Did you guys see Spencer, the Pablo Larrain film with Kristen Stewart playing Princess Diana? It wasn’t a great film by any means, but the whole thing takes place during the Windsors’ Christmas at Sandringham. Within the story, there are several real pieces of information: the strict Christmas lunch/dinner, weighing guests upon their arrival, the weirdness of the Sandringham estate. The scene where all of the food is brought in to be prepared by the kitchen staff is amazing. Anyway, I thought of that as I read this interesting piece about what the Windsors actually eat on Christmas Day in Sandringham. For Americans, it just sounds like a Thanksgiving meal (minus the pecan pie).
King Charles’ Christmas lunch meal has been revealed — and even his former chef isn’t impressed by what’s on the menu. Darren McGrady, 61, a Nottinghamshire chef who once cooked for members of the monarchy, opened up about the royal family’s holiday tradition in a new interview. The firm tends to celebrate at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, each year.
“It was the same meal every year. They’re actually boring when it comes to festivities. They didn’t do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys,” he recently told OK magazine.
He continued: “We did three turkeys for the queen and her family in the royal dining room, one for the children’s nursery and then more for the 100 or so staff, so everyone had a Christmas lunch.”
McGrady has also reportedly cooked for Princess Diana. Since Queen Elizabeth II’s death at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, the chef expects that the king will stick to what he had last year. Most likely, his main course will be accompanied by mashed and roast potatoes, onion stuffing, brussel sprouts, carrots, roast parsnips and two sauces of either cranberry or bread.
Charles and his loved ones — Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and the Cambridges’ children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, will have to make room for dessert though. Later in the evening, they will most likely feast on pudding, which tends to be brought into the dining room by the palace steward – hot and “flaming.”
The royal family’s big day actually kicks off with a personal breakfast before heading over to St. Mary Magdalene Church for an 11 a.m. service. After lunch and a supper filled with roasted hams and boar’s head, they all gather to watch the monarch’s Christmas message on television.
So, wait, are they doing hams or not? The chef says it’s just about turkey, but then the Post says hams and boar’s head? I mean, it would make sense for such a large party to have two kinds of meat, surely, and I would imagine it would be turkey plus ham, or maybe a beef wellington or some kind of roast. As for all of the veggies… that sounds lovely. I could see how it could get boring for the chefs though, to cook the exact same things the exact same way, year after year. When QEII was alive, she reportedly wanted all of the food served very mild, without much or any spice. I wonder if Charles has changed that? He seems to have an even more delicate stomach than his mother, so probably not.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
-
- King Charles and Camilla arriving at Sandringham Church for Christmas Day service,Image: 746498358, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Malcolm Clarke / Avalon
-
- London, UK, 06 December 2023: Britain’s Queen Camilla welcomes invited children supported by Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity to decorate the Christmas tree and receive a few festive surprises at Clarence House in London.,Image: 827297996, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung / Avalon
-
- King Charles III, accompanied by Camilla Queen Consort and members of the extended Royal Family, attend the traditional Christmas Day morning service at St. Mary Magdelene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort, Princess Charlotte, Prince William Where: King’s Lynn, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
-
- King Charles III, accompanied by Camilla Queen Consort and members of the extended Royal Family, attend the traditional Christmas Day morning service at St. Mary Magdelene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort Where: King’s Lynn, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
-
- Royals Attend Christmas Day Service At St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Norfolk, England, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
-
- Royals Attend Christmas Day Service At St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Norfolk, England, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
It doesn’t matter what they’re having, reading about food always makes me hungry.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
I love to know royals and celebrities party menus, it inspires me for my own dinner parties! This menu is very traditional, very been there done than – all the vegetables are probably home grown organic from highgrove. It probably tastes amazing. Kkkhate probably brought Charles her home organic honey as a host gift – im so jealous of that. Suck up! Happy holidays to everyone!
Camilla has her own honey as well so no need for Kate’s, lol.
Yes a huge assortment of local veggies prepared by chefs with some turkey on the side makes me jelly too. I hate when there aren’t enough veggies, and can’t eat Turky without the cran either
As I recall, WandK have their meal at Anmer Hall with Kate’s family. They leave for their home after the church service.
After all that’s come out about the Middletons lately, as well as the Wales’ seeming somewhat separated, I wouldn’t bet on the Middletons being welcomed by Willy right now.
After all that’s come out about the Middleton lately, as well as the Wales’ seeming somewhat separated, I wouldn’t bet on the Middleton being welcomed by Willy right now.
I can knock the BRF for a lot of things, but having the same Christmas meal every year isn’t one of them. Lots of families do this and it’s fine
Same, Visa Diva. We also have seasonal veg and meat or fish plus a vegan option for Christmas.
Interesting fact about the turkeys: https://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/article/250000-turkeys-in-leather-boots/
When I saw the headline, I was also thinking about Thanksgiving 😀.
Anyways, it actually sounds delicious.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Same. Christmas eve dinner in my home is usually 12-15 people. It’s easiest for me to make the same menu every year (the side vege will vary, depending on what looks good at the market). After almost 20 years, I have the grocery shopping and the timing in the (very small NYC) kitchen down to a science.
The boar’s head is medieval and yet somehow these folks use less spices or seasoning than the Tudors did? 😂
They’re so bland lol
I think the turkey is for lunch and the ham and such are for supper, which is later in the day, maybe?
The turkey lunch sounds delicious though if everything is flavored properly. I feel like QEII liked things bland and overcooked (no idea if that’s true, just my impression lol) so I wonder how the food actually tastes.
I really liked Spencer, actually. I thought it was weird at first but then thought it captured the horror of the royal family pretty well.
That’s what I came here to say. The lunch is the traditional British Christmas lunch (and the reason I bailed on Christmases with my English family from my early teens) then the supper later on is more varied. I’m guessing they are much more restrained than everyone else if they have room for another meal after the lunch! By the evening we’re just grazing on cheese and Quality Street with the odd mince pie thrown in if that’s your thing (bleugh).
That’s why I’m guessing the ham & boar’s head for the evening meal–I’m thinking these may be cold cuts, because who can really be hungry after such a large mid-day meal, other than kids?
I liked Spencer, too. It had some really interesting bits.
I felt the same way. The movie’s vibe was unsettling, which I thought was apt.
I just watched a clip of the Christmas lunch scene. OMG, that was a horror. I could not imagine a worse way to spend an afternoon. I’m willing to bet all the food is cold, too.
It’s always been reported they have beef on Christmas Eve in a candle lit supper with a boars head on the side table. Turkey for lunch on Christmas Day, followed by the flaming Christmas pudding (not in the evening as this article says). Afternoon tea with Christmas cake and tea and other things. Then the evening meal is a buffet with ham. I don’t know how they manage to eat all that plus a full cooked breakfast for the men. (The women would eat a small light breakfast in their rooms).
Most British people have the traditional Turkey with trimmings for lunch so it is an odd thing for a British chef to say.
This spoiled useless family should be ashamed to broadcast their sumptuous lunches and dinners when I believe homelessness and poverty are as big a problem there as here. The kids writing to the poor sounds like “”look at me we are Princes’ and a princess sorry you are poor.’ Total lack of thought on behalf of the parents. The more I read about them the more I dislike all of them.
So do the children get to come to the dining room for the flaming pudding? And aren’t they forgetting to mention Cam’s children and grandchildren or aren’t they “loved ones”?
No, they have their own flaming pudding sent to the nursery.
Separate breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and supper.
They join the adults on Christmas Eve to open presents….everyone is opening their own presents (at the same time) which are all in a pile, on a table, so that’s sort of a solo activity.
They join them to go to church and walk home.
The rest of the time the children are in the nursery with the nannies.
Hopefully the parents visit them.
I’m actually going to be making a Christmas turkey as well. I was tempted to make Duchess Meghan’s famous roasted chicken but had a hankering for turkey instead.
I wanna try that recipe where you brine the chicken it in buttermilk
Do it! It’s so good and basically foolproof.
Not sure of the math. Three turkeys for the dining room, one for the children and one for 100 staff.
Recent conversation, if you could Pick one would you pick a full time personal chef or housekeeper? I picked the chef.
He says “and then more” for the staff, so its not just one for the 100 staff.
Housekeeper. Hands down. No question.
In our conversation everyone answered hands down, no wavering no matter how they answered.
Lulu! You’re right. No maybe or perhaps, just straight in with a resounding “chef” from me.
Housekeeper every time. Especially if they do laundry
Chef. I hate cooking but do it because I want the kids to eat properly (their school lunches are truly dreadful and I draw the line at making sandwiches for the blighters to carry in and trade, yes trade, for chips with their friends. The insult or perhaps compliment.). But I seriously hate how much of my time cooking takes, even at weekends. I’d rather run round the house doing the cleaning than ever peel another carrot. My three wishes, excluding world peace etc are: personal chef; personal massage therapist; swimming pool. So many of you in the US seem to have pools and I am green with envy.
Oh, swimming pool! Me, too! The best I’ve been able to do is live in an apartment complex with a pool. And I’m happy with that!
BeanieBean Everyone we know who moves to the US for work sends us a photo of their house plus pool. It is so unfair. I would love one, even just an outdoors one, even one the size of a plunge pool. Like you, I’d be happy with a shared pool – you are lucky.
It would have to be a saltwater pool or make sure you shower before and after every swim in chlorine. There’s no need to be jealous of people with pools, the chemicals are toxic.
https://cellhealthnews.com/cellular-health/toxic-swimming-pools/
Housekeeper for sure. If I could cook without having to clean up afterward, I’d love it.
Housekeeper. There’s always takeout.
Housekeeper. I’m with BeanieBean: there’s always takeout. And, like QuiteContrary, I’d enjoy doing the cooking a LOT more if there were someone else to help with the clearing up. If I could pick Anything though, it would be a driver, or even a really good car service.
On one hand, if the chef cleans up after him/her/themself, I’d want iltra healthy clean produce /Mediterranean/ etc.
On the other hand, when you’re almost 50, your definition of sexy changes. I’ve fantasized about a cleaner often, and none of it was smutty. Having a cleaner on the reg would be flat out hot. I’d happily take Trader Jo’s frozen entrees and salads and have all the cleaning minded.
I’ve always hated the detail about weighing everyone. I’d like to think they don’t still do this.
I bet Cam will do away with that. Unless, of course, she can exempt herself and make everyone else do it.
Showing my ignorance here. I have not seen Spencer. Why would they weigh everyone? Even for the Windsors, this is bizarre. 😱
Ftr, I would refuse.
So the idea behind it (I don’t know if its Queen Victoria or Queen Mary who started it?) was to make sure everyone had a good time and ate enough. So the idea was that everyone should weigh MORE when leaving than when they arrived, because they had been feasting for days.
So they weigh them when they leave too? I thought I knew every weird Windsor tradition but this one is really bonkers. Thanks, Becks!
yes! they weigh them when they arrive and then again when they leave to “make sure” they’ve gained weight and thus had a good time. I think that was the original point, I’m sure it goes over differently these days.
Your weight is one of the most personal private things about you. I wonder if the “guests” that are weighed don’t include the royal family? Or everyone except the king/queen?
How the eff they expect married-in women to go along with being weighed in front of strangers like a chop at the butcher’s…
It’s so unnecessary, overbearing, callous, invasive… Ah, I see how it’s traditional now.
Right, Lurker?! Kitty got pissed at Meghan for giving her the grace of making a mistake because of “baby brain” and she flew off the handle because Meghan didn’t know her well enough to talk about her hormones, but let’s weigh EVERYONE on Christmas Day! That’s totally normal!
Mashed AND roasted potatoes, AND stuffing, AND roast parsnips?!
Why is like, 75% of the menu made up of starch and carbs?! THIS IS WHY EVERYBODY THINKS BRITS CAN’T COOK.
LOL, totally unlike American Thanksgiving with mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes swimming in butter and sugar, stuffing both in the bird and out of the bird, buttered rolls and 3 kinds of pie.
When I lived in England, I always marveled at chip butties — which are basically french fries on buttered rolls, served often with mushy peas.
Yes! The french fry sandwich! That was a marvel to me, too, when I went to grad school in England! Also, when traveling in Ireland & staying in hostels, for us vegetarians, meals were always peas & two kinds of potatoes–so mashed & baked, or mashed & fried–plus that wonderful Irish soda bread. Peas seemed to be the fallback ‘green vegetable’, which…not great.
In my early 20s, I dated a guy who was originally from Yorkshire, and the first time I went went there to meet his family, he took me to his favorite cafe. I figured he’d know the best thing for me to try and let him order for me, and he came back with a chicken and stuffing sandwich. Stuffing as a sandwich filling. Breadception. But in fairness, it was pretty good!
You forgot the “bread sauce.” Sauce made out of bread. To pour over the bread stuffing.
Why is like, 75% of the menu made up of starch and carbs?!
Because this meal has evolved from pagan winter festivals & feasting fare was limited in a country with a cold climate. Hardy vegetables, seasonal fruits and roasted meats were mainly what was available.. No supermarkets, fridges or freezers remember😂. For the majority of the population root vegetables would have been the mainstay of their diets.
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/seasons-eatings-christmas-dinners-throughout-history
No way am I getting on a scale in public. Even at the Dr office I want privacy, just the nurse and me.
Where are the Yorkies!????! A roast is not complete without them 👍😁 I will die on this hill 🤣
I’m right there with you @Jane We’ll fight together! 😆 😆 😆
In Britain it’s traditional to have those with roast beef not roast turkey. These days people might break the rules and serve yorkshire pudding with any hodgepodge mix of foods on a plate, especially large ones they can fill with things and then cover in gravy. But on christmas day most people want the traditional Christmas dinner and yorkshire puddings aren’t part of that.
@Jane. Brits traditionally will have yorkies with roast beef not with turkey but I’m with you on having them with any roast meat.
I am a Brit and our family had yorkies with every roast 🤣 my grandad was a wise man to insist!
Brit here. We never had yorkshires with poultry, only roast beef. But. Our kids love them and would eat them every night of the week if allowed, so we now have them with the turkey. It’s a new tradition! (Can you have a new tradition?)
@Jane – same in our house. Mum tried to do without them once. She never did it again. I have carried on the tradition. 😆
@sparrow: thank you for your comment, otherwise I was lost in why The Queen’s dogs were needed at the Christmas lunch.
A table full of unseasoned meat and vegetables? And they wonder why no wants to spend the holidays there.
Brussel sprouts–fooey. Food influencers and restaurants have been trying to make those a thing for a good–what?–ten years now by cooking them differently or jazzing them with sauce. Nope–still taste horrible.
Brussel sprouts are horrible if they’re overcooked. 90% of people will overcook them so that’s why everyone loves to hate them lol.
I mentioned it below but halved brussel sprouts (blanched to only make them a little softer not boiled to death), fried with chorizo and red onions is game changing, so good. Chorizo is better than bacon imo for flavouring.
The meat and vegetables are smothered in gravy and served with cranberry sauce. They’re not flavourless. And it’s what nearly everyone in Britain eats for ChristMas dinner.
I love Brussels sprouts with gravy. (British gravy not white flour sauce).
Pretty much anything with gravy, really. I firmly believe gravy belongs in the beverage category.
I’d be happy with that for Xmas lunch. Needs gravy for everything.
We used to do a big holiday meal w/family.
Sounds fine to me. Leftovers, welcome.
Turducken was a big new fad for awhile in my area, never tried it myself.
W&K going to Middletons for lunch, then Chucks for dinner.
Pretty standard, try to see both sides.
Lots of folks do the both sides when the kids are young. It can make for a long day.
I’d take a Housekeeper with laundry, over a personal chef. If I had $$.
It’s Christmas, so I’ll be polite, no snark from me til the 27th.
Unless the Orange Idiot does something.
Don’t forget! Charles’ sausage fingers were on the table too. Enjoy your weird traditions and bland food, Windsors.
“Expects” and “most likely” – someday we’ll find out that the RF actually died out long ago and now it’s just a bunch of play actors pretending to be British. I “expect” they’re actually having sushi for Christmas.
turkey…thanksgiving…waiting for DM to say this is symbolism for x, y, z and H&M planted the bird to get back in with the RF.
Ahhh, now we know why keen doesn’t do Christmas lunch with the rest of them, being weighed on the way in “to raised eyebrows), then even higher eyebrows when she’s weighed on the way out!! How do you explain losing weight at dinner 😉. My Christmas dinner is roast turkey with all the trimmings, no, I’m not eating it because I can’t lol, but my lovey Glynn loves his Christmas dinner, so I will cook it for him, and enjoy watching him eat it bless his heart. I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you get everything your heart desires. Thank you for your friendship, good wishes and positive messages for each of my hospital appointments, for being there every day. Take care everyone, and god bless all xxx
Blessings to you as well, Mary Pester.
❤️🎄⭐️ a wonderful Christmas to you and Glynn
Have a lovely little Christmas, @Mary Pester! 🎄🎁 💝
Have a Christmas filled with love and laughter, Mary Pester. Blessings!
Merry Christmas! 🎄
Blessings to you and yours Mary Pester. Wishing you and your Glynn much joy throughout the Christmas holiday — and beyond!✨🎄✨
Happy Christmas to you too, Mary Pester!
All holiday magic and blessings to you, Mary Pester! 🎄☃️
If I had $$….
#1. Housekeeper and laundry service.
#2. Cook, who’d prepare and deliver lunch and dinner meals, frozen. 2 weeks at a time.
1 large cheesecake made from scratch included.
#3. Personal car and driver. A cheerful, person who can handle the unholy traffic, multi-lane driving in my area. Traffic gives me headaches these days.
Turkey over game meat, for me.
I’ve been a guest many times, family member is a hunter.
Bear, duck, venison, quail, elk, moose, pheasant. I’m polite but, not my thing.
Loved your inclusion of the cheesecake!
This is the usual article that is trotted out every Christmas to portray the BRF as the ultimate British family, emphasis on homey food and simplicity. Whereas the truth is closer to starting with a Christmas Eve formal dinner complete with gowns, tiaras and jewels and Michelin-starred dishes…when they say things like “roast parsnips” or “turkey” they’re not plopping it on a plate like the rest of us peasants. If you’ve ever read one of the articles about Charles and Camilla’s favourite dishes on Country Living you get the idea..
Then Christmas day for the lunch (not to mention the Boxing Day shoot lunch) have tables groaning with things like a variety of roasted meats and fancy sauces, lobster claws and oysters over ice etc that nobody eats. I think it was that chef that’s quoted in the article above (who gets quoted every Christmas and runs his business on “I cooked for Diana and the Queen, no shame) who posted old pictures of the table. He also said that few people in the BRF actually eat anything of what’s prepared because they’re all conscious of not getting fat giving the public lives they lead. You can imagine the food waste, unless the staff gets it all…
Another party for the fancy folk that get to bathe once a month #Galavant
They’re referring to two different meals.
“Christmas Dinner” is actually lunch (though could be served a bit later than lunchtime, like maybe 2pm or 3pm) but it’s always called Christmas Dinner even though it’s really lunch. Christmas Dinner is, for the vast majority of Brits, always, always turkey. And only turkey. Having anything other than turkey would be unthinkable if you’re a traditionalist, and no we don’t do more than one meat. Having both turkey and ham in the same meal is very weird to a Brit.
The ham and other meats referred to in the article are for supper, which is a light evening meal. I’m guessing they mean cold cuts, not like a massive baked ham. That’s also very traditional, you have a big roast turkey at lunchtime then a light evening meal of cold meats and salad.
This all sounds absolutely horrible and bland. They should abolish the monarchy.
Happy Holidays everyone!
These are all normal for a Christmas dinner, how they flavour things (e.g. maple syrup-glazed carrots) we don’t know. I do an amazing version of blanched sprouts tossed with panfried red onions and chorizo for example, but others do them with bacon. But roast turkey is the/traditional meat for Christmas dinner; my family and I often skip the turkey and have chicken instead because we just prefer it to turkey in our family. The only thing they’re missing is chipolatas wrapped in bacon (‘pigs in blankets’), the best bit of the meal imo. Then for dessert Christmas pudding flamed with brandy served with custard or brandy sauce, mince pies, or traditional boozy Christmas fruit cake that can sometimes be started months in advance and ‘fed’ intermittently with alcohol lmao.
For anyone saying it’s boring or bland, it’s fine to disagree on traditional meals you may or may not have had, but it’s a bit far to judge because everyone will have their take on it.