What’s for Dinner? Queen Elizabeth’s Former Chef Reveals What Donald Trump Will Be Served During State Banquet With King Charles
President Donald Trump has arrived in the U.K. for his second state visit and will attend an evening banquet with King Charles and several other royals at Windsor Castle. But the POTUS won’t participate in one tradition done before the dinner reception.
Express noted that a cocktail is served to honor the “special relationship” between the visiting nation and the host nation. While Trump will raise a glass, he won’t sip it because the president doesn’t drink alcohol. Trump has previously stated that he doesn’t drink because his brother, Fred, died from complications related to alcoholism.
“I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality, much better than mine. But he had a problem,” the president admitted. “He had a problem with alcohol, and he would tell me, ‘Don’t drink. Don’t drink.’ He was substantially older, and I listened to him.”
However, Trump will indulge in the meal set to be served. Now, Queen Elizabeth II‘s former chef is sharing what’s on the menu for state banquets.
Former royal chef explains how much planning goes into the food served during a state visit
Darren McGrady was a chef for more than a decade at Buckingham Palace, where he cooked for Queen Elizabeth. He was later transferred to Kensington Palace, where he worked as Princess Diana’s personal chef until her death in 1997.
Speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo, McGrady told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “A state visit takes a lot of planning. We’d get likes, dislikes, and dietary restrictions from the Foreign Office, then plan four menus and send them to the queen — she’d choose one.
“Next was ordering food, with attention to detail. For example, for a banquet at Windsor, Covent Garden would deliver all the fruit. We served four courses plus dessert — dessert being fruit after pudding for the royals. If we needed 96 pears, they’d send 250, and we’d check each one for ripeness and blemishes. Same with meats — everything had to be perfect.”
McGrady added, “Normally, there would be 10 chefs, but for a state banquet, all 20 chefs were on duty all week. It wasn’t just the banquet — it was state banquet week … Some [visiting dignitaries] brought their own chefs — like Arab visitors who didn’t adjust to our time zone. We’d arrive to find goat meat curry being finished. Meals were delivered to all rooms like a hotel.”
What’s served at state banquets?
There have been reports that the evening dinner at Windsor will be Dover sole fish and key lime pie. Those reports, however, were not confirmed. They may have circulated because key lime pie is the most-requested dessert at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
According to McGrady, “The first courses were often traditional French cuisine. Menus were in French — the queen spoke fluent French. Fish courses dated back to the early 1900s style — you’d often see quenelles or quills of fish like quenelle of halibut with lobster sauce. There’d be a basic salad course. Dessert was often a bombe glacée — an ice cream dish.”
The chef added that “The queen loved ice cream or chocolate desserts. Prince Charles (now King Charles) isn’t a fan of chocolate, so it never appeared for him. He preferred fruits and cheese courses.”
