Features
Great British Menu
With chefs from across the UK competing to earn the honour of cooking for the Queen, UKTV Food takes a look back at royal dining and some of the interesting facts and trivia about Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh's daily meals and annual banquets.
Growing up in the Royal household during the reign of Queen Victoria, and subsequently becoming close to Kind George VI when he was a royal servant, Charles Oliver amassed a huge collection of royal recipes, banquet menus, royal anecdotes and private photographs. Published in the book 'Dinner at Buckingham Palace' he said of the ritual of the English tea-time:
"...(it) was brought to perfection by the late Queen Mary...Everything had to be fully ready by 4pm, with sandwiches, cakes and biscuits invitingly set out on gleaming silver dishes upon a smoothly-running trolley. The teapot, cream jug, hot-water jug and sugar bowl were always the same antique silver service which had been a favourite of Queen Victoria...(Later) Queen Mary would take over and meticulously measure out her favourite Indian tea from a jade tea -caddy she kept locked in a cupboard...she would always let exactly three minutes elapse from the moment she poured hot water on the tea leaves so that the tea would be perfectly brewed."
The current royal family enjoy a simpler meal time, except for their annual royal garden parties and banquets. Over 30,000 people attend the Royal Garden Parties of which there are three each year. Each party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed. Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s and in the 1950s were increased from two to three each year. The Queen gives an additional garden parties to honour large national organisations, such as the Red Cross. In 1997 he Queen and Prince Philip hosted a garden party for couples also celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary.
During her reign The Queen has given more than 91 state banquets with each menu having to be diplomatically designed to avoid offending visiting heads of state. The banquets are usually an elaborate event where the dinner service is exquisite, all be it with complicated paraphernalia, such as the grape scissors, while as elegant as they are, are virtually useless.
Always wise to the more nervous guest, the Queen, where possible gives the lead as to which cutlery should be used. As well as hosting formal banquets the Queen is also invited to many functions abroad, but will only take her own chef if she is on a long tour. Hosting countries are often told to keep the meals simple and garlic free, but those who do entertain the Queen often go to great lengths to impress, such as the King of Tonga. The average Tongan Sunday lunch may consist of 30 different dishes all laid out on coconut leaves.
As well as their formal banquets the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh give small informal lunch parties at Buckingham Palace. She doesn't forget her staff either, continuing a tradition established by George V, she gives out 78,000 Christmas puddings each year. The formal menus for banquets are all printed in French, and even at her wedding breakfast in 1947, the Queen was served filet de sole Mountbatten, perdreau en casserole and bombe glacee Precesse Elizabeth. The Queen's chef, Ronald Aubery, also describes less formal meals in French, boeuf braise aux flageolets and carrots a la Vichy. Contrary to popular belief when the Queen and Prince Philip dine alone it is rarely from a tray in front of the TV, but in the dining room. When the Queen is keen to watch something she has a set brought into the dining room and neither the Queen or Prince Philip prefer wine, but like to have a dry martini to dinner with them. All of the Queen's meals are stuck to a rigid schedule and she is not in the habit of wandering into the kitchen between meals. Off-schedule sandwiches are prepared only for guests after a post-dinner film.
During her reign the Queen has enjoyed many elaborate meals, both held at Buckingham Palace and abroad at state functions. But she is also a wife, mother and grand-mother, and enjoys simple, honest food at home. When it was revealed by the Daily Mirror that she eats cereal out of Tupperware containers, the world was reminded of this. When the winner of the 'Great British Menu' is announced I hope they remember, she may well prefer to tune into the Today programme on Radio 4 with a cup of tea and a scone.
Sourced from: www.waitrose.com
"...(it) was brought to perfection by the late Queen Mary...Everything had to be fully ready by 4pm, with sandwiches, cakes and biscuits invitingly set out on gleaming silver dishes upon a smoothly-running trolley. The teapot, cream jug, hot-water jug and sugar bowl were always the same antique silver service which had been a favourite of Queen Victoria...(Later) Queen Mary would take over and meticulously measure out her favourite Indian tea from a jade tea -caddy she kept locked in a cupboard...she would always let exactly three minutes elapse from the moment she poured hot water on the tea leaves so that the tea would be perfectly brewed."
The current royal family enjoy a simpler meal time, except for their annual royal garden parties and banquets. Over 30,000 people attend the Royal Garden Parties of which there are three each year. Each party, around 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake are consumed. Garden parties have been held at Buckingham Palace since the 1860s and in the 1950s were increased from two to three each year. The Queen gives an additional garden parties to honour large national organisations, such as the Red Cross. In 1997 he Queen and Prince Philip hosted a garden party for couples also celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary.
During her reign The Queen has given more than 91 state banquets with each menu having to be diplomatically designed to avoid offending visiting heads of state. The banquets are usually an elaborate event where the dinner service is exquisite, all be it with complicated paraphernalia, such as the grape scissors, while as elegant as they are, are virtually useless.
Always wise to the more nervous guest, the Queen, where possible gives the lead as to which cutlery should be used. As well as hosting formal banquets the Queen is also invited to many functions abroad, but will only take her own chef if she is on a long tour. Hosting countries are often told to keep the meals simple and garlic free, but those who do entertain the Queen often go to great lengths to impress, such as the King of Tonga. The average Tongan Sunday lunch may consist of 30 different dishes all laid out on coconut leaves.
As well as their formal banquets the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh give small informal lunch parties at Buckingham Palace. She doesn't forget her staff either, continuing a tradition established by George V, she gives out 78,000 Christmas puddings each year. The formal menus for banquets are all printed in French, and even at her wedding breakfast in 1947, the Queen was served filet de sole Mountbatten, perdreau en casserole and bombe glacee Precesse Elizabeth. The Queen's chef, Ronald Aubery, also describes less formal meals in French, boeuf braise aux flageolets and carrots a la Vichy. Contrary to popular belief when the Queen and Prince Philip dine alone it is rarely from a tray in front of the TV, but in the dining room. When the Queen is keen to watch something she has a set brought into the dining room and neither the Queen or Prince Philip prefer wine, but like to have a dry martini to dinner with them. All of the Queen's meals are stuck to a rigid schedule and she is not in the habit of wandering into the kitchen between meals. Off-schedule sandwiches are prepared only for guests after a post-dinner film.
During her reign the Queen has enjoyed many elaborate meals, both held at Buckingham Palace and abroad at state functions. But she is also a wife, mother and grand-mother, and enjoys simple, honest food at home. When it was revealed by the Daily Mirror that she eats cereal out of Tupperware containers, the world was reminded of this. When the winner of the 'Great British Menu' is announced I hope they remember, she may well prefer to tune into the Today programme on Radio 4 with a cup of tea and a scone.
Sourced from: www.waitrose.com
