From EastEnders to Buckingham Palace, street party ambassador Barbara Windsor hosted the perfect British tea party in preparation for the Diamond Jubilee weekend.

The soap star enjoyed sandwiches, scones and cupcakes with 60 scouts in the grounds of Buckingham Palace to encourage other people in the UK to have lunch with their neighbours, friends and family on June 3rd.

Barbara arrived with a large trifle for the youngsters from the Lewisham North Scout Groups and she also shared her tips for successful street party celebrations.

She said: "All we ask is for people to have lunch with their neighbours on June 3rd, that's not too much to ask is it? The street parties were a big success when we did them at the royal wedding and they weren't just in London, they really captured the spirit of the whole nation.

"We feel very honoured that the Queen has chosen the Big Lunch to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee."

Barbara was asked to be London's official street party ambassador by London Mayor Boris Johnson two years ago after they appeared in a scene together in EastEnders.

"Everybody has got a table to pull out or a chair and you get to experience all different kinds of foods. The English tend to let us down a little bit, so I say, bring out the roast dinners," she added.

The Scout Association has pledged its support for the The Big Jubilee Lunch initiative and scout groups up and down the country will be involved in organising traditional street parties and picnic lunches.

Olly Goodchild, Scout Leader from Lewisham South London, said: "All the Scouts who met Barbara today were inspired to be part of The Big Jubilee Lunch and I know that Scouts from Across the UK are starting to plan hard for June 3rd.

"Across Britain Scouts and their volunteer leaders will be sitting down with other members of their communities to share a meal, have fun and make new friends. Being part of something like this is what makes Britain great and we are proud to be part of it."

Since the Big Lunch initiative started in 2009, thousands of lunches have taken place across the country and in 2011 nearly two million people took part across the UK.