Inside royal family's 'military operation' of Christmas dinner as King Charles hosts at Sandringham
A former royal chef has spilled the beans...Ever wondered what it might be like to have Christmas dinner with King Charles and the royal family?
A former royal chef has spilled the beans on what really goes down over Christmas at Sandringham, from the extravagant preparations to what’s on the menu…
‘It was like a military operation’
Speaking exclusively to Smooth Spins Casino, former royal chef Darren McGrady shared his past experiences of working with the royals over the festive period.
He described the preparations for Christmas Day as a “military operation”.
“If you’ve seen the movie Spencer, you’ll see the army deliver all the food in the boxes and hampers, which is what happened,” he explained.
“Several days before Christmas, we’d send in an advance team to Sandringham, who would open up the kitchen and clean it so it was spotless. They would be there for the arrival to check in all of the food. The Norfolk turkeys would come in from the local butcher, all the local fish would come in. When it came to the equipment and Christmas puddings, that was packed carefully and driven up in army transportation. The soldiers would bring it all into the kitchen, so we were all prepared for it. Every year it was like a military operation, so nothing went wrong.”
What does King Charles eat for Christmas dinner?
While we might imagine the royals dining on some fancy food we’ve never heard of, it seems they like to keep things traditional.
“It was the traditional roast turkey, sometimes with Chestnut stuffing,” the chef revealed. “Then the traditional side dishes too – the Brussel sprouts, roast parsnips, roast potatoes and mashed potatoes, then the turkey gravy.”
“After that, it would be time for the Christmas pudding,” he continued. “The traditional Christmas pudding would be served on fire and flamed, like most families do at Christmas, then carried into the royal dining room by the Queen’s page, usually to a round of applause. The Christmas puddings were actually made the year before, and we’d have them in the refrigerator so they would mature and soak all the flavour for Christmas.”
Royal food requests
The chef also sweetly revealed: “Everyone would have their party hats on from the crackers, all in the festive mood.”
When quizzed over whether any family members had special food requests, Darren replied bluntly: “Absolutely not!”
“That goes for every meal that you ate with the Queen,” he continued. “You’re dining with Her Majesty the monarch, so whatever she chooses, that’s what you eat. You wouldn’t ask for a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free menu or anything like that.”
However, the chef did recall one exception to this rule. As children, William and Harry were apparently treated to ice cream as they weren’t the biggest fans of mince pies.
King Charles will host Christmas at Sandringham again this year, with members of the family expected to join him and Queen Camilla.
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