Food, Food Glorious Food ... fit for a future King and Queen ... 1/2

Mousehole and its harbour: Newlyn and
the crabbery are back towards
Penzance Bay in the background

Bubble and Squeak – ever heard of that .. an old favourite from many moons ago in our home – fried up left over cabbage and potato – oh boy was it good!   This was made into a goat’s cheese roulade – and I must say I think I might try this one day.

Cornish crabs – when my mother had her Care Home – the crabbery was down the hill and we’d enjoy the fruits of their labour .. so I was delighted to see Cornish crab on lemon blini made it into the menu for The Wedding Lunch Menu.

Iridescent blue-black-white
speculum feathers of a
male wild mallard

Duck terrine featured – I think the ducks, from the duck race in Bucklebury (the Middletons’ local village, were safely kept away from the Palace kitchens .. I don’t think Alice said ‘off with their heads’ .. but she could have;) and I learnt something: a Gressingham duck is a cross between a mallard and a pekin .. I thought it was a place?!



More blini – beetroot ones this time – topped with Scottish smoked salmon ... and miniature watercress and asparagus tarts sound delicious ... poached asparagus (now I boil mine and eat each piece, no peeling – just getting rid of the woody bits) with hollandaise for dipping – or would that be dripping?  The asparagus season traditionally starts on St George’s Day – April 23^rd.

Asparagus ready to pick

Scottish langoustines with lemon mayonnaise – home-made I hope (well Palace made, I guess) – I wouldn’t change that ...   they had quails’ eggs with celery salt, which was exactly my aunt’s request for my picnic visits to her Cornish home earlier this year; however I gather .. gulls’ eggs would have been more traditional ...

... and another matter for anyone interested – there’s no such thing as a sea gull (though no-one here in Eastbourne would believe you either) ... they’re all plain gulls and they cry and squaak as they whirl around in the sky above!

Now this sounds moorish ... pressed confit of pork belly with crayfish and crackling ... an up market version of surf-and-turf?  Wild mushroom and celeriac chausson .. actually I can’t find what that means!  Chausson doesn’t seem to feature ... Palace special?

Bubble and Squeak cakes

I’m a-thinking that my source – The Saturday Times – might have a couple of things a bit muddled .. eg the bubble and squeak roulade .. or is it a goat’s cheese and caramelised walnuts roulade, while the shoulder of lamb confit is served with bubble and squeak ... each sound rather good .... lamb from the Windsor estate.


Glad to see middle-class food such as chipolatas glazed with honey and grain mustard have crept in ... as too have miniature Yorkshire puddings with roast fillet of beef and horseradish mousse  (nearly had a typo here .. moose?!).


Next up pea guacamole – corrected from guaco .. by Word for me! – I thought guacamole’s main ingredient was avocado .. so where do the peas come in?  Still served with smoked haddock fishcakes .... it must have tasted pretty good ...

Champagne at the Carbis Bay Hotel
in Cornwall

Want a drink anyone .. well you can have Pol Roger NV Brut Reserve Champagne ... or you can go across the road and have a Becks beer – none served at the Palace .. or other drinks as available – but not listed!  Moet et Chandon Imperial Champagne was advertised in the press – but Imperial was not good enough for this table.  Talking about social media ... no cameras or phones were allowed in to the Reception.

Now deez – ee – ee - rt ... sounds rather good too ... Gateau Opera – now what might that be ... Blood Orange Pâté de Fruit ... still I say: what is that Pâté de Fruit?!  Ever heard of a raspberry financier – well if there’s one around and it’s human please send him over!  I like raspberries too very much?! But the picture of a financier is rather dull! 

Rhubarb burnt creams – described as rhubarb crème brûlée ... now Word inserted the accent graves on crème all by itself .. isn’t it clever – the thing is I need to find all the other dots and dashes to ensure my French cookery terms are ‘purrfect’.  Then of course PASSION ... we need passion after our deez-ee-ee-rt ... this time it’s a praline with fruits ... personally I’d just prefer passion and the fruit.






British cheeses from Paxton and Whitfield – the shop at 93 Jermyn Street, London – shown are four fantastic cheeses made in and around the lush countryside of the Cotswolds.

Ah now we’re at the coffee stage – but that’s not mentioned ... just gorgeous chocolats .. can’t help thinking about Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp here ... sweet canapés of white chocolate ganache truffle, milk chocolate praline with nuts and dark chocolate ganache truffle ... someone enjoys a sweet tooth.

Well that’s a delicious, mouth watering menu – chosen by the future King and Queen – and in keeping with the rest of the day .. a totally British Buffet – produce from around the United Kingdom celebrating the best of British ...

Then to round it all off – a cup of tea – after the Balcony scene – with two cakes .. one made from a mere 17 fruit cakes, with 8 tiers, decorated in cream and white icing complementing some of the Palace’s decor .. including 900 flowers and 17 varieties of flora for their symbolism, tied together with garlands ... based on the language of flowers.  This was cut with the ceremonial sword – whose I don’t know! – possibly from William’s regiment.

But how about the second cake .. a chocolate biscuit cake ... Prince William’s favourite ... to my surprise made with Rich Tea biscuits ... and lots of real chocolate no doubt ... but, like you possibly, I have made this sort of cake/slice with crushed Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, melted butter and some golden syrup – mixed together and left to set.  Simple.  On the other hand I’m not serving it to nobility!

And I failed to be short – so I hope everyone, like me, likes to read about food .. as this has become part one?! 

From what I read .. it appears that the lunch was a huge success – much happiness and laughter all round, with a few complements and smattering of jokes thrown in .. a good family wedding party – despite the Army officers in flamboyant uniforms, and kings and queens it was a very intimate wedding – a fun, effervescent and ebullient affair.

Good to know – the bald patch was admired by his father ... that bald patch loved being ‘in love’ ... while the father revealed joy at finally having a daughter, describing her as his son’s “soulmate” .. saying he was incredibly happy for his son and heir. 

An aerial view of Windsor Castle: (l to r) the Lower Ward,

the Middle Ward and Round Tower, the Upper Ward,

with the Long Walk in the lower right hand corner.

The River Thames can be seen in the upper left of the picture.

Dear Mr Postman - my mother has had lots of excitement recently .. and has been very cheerful, chatty and enjoying her visits ... still interested in everything .. 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories