Food Ideas to Watch the Royal Wedding

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Host your own Royal Wedding viewing party with our ideas and recipes. Join in the excitement and celebration of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s special day.

Food Ideas to Watch the Royal Wedding | 31Daily.com

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While 600 guests have been invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding and reception this Saturday, many are hosting their own viewing parties. We’ve gathered ideas and recipes to help you celebrate.

But first, a few particulars.

The Venue

The nuptials will take place at the historic St George’s Chapel at midday on Saturday. The chapel is located at Windsor Castle, in the British town of Windsor, an hour outside of London.

CNN says, “The word ‘chapel’ doesn’t really do it justice. This has been a place of prayer, pageantry and ritual since the 15th century, a favorite for royal christenings (including Prince Harry’s), marriages (especially the Victorians) and, perhaps most all, funerals: 10 British kings are buried in its vaults.

Royal Wedding Timeline

For a timeline of how the royal wedding festivities will unfold: click here.

Royal Wedding Food

Saturday’s royal wedding guests will dine on a lunch of fresh, seasonal, sophisticated fare and a cake that breaks from royal tradition.

According to Buckingham Palace, the menu at the daytime reception for 600 will be “led by the freshest produce available.”

Head Chef Mark Flanagan in the Royal Kitchen says, “On the 19th of May, staff will be working in the kitchens at Windsor Castle producing the food for Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding reception, which will take place in the castle grounds after the ceremony.” Six hundred guests will attend the reception.

Expected Royal Wedding Reception Foods Include:

• Asparagus
• Chocolate Truffles
• Bite-sized Crème Brûlée
• Biscuits with Mango Panna Cotta Topping
• Yellow Macaroons

Royal Cake

Fox News reports, “The soon-to-be-wed couple chose a lemon elderflower cake to serve at their wedding reception, a break from the traditional fruitcake typically served at British weddings. The unique cake is expected to incorporate ‘the bright flavours of spring,’ according to Kensington Palace.”

American-born baker Claire Ptak of East London’s Violet Bakery is making this royal cake. It will be flavored with organic Amalfi lemons and elderflower — a small sprightly bundle of white blooms in the honeysuckle family.

Historic Royal Wedding Menus

While we won’t know until Saturday exactly what foods will be served at Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s royal wedding, here’s a look back at previous royal weddings.

Prince William and Kate, 2011

The first course consisted of marinated salmon served with crab, wild langoustines and a fresh herb salad. For the main course, guests dined on organic lamb with spring vegetables, English asparagus, potatoes and Windsor sauce. Dessert was honey ice cream, a sherry trifle, and a chocolate parfait.

Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999

With an eye toward austerity, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones invited guests to a self-service buffet of smoked haddock in pastry, beef stroganoff, and raspberries in cream. The couple continued to break with tradition in their choice of wedding cake, opting to use layers of devil’s food cake rather than a traditional tiered fruitcake.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, 1986

At their wedding celebration, Prince Andrew and Fergie featured Eggs Drumkilbo, a mold of egg, aspic and lobster said to have been the late Queen Mother’s favorite dish. Lamb with mint sauce, new potatoes, strawberries with clotted cream and a six-tiered wedding cake completed their meal.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981

At Charles and Diana’s fairytale wedding, the menu included traditional strawberries with cream, brill in lobster sauce and Princess of Wales chicken (chicken stuffed with fine lamb mousse). The couple served a grand total of 27 cakes, including their official wedding cake (an ornate five-foot tall fruitcake with white icing).

Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, 1973

At the marriage of Princess Anne and Mark Philips, guests enjoyed a lavish lunch featuring lobster, partridge, fresh peas, peppermint ice cream, and a wedding cake made exactly five-feet six-inches tall—just the height of the bride.

Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten (Prince Philip) of Greece, 1947

Though this November wedding took place in a time of post-war austerity, royal chefs still produced such dishes as Filet de Sole Mountbatten, Perdreau (Partridge) en Casserole and Bombe Glacee Princesse Elizabeth—an ice cream dish made with luxuriously out-of-season strawberries.