King Charles reportedly treated South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to a menu of stuffed pheasant during the leader’s state visit.
The monarch hosted the meal at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night, after Ramaphosa was greeted on the first of his two-day visit to the UK by more than 1 000 soldiers, 230 horses, seven military bands and two state coaches.
A menu revealed by the “Daily Mail” showed the leader was honoured with two main courses – grilled brill with wild mushrooms, truffles and sorrel sauce or ballotine of Windsor pheasant stuffed with artichokes, quince compote and port sauce.
The outlet highlighted it was a “departure” from Charles’s late mother Queen Elizabeth’s banquets, as the monarch was known for favouring venison or lamb from the Balmoral home where she died, one of the other royal estates when hosting foreign VIPs.
Side dishes at Charles’s first banquet as monarch were said to include a selection of assorted Chantenay carrots, along with kale with roasted butternut squash, braised fondant potatoes and salad.
For dessert, iced vanilla parfait with caramelised apples or coffee and bite-sized confectionery were on offer, according to the menu shown by the “Mail”.
It added wines accompanying the food, included a Château Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol 2000 and £50-per-bottle (R1 025) English sparkling wine Ridgeview Blanc de Blancs 2016.
The outlet said a £77 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, a Morgeot, Clos de la Chapelle, Domaine Duc de Magenta 2014 at £61 and Château Rieussec 1er Grand Cru Classé Sauternes 2007, which costs £55 a bottle, were the other options.
Instagram videos released on the Royal Family’s official Instagram showed the painstaking kitchen preparations ahead of the banquet.
It included the creation by chefs of the national flowers of South Africa, Protea, from sugar and edible colouring.
“The Mail” also reported place settings for the banquet were measured at 45cm apart, with more than a 1 000 glasses used at such an event.
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