King Charles has access to some of the finest food in the world, but the monarch has more particular tastes.
Carolyn Robb, a former royal chef who had the pleasure of cooking for the King explained what Charles’ food quirks were.
Carolyn cooked for the Royal Family between 1987 and 2000 and was once the personal caterer to Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Looking back on her career, the chef said it was “a dream” and she started when she was just 22 years old in Kensington Palace, Sandringham, Balmoral and odd “trips abroad”.
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Whilst there were many lavish occasions she cooked for, “for the most part” Carolyn “prepared home cooking with the freshest of ingredients”, citing the chef’s “watchwords” as “‘local, simple and seasonal’”.
Charles especially appreciated local honey or home-grown asparagus, always from nearby suppliers,” she added.
Every day, a “little menu book” would be written in with the day’s meal suggestions and “Their Royal Highnesses would read at breakfast, choosing what they’d like for the rest of the day”.
Carolyn continued: “Sometimes that would change if Charles wandered back in with something he’d picked from the garden and it would be served for dinner that evening.”
In terms of what Charles’ favourite dishes were, she revealed it depended on where they were staying. If the family was at Sandringham, for example, “Charles loved pheasant and venison from the estate”.
There were a few ingredients that were off the menu: “We didn’t use garlic or raw onion in many dishes as the family were always aware that they would be in close contact with members of the public!”
What time of year it was also meant certain ingredients were off the menu: “Everything had to be in season,” Carolyn said. “So no imported strawberries in December. The King was never happier than when he was eating food fresh from the garden.”
King Charles has always championed seasonal produce, but he is also an advocate of zero waste.
Carolyn revealed: “Nothing would ever go to waste. If there was something leftover from a meal one day then it would go into a quiche the next day.
“I think people imagine the Royal menu as ‘lobster and caviar’ but it really wasn’t. There was no waste and no extravagance, which was lovely to see.
“As well as the compost heap, certain scraps that were safe for chickens to eat went into the ‘chicken bucket’. Every morning before breakfast, His Majesty would go out and feed them,” she told OK! Magazine.