The Royal Wedding menu said so much about the wealth of incredible food we have in this country. Unfortunately, unlike those who can comment on the dress, venue, hair and the flowers, I can only speculate on the look and taste of the food!
As I predicted in my Royal Wedding Menu Ideas article, the theme around the food was ‘seasonal, local and organic’. Clarence House made sure to point out that “All the ingredients were carefully sourced from Royal Warrant holding companies using UK-based ingredients”. Free from French cuisine or strawberries — refreshingly unusual given Royal Wedding Menus Through the Years!
Ingredients included: Gressingham duck, English goats’ cheese from Paxton and Whitfield, English asparagus, Welsh organic celery salt, langoustines from the North West Coast of Scotland, pork from the Cotswolds, English crayfish, Windsor Estate lamb, smoked haddock from the East Coast of Scotland, Beef from the Castle of Mey, selections in the North Highlands of Scotland and English rhubarb.
1.30pm: Canapé Reception
A total 10,000 canapés were served to 650 guests over a two hour reception; about 15 canapés per guest. Although they were probably substantial and delicious, I do feel a little sorry for those who had been inside Westminster Abbey since 9am and probably up since 6am.
As predicted, every choice is an absolute bite-size classic; no spoons, forks, skewers or faff. The canapé selection leaned towards vegetarian options; six choices compared with four fish and four meat options. Believe it or not, choosing a lot of vegetarian options is a great way to ensure most guests are happy and fed.
What did surprise me was that there were eight (eight!) sweet options — four bite sized puddings and four types of chocolate truffles, although I suspect proportionally less of these were served than the savoury options. Someone at the Palace clearly has a sweet tooth!
Guests drank non-vintage Champagne and soft drinks.
Meat Canapés
- Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney
- Grain Mustard and Honey-Glazed Chipolatas
- Miniature Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Fillet of Beef and Horseradish Mousse
- Bubble and Squeak with Confit Shoulder of Lamb
Fish Canapés
- Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini
- Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini
- Scottish Langoustines with Lemon Mayonnaise Pressed Confit of Pork Belly with Crayfish and Crackling
- Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole
Vegetarian Canapés
- Roulade of Goats’ Cheese with Caramelised Walnuts
- Assortment of Palmiers and Cheese Straws
- Miniature Watercress and Asparagus Tart
- Poached Asparagus Spears with Hollandaise Sauce for Dipping
- Quail’s Eggs with Celery Salt
- Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson
Sweet Canapés
- Gateau Opera
- Blood Orange Pate de Fruit
- Raspberry Financier
- Rhubarb Crème Brulee Tartlet
Chocolate Canapés
- Passion Fruit Praline
- White Chocolate Ganache Truffle
- Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts
- Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle
3pm — 7pm: Break
Take note if you are getting married earlier than 2pm: by including a ‘break’ in proceedings, Kate and William avoided two things. They avoided a black hole in the momentum of the day, and avoided feeding their guests twice (lunch and dinner).
I imagine guests that went to both the canapé reception and the evening reception appreciated the chance to refresh, recharge and have a small bite to eat to keep them going. I cannot stress enough how flat the atmosphere will be on your wedding day if you insist on having an early wedding and then don’t feed your guests properly or leave them hanging around in a black hole of proceedings. 2pm or 3pm remains my ideal time to marry.
7pm: The Black Tie Reception
300 close friends and family gathered for the ‘party party’ whilst The Queen, Prince Philip and the young bridesmaids retired to bed.
This time, guests chose from vintage pink Champagne, peach Bellinis and elderflower cocktails as they gathered for the formal meal.
8pm: Dinner in the Palace Ballroom
The decor was kept simple and elegant; tables with white flowers, candles and named after places special to the couple. By all accounts the table plan made sure to mix both Royals and the less regal guests to encourage a relaxed atmosphere. Details on the food are still coming through…
- Starter: Dressed Welsh Crab with Mini Crab Timbale, Crayfish and Prawns
- Main: Highgrove Estate Lamb ‘Done Three Ways’
- Dessert: Trio of Mini-Puddings: Trifle, Chocolate Fondant and Homemade Ice-cream
11.30pm: Evening Buffet in the Throne Room
After the speeches and fireworks, guests headed to a cocktail bar serving Champagne, spirits and Mojito cocktails (I doubt it was a cash bar!)
Bacon sandwiches and ice-creams were served from food trucks in the courtyard for ‘survivors’ before the hardcore party addicts went back to the Goring for an after party.
Guest post by Julie Gray of Bovingtons
Image from Flickr by John Pannell (CC BY 2.0 License)
