Exit foie gras and log in England: when it comes to celebrating Christmas, pudding and Christmas crackers are in order. But what about the Windsors? If numerous revelations are made about the British royal family every week, following the thread of scandals which agitate it, some details of their private life remain secret. To start with the party menu that British royalty adopted each year in December. A hitherto well-kept secret, which one of the former leaders nevertheless revealed in The Express on December 17. And we can say that the most famous crowned heads of Europe celebrate Christmas in great food.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for members of the royal family from 1982 to 1998, revealed that the Christmas meal starts first thing in the morning at Sandringham, with a breakfast before going to church, divided between men and women. The latter enjoy a first light meal, composed of “sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast and coffee”while men are offered a real English breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, herring and grilled kidneys. At lunch, everyone eats “a salad with shrimp or lobster, a roast turkey and all the traditional sides like parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert”. Tea is then served in the afternoon with a fruit cakewhile at dinner time, a colossal buffet of around twenty dishes is proposed.
An ancestral tradition
Additionally, Chef McGrady reported that a tradition continues at dinner time. Indeed, just before the buffet, “the chef on duty goes to the dining room to cut the prime rib, turkey or ham and, once he has finished, Her Majesty offers him a glass of whiskey and they toast. It is the only time the chef goes into the dining room and drinks a glass of whiskey with the royal family“. He specifies that this moment of conviviality is “one of the chef’s favorite traditions”.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias.
Photo credits: AGENCE / BESTIMAGE