Friday 20 May 2011

Food and snippets – more glorious food – Dinner a la Royals ...2/2

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

This is my last eclectic post of the Royal Wedding covering letters, inspiring stories, fun tales, and amazing statistics, as well as some salivating foods ... 

‘Police Rescue’ – a 91 year old woman whose tv had been stolen, was able to watch the Wedding at home, after the local bobby dashed back and brought her his spare set = good deed for the day ... blessings to the bobby .. and must have made the lady’s day.

At least life went on ... the police were working ... I expect the bobby above, like the following cartoon portrayed, wished otherwise ... the cartoon shows two Guardsmen outside Buckingham Palace .. saying under their breath to each other “I could have done with the day off” ...!

Castle of Me
Two billion people worldwide are estimated to have watched the wedding on tv ... getting up at all hours of the day and night ... 9 horses made up the Grey Escort – but did you see the poor Trooper fall of his horse?  His pride dented – the horse very sensibly went straight on home passing the newlyweds in their carriage ...

.. one interesting fact is that apparently the new Duchess is allergic to horses – perhaps joining the Royal Family is not such a wise idea .... bearing in mind their love of all things equine!

At the marriage service at the Abbey  – most of the 1,900 guests being described as the Peacock Parade; 650 then went on to the lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace; while 300 of their close family and friends returned for the evening reception – the Night in White Satin ...

Kate’s walk down the aisle took 4 minutes ... the whole event at the Abbey from the first guests arriving to the RAF fly-past was 5 hours and 15 minutes.

Elderflowers steeping before being
turned into cordial
Of the guest breakdown ... there were 50 members of the Royal Family, 40 members of foreign royal families, 200 members of Government, Parliament and Diplomatic Corps, 80 guests drawn from Prince William’s charities, 60 governors-general and realm prime ministers, 30 members of the Armed Forces .... and more than 1,000 family and friends ... it was remarked that there were very few celebrities (blessing!).

The chefs could have done with a day off too – but who would have made the 10,000 canapés - fortunately created and served by the Queen’s head chef and 21 staff.  That chocolate cake was made of 1,700 Rich Tea biscuits – well I’d have used chocolate digestives! – but I guess the 40lbs (18 kgs) of chocolate that went in to it made up for the loss of chocolate digestives.

Everyone present at dinner was deemed “equally important” to the newlyweds, the tables were a mix of royalty, family members and friends of the couple.  And in keeping with the ‘organic and local’ theme – the guests were treated to a menu of British food – created by Anton Mosimann, the leading chef and owner of the Mosimann’s private dining club in Belgravia, where the Prince and his wife often dine.

Peach Bellini

The Evening reception menu was as follows:

Drinks:  Champagne, peach bellinis, elderflower cocktail and soft drinks ..

Starter:  Dressed crab, served with mini crab timbale, crawfish and prawns from Wales, salmon from South Uist and Hebridean langoustine

Main Course: Lamb came from Castle of Mey, the former Scottish residence of the Queen Mother, – done three ways ... served with spring vegetables from Prince Charles’ organic farm at Highgrove (this reminds me of the old days when the big houses sent produce from their estates to feed the family when they were at their London homes).

Desserts:  Three mini puddings served together: trifle, chocolate fondant, ice-cream in brandy snap baskets.

Wines:   White Mersault Burgundy         Red Pomerol Claret

Speeches: brilliant apparently ...

They then collapsed onto sofas to chat, or to dance and disco til nearly dawn ... at 2.00 am bacon butties were served up - and the official last dance was “She Loves You” by The Beatles ... finishing off with ‘spectacular fireworks’, complete with Catherine Wheel ...   (must have had a special dispensation for that – fireworks have to be over by 10.00pm ...?!)

Ferry leaving the Hebrides for Skye
Prince William was affectionately called ‘Wombat’ by his parents, or ‘Wills’ as he was more often known by the general public ... and it was reported that at age seven, the Prince said to his mother that he thought he’d like to be a policeman when he grew up, so that he could protect her – a statement to which Prince Harry replied “Oh, no you can’t you’ve got to be King” – bit of a letdown by his brother I’d have thought for a small boy ...

Both William and Kate, after finishing their schooling at Eton and Marlborough College, took part in the Raleigh International Programme ... (a UK-based youth and sustainable development charity) before going on to St Andrews University – where they both achieved their degrees – William in geography, and Kate in the History of Art.  While there the students called Prince William ‘Steve’ to put journalists off track.

View of Caleta Tortel
with its wooden walkways 
William went to Tortel in Chile, as part of the Raleigh Programme, for ten weeks teaching children in the town; it was here that he shared common household chores, including cleaning the toilet, and volunteering as the guest radio jockey for the local radio station.

Tortel is a Chilean commune located at the outflow of Baker and Pascua River to the Pacific Ocean between the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

The pair holidayed and became engaged at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.

To change the subject - Anyone like crosswords?  In a letter to the Saturday Times – a man had written in saying:  “Sir, determined to ignore the royal wedding, I settled down to do Friday’s crossword only to find the compiler at anticipated my resistance and imbued it with a form of Chinese torture: so I gave in and watched the whole thing on television.  It was magnificent.”  .... fun comment-letter!  ... and to finish ...

Wildlife Sanctuary in Lewa,
north Kenya.
The Princes have matured, one with great dignity and the other with more than a streak of impishness.  They have accepted their father’s remarriage with equanimity, fully realising the import of seeing a parent settled and happy ...

And now that Prince Charles’ day has been made – he has a daughter, and has seen one son happily married to his soulmate ... something many of us wondered if the Royals could ever achieve .. to me it heralds a new beginning.

It’s been a glorious time in this green and pleasant land of ours ... well please send us some rain here in the South-East and we’ll be happier ...


The Queen has become the second longest serving monarch, and if she is still reigning on 10 September, 2015 - then she will be the longest, beating Queen Victoria's reign.  Prince Charles is now the longest monarch in waiting. 

Dear Mr Postman – my Mama has certainly had times when she’s been awake and chatty – so that makes life fun for her and for the staff, our therapists and I ... we can enjoy and give her some caring chit chat, lots of laughter and smiles, and I've read some quite serious articles, which she always interacts with ... 

Most of the information in this post has been extracted from the print versions The Saturday Times and Sunday Telegraph, while I also used Wikipedia for extra material.

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

49 comments:

Barbara Swafford said...

Hi Hilary,

I enjoyed your account of the Royal Wedding. Like others, I watched it, and what I missed I caught on reruns. Kate sure made a beautiful bride and from the sounds of it, this may be a Royal marriage which will last.

You described the food so well - I wish I could have seen what it all looked like. I did see a photo of that massive cake. WOW!

((Hugs)) and good wishes to you and your Mum. Be well!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Great chatty post!

Love the quote from William as a child. Unlike others, he doesn't get to choose what he'll be when he grows up.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Barbara .. thanks and good to see you here .. it does look like it's here to last and certainly gave us a Royal Wedding, with its pageantry, to remember.

Delighted you 'enjoyed' the food - I'm sure photos will come out in due course - well I certainly hope so - because like you I'd love to see some pictures. I saw the one cake - but I'm not sure I've seen the chocolate one ..

Thanks for your thoughts .. and hugs - plenty back .. cheers for now - Hilary

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. thanks - it's certainly that - as I put all the things I just wanted to remember .. so glad you enjoyed the chat.

You're so right - he has no choice .. that quote came from Wikipedia & I just felt I wanted to put it in .. typical young sibling repartee.

Cheers - Hilary

Joanne said...

What a grand event it all was. I must say, the British truly know how to host an amazing wedding! Cheers to the newlyweds :)

Author Joshua Hoyt said...

This was really interesting I liked all the facts and about the dinner and wedding. It is nice to hear that not many celebrities showed up they are overrated for the most part :)

Bossy Betty said...

Do we really have to leave WeddingLand? I like it here.

The Myasthenia Kid said...

Hi Hilary,
I have really enjoyed your posts on the Royal Wedding.

I enjoyed the coverage so much that I sky+ it onto my planner so I can sit and enjoy the day over and over again.

Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your posts to make them so entertaining.

Rach

TALON said...

The day seemed to go off without a single hitch (save the hiccup of the ring) and was just wonderful. It seemed to have an intimate feeling for the happy couple, which is quite something considering the whole world was watching.

So glad your mother is having those awake times, Hilary!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Sara said...

I knew it!!! No one could give a better account of the Royal Wedding than you!

I loved the story about the bobby sharing his spare t.v. so the older woman could watch the wedding.AWWWW...that's so sweet!

Also, none of the programs I watched told me that the Duchess is allergic to horses! What a challenge that will be.

You always add the bits that others might not include, like the Trooper falling off his horse and the horse running by the carriage on his way home!

Hilary, this was a fun and interesting account of the Royal wedding. Thanks:~)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Joanne .. remember our make-up box is full of goodies, lots of gold and silver, horses a-plenty .. and wonderful costumes we can don -- but it has been a wonderful time - and absolutely cheers to the newlyweds - but I'd rather do it with champers than the mug of tea I've got?!

@ Josh - delighted you like the facts and snippets I proferred ... the celebrities weren't invited, I think that was the thing - otherwise they'd have thronged to be there - but like you mostly I agree they are completely overrated. Good to see you here ..

@ Bossy Betty - well not really - I could do more .. but I'm getting a little tired and two weeks on ??? Delighted to see you here - can't promise weddings for a while though - hope that's ok and you'll be back?!

@ Rachel .. glad you're making the most of your inability to do much more than take your mind off things - I bet you see different aspects each time you I watch.

Really appreciate the comment re my posts - it's lovely having encouraging words ..

@ Talon - you're right that one tiny glitch .. she'd had the ring made one size smaller because she'd lost weight .. not sure what happens when she puts on a pound or two though.

It appeared to be beautifully intimate despite the millions of us watching - I'm guessing Harry had quite a lot to do with that - those little extras showed they're like us really .. just fun loving.

Yes - Mum is having jolly times at the moment - wide awake again this a.m. .. which is wonderful.

Thanks Joanne, Josh, Bossy Betty, Rachel and Talon - lovely seeing you here .. Hilary

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sara .. must be my eclectic mind! .. yes that's what I try to do in my posts is bring in the things others' perhaps or usually don't think about or discuss.

Yes - the bobby story is a lovely one .. and I'm not sure where I heard the Duchess being allergic to horses .. but I did (so I hope it's true!).

The horse - I wasn't going to put it in .. and probably should have posted a photo - stunningly groomed up with the black sheepskin saddle covering (again I'm not sure exactly what it's called) .. just liked the idea of the horse - saying I've had enough of this .. too crowded, and noisy - let me home!

Absolute pleasure - I hope people will access them and read in the years to come ..

Thanks Sara - delighted you enjoyed them so much .. cheers - Hilary

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Your stories are always so fascinating, Hilary. Thank you for sharing. My MIL is 95 and was born in the UK. She's still bright and cheerful most days. She did say that getting old isn't what it's cracked up to be. What's inspiring is what a tease she is with the men at the assisted living residence where she resides. She's known as "the flirt."

Wellington Artist said...

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful details of the Royal Wedding. Being a retired caterer the food interests me the most! Thank you also for your comments about my Bubie and Zeyda. They truly were wonderful and lovely with an amazing history. I am writing a memoir/cookbook about my family with recipes that have been passed down through the generations. Hopefully it will find its way to a publisher one day.

Southpaw said...

The steeping elderflower cocktail is gorgeous.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Joylene - glad you enjoyed them .. your MIL is having a good life .. and I think being bright and cheerful and being stimulated are the most important things .. particularly the stimulation .. which is what I've tried to do here via the 'stories' I talk about to my mother - my uncle too ... he identified: they would stimulate his mind.

Lovely that's she's the local flirt - certainly my Mama loves the boys - but also the ladies .. she teases them too: wonderful interaction.

@ Sandy .. delighted you've appreciated the Royal Wedding posts .. earlier in the year I used some picnic food on my visits to my 94 her old 'aunt' in Cornwall ..

My mother had created a cookbook for her Care Home - all our old recipes from the post war years, our early life .. but the new owner and cook threw them away - I was and am livid!

I'm so pleased to read you're writing your memoir/cookbook based around your Bubie and Zeyda - it will be so interesting .. love the mix of memoir and food!!

Fortunately there are so many ways to publish things now .. and lots of opportunities too ... I shall look forward to reading it ..

@ Holly - thanks - I love elderfower squash, juice or presse .. deliciously refreshing ..

Thanks Joylene, Sandy and Holly - delighted you've enjoyed the posts .. have a great weekend .. Hilary

Anonymous said...

Hilary, another delightful post. I've enjoyed learning all the little details about the Royal Wedding.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susanne .. many thanks - glad you've enjoyed them and appreciate the comments .. cheers and have a good weekend .. Hilary

MorningAJ said...

I'm not a Royalist. We're Cromwellian in our family from first to last. At least William seems to be having a real life and not sponging off the public like some of the previous generations. I wish he didn't have to be king and could be a policeman if that's what he wants.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Morning AJ .. no worries - I'm pleased we've got our pageantry, tradition and culture back 100s of years .. I love the spectacle .. I wonder if he'd still want to be a policeman - with a degree in Geography probably not!

Thanks for commenting though - always good to have differing view points .. cheers Hilary

The Old Silly said...

What?! No "Spotted Dick" on the menu?

LOL, thanks for the play by play, I missed the 5+ hour Royal Wedding ... probably one of the 20 or so - maybe less? on the face of the planet to do so (wink).

Quite the gala affair! - gotta hand to you Brits - y'all know how to put on the pomp and cirmumstance, hm?

Marvin D Wilson

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Marvin .. no not this time!! We did have bubble and squeak - but you have to go back a post to read about that!

Also in the posts I noted a couple of cranky old men - who were absolutely NOT GOING TO WATCH .. by default thoroughly enjoyed themselves - sad isn't it .. ?!

Still it was a lovely time and we get to see the best of British .. if we didn't do it - who would .. we can't lose that ...

Good to see you - ciao! Hilary

Liesl said...

Hi Hilary,thank you for visiting my blog! A friend of mine here in Tzaneen does indeed farm with babaco fruit, I have always known it as star-fruit! It is realy refreshing and delicious,isn't it. I am off to read through your blog,have a great weekend!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

hi Liesl .. pleasure - love SA! and Africa learning about all things ..

To my mind babaco is completely different to star fruit .. if you get over to my babaco post
http://positiveletters.blogspot.com/2009/07/champagne-fruit-anyone.html

but I see that Wikipedia has a very good picture of what I remember - not sure why I didn't find it for my post .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babaco- so deliciously juicy ..

frankly I still crave it .. all these years later!

I think they're very different .. after you've had a quick look .. if pos?

Maybe it's big version of star fruit? - now that's a possibility . .. but it's never occurred in anything I've read ..

Cheers - you too have a lovely time.. Hilary

Anonymous said...

One of these days i'm going to make my own elderflower cordial.
That's a lovely thought that Prince Charles now has a daughter. I hadn't considered it like that. :O)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Hi Hilary you asked by email who was Danny Boy, well he isn't my son.....I wish lol he is Irish star Daniel O Donnell.

Thanks for your best wishes hope to catch up while away.
Yvonne.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Madeleine .. this year might be the year - at least up here there's masses of flowers - presumably good for the cordial .. though whether we'll get berries or not is another matter .. we have no rain.

Yes - I was taken with this comment I read somewhere .. that Charles' finally has a daughter ..

Good to see you ..

@ Yvonne .. yes - that's me being totally unmusical! Oh ok .. you must have met him on occasions at concerts .. and obviously enjoy his lyrical music .. would love to have your music knowledge and talent ..

You too .. have a lovely time .. and catch you soon .. cheers Hilary

MunirGhiasuddin said...

I don't believe the world is coming to an end. Every one is having fun with the theory. I designed an award. It is called Straight from the Heart award. I will behonered if you accept it. It is not perfectly done, but I am sincere.
Take Care

Inger said...

Since I don't have TV and since I do enjoy all things British, I have really had fun reading your account of the royal wedding. Where in the world did you get all this information?--Inger

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Munir .. well I agree and it doesn't appear to have done so .. I can't believe we need to advertise it either!

Your "Straight from the Heart" award is so thoughtful and caring - I really appreciate it .. it is perfectly formed and quite delightful.

Thanks Munir for thinking of me ..

@ Inger .. wonderful to read - thank you .. and if I've breathed some life into the Royal Wedding that you can now see (despite the lack of tv) then I'm very happy I've written the posts ..

I just pooled info I'd read mostly from the two papers - Times and Telegraph .. and just mixed and matched, and some other snippets from something I heard from tv or seen in Wikipedia ..

Glad it appears I made it all interesting ..

Thanks Munir and Inger - good to see you .. enjoy the week ahead .. Hilary

Amy @ Soul Dipper said...

Thoroughly enjoyed the details of the Royal Wedding, Hilary. I stayed up all night - the laptop and me in bed - and savoured every moment. Throughout it all, I gained a sense of authentic love and a wonderful casualness within the cradle of tradition. They really pulled off a wondrous event! 2015? I bet she'll do it! I really hope she does! I wonder if Charles will step aside and let William take over.

Glynis Peters said...

It was wonderful to watch the wedding from here in Cyprus. Thanks for sharing other snippets of info I didn't get to hear, Hilary.

I do think this young couple have saved the royal family image.

... Paige said...

wonderful post, most enjoyed.

yea for chatty Mom,

the lightness of our soul gives rise to laughter that decorates our hearts

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Amy .. delighted you enjoyed the posts and the wedding itself - you have put it really well .. the sense of authentic love and a wonderful casualness within the cradle of tradition: a wondrous event was put on for the world to see.

I think the Queen will still be here in 4 years and a few months time .. I agree with you - I don't think Charles will step aside, but perhaps William and Kate will take a more central role at that stage ..

The protocol doesn't allow Charles to step aside and too much to change if it could be .. but there could be flexibility if Charles became 'decrepit' - I'd have thought ..

@ Glynis - glad you watched too .. and enjoyed the extra bits that people might have missed ..

I agree - Kate and William - seem to have worked things out for themselves ..

@ Paige - thanks so much .. and yes it's lovely when Mum's happy to chat ... and as you say I can go away with a lighter soul - and something to decorate my heart in the future ..

Thanks so much Amy, Glynis and Paige - good to see you .. Hilary

Talli Roland said...

I've been really enjoying all the tidbits about the Royal Wedding, Hilary -- I'll be sad to see your series come to an end! Hope your'e having a good weekend.

BK said...

Hi Hilary, glad to see you dropping by my blog. I totally missed the royal wedding. I still remember seeing everyone posting the video in Facebook. Although I did not watch the wedding, it was interesting to read about it here.

Glad to read that your Mama had times when she's been awake and chatty; happy to read that there were lots of laughter and smiles.

The Old Silly said...

Bubble and Squeak? My word ... what will you all think of next? LOL - and yes, dear, please never lose the royal properness of classic Great Britain - traditions like that should survive the milleniums.

Liara Covert said...

Hilary, the insider perspective you share with such flare suggests you were more than a fly on the wall of recent nuptials:) Kudos to you for the detailed account of what many are calling 'a historic happy event.' Some people are engrossed in royal fashion, activities, food and generally, what others are doing in the world. Appreciating the happiness you see around you also invites you to savour blessings and love in your own life. This 'reality show' of the self is often belittled, ignored or forgotten.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Talli .. it has ended - but a couple to do on other things .. and so pleased you've enjoyed them.

Thanks - good weekend down here .. quite windy!

@ BK .. you must be one of few you missed it! Still there were plenty of posts and videos about it around .. I just added the extras others wouldn't put in.

Yes - Mum has been awake quite a lot recently, which has been fun and makes a lot of difference all round: thanks for your thoughts.

@ Old Silly .. yup Bubble and Squeak - I'm surprised when Hugs was here, before his story started, he didn't get to taste some?!

Well I sure hope these traditions carry on for some more history - they provide so much for so many ..

@ Liara - wish I'd been a fly on the wall ... I'd have dearly loved to have been present - but snippets are made to be extracted fortunately and presented so others can enjoy -

Really appreciate your comment .. I love finding different aspects to present and post about here on all subjects ..

Cheers Talli, BK, Hugs and Liara .. have great weeks .. Hilary

Sibyl said...

Great post and a behind the scenes look at the Royal Wedding. Sounds like a great menu :) It was pretty interesting to learn about the details of the guest list. I knew there were a lot of distinguished people that attended, but didn't know about all the specifics. I assumed it was mostly celebrities ... guess that was a wrong assumption :) Thanks Hilary for showing us a look at the Royal Wedding through your account. Really interesting ... as always.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sibyl .. many thanks - I think all the food sounds really interesting .. wish I'd been there!

Ah - at least you're enlightened! Royalty and politics all have their hierarchal requirements at events like this .. so few celebrities.

Just glad you've enjoyed it .. and hope you've glanced at the other posts?

Thanks for coming by .. cheers Hilary

Karen Lange said...

Thank you, Hilary, as always, for a lovely post full of interesting facts and tidbits. You lend much personality to the bare facts and it makes it so enjoyable!

Thanks also for stopping to see me at Pen and Prosper. Your support is much appreciated!

Have a happy week,
Karen

Marinela said...

Your stories are always so enjoyable, Hilary.

Ella said...

Hilary, I so enjoyed this; I see I have a bit of catching up to do~
Love the insight! When I went to England, I thought it was marvelous and do hope to go again, one day!

Thanks for sharing! :D

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Karen .. many thanks .. it's fun adding a little conversation in - so delighted you enjoy the running commentary!

Pleasure it was fun popping over to see you at Jennifer's and your take on the Celebrity Apprentice .. there's lessons to be learnt all around us - we just need to open our eyes.

You too - have a good week ..

@ Marinela - glad you enjoyed these extra bits ..

@ Ella - pleasure .. and after the A - Z - we all seem to have to adjust, don't we!

Delighted the insight gave you some pleasure .. yes this little land is very interesting, picturesque and extremely historical .. so we'd love to see you again.

Thanks Karen, Marinela and Ella - lovely seeing you - enjoy the day .. Hilary

Jiu Jitsu Los Angeles said...

I've always wondered if Charles would ever step aside and allow William to reign in the event of the Queen's passing. I cannot believe this day in the numbers! It was absolutely brilliant and beautiful. Every girl I'm sure now wants to be a princess after watching Kate walk down the aisle looking breath taking.

Sara

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sara .. good to meet you - and thanks for coming over. The Royal family obviously interest you - but I doubt very much if Charles will stand aside .. the Constitution would have to be changed .. and that won't happen.

But you're so right about every little girl wanting to be a princess - every older girl too!

It certainly has lifted the spirits of many a person ..

Have you got a blog .. or are you part of the Jiu Jitsu team?

Cheers Hilary

Theresa Milstein said...

I tried to comment on this the other day, but couldn't because my blogger account was down.

It's hard to believe that 1/3 of the population watched the royal wedding. Amazing!

Reading the menu is interesting, but it doesn't give us a sense of what it all tasted like. I'm sure the best chefs created the feast... fit for a king.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Theresa .. I do hope your blogger travails are over - I suspect not though ..

I've been working my round things as I can .. and one or two blogs I simply can't comment on, til I get my other machine up and going - then it works differently and gets through .. don't ask me why!

It would be lovely if I could put a scent tube through blogger and waft some scents around the world ..

.. what would be extra kind - if they'd print up some pictures for us .. so we could see the courses and the layout ..

But fit for a future King and his dearly beloved as their secret for now .. cheers Hilary