing.
To do this, mix together 3 or so tbsp of icing [powdered] sugar with a tiny splash of water to create a thick, almost toothpaste-like mixture. Mix in a few drops of red food colouring to achieve the punchy colour, then coat the back of a spoon and press it onto a biscuit, dragging it to one side to achieve a smear.
Repeat with each biscuit until you have 12 smears!
Moriarty’s IOU Apples
Moriarty’s lovely little “IOU” apple that he leaves for Sherlock… well, why not?
It takes a little carving, but just have fun with it (and be careful with sharp tools!). You also don’t have to carve every apple.
Tip: to slow down the browning process of the exposed apple flesh, dab the exposed areas with some lemon juice to counteract the oxygenation of the natural sugars.
The Reichenbach Fall Crisps for Molly
I have one word for you. QUAVERS.
As his way of providing food for himself, Molly, and John in this EPIC season finale, Sherlock offers a couple of bags of Quavers crisps from the pockets of his coat. Naturally.
As far as I’m aware, Quavers are a distinctly British crisp snack, so if you are unable to find them, reach for a cheese maize snack of your choice and that’ll work.
A Study In Pink Goodies
The first episode of Sherlock was adapted from the novel “A Study In Scarlet (1887)”.
As a nod to the pink-ness of this episode, I put together a charcuterie board (of sorts) full of all the pink sweet things I could get my hands on.
Pictured are pink Jammie Dodgers, Pink Panther wafers, Mr. Kipling Angle Cake Slices, gummy hearts, and Squashies.
Go for any pink numnums you can find and like to eat and you’ll be set.
Mrs. Hudson’s Pot of Tea (eyeballs optional)
Ah, Mrs. Hudson. Always there to make a lovely cup of tea and do her utmost to be of help. What a great character.
Seeing as she’s usually offering to put the kettle on or is already walking into the room with a fresh brew, it was only right that I included tea as the main drink option in this BBC Sherlock party menu.
A classic black tea like English Breakfast will hit the brief. However you like it: milk, sugar, or black. If serving in a teapot (which I truly hope you do), be sure to brew two teabags in the teapot for a better flavour.
Eyeballs are entirely optional, but are key to a “surprisingly okay” cuppa (not real eyeballs this time, don’t give me that look).
Earl Grey Moriar-tea
Oh, I do enjoy a pun.
Earl Grey is my favourite London brew, but feel free to swap out for a different tea if you prefer.
Irene Adler’s “Brainy is the New Sexy” Punch
To make this super easy: simply choose any red drink that you enjoy drinking. It can be fruit juice, a smoothie, a mocktail, a cocktail, etc.
Pictured is a blood orange and red grape still lemonade from my local supermarket.
If adding alcohol, please be aware of your limits and make sure that you are of the legal drinking age in your country of residence.
BBC Sherlock Watch Party Food
BBC may not be making any more Sherlock, but as I said in my Game of Thrones cupcakes post, that doesn’t mean we can’t still throw watch parties to enjoy the show all over again.
The good ones are always worth watching more than once. Especially when themed food is served.
BBC Sherlock Party Menu PDF
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