Cooking for Princess Diana, Prince Charles and the little princes was a royal treat

SHARE Cooking for Princess Diana, Prince Charles and the little princes was a royal treat
canada_obit_princess_dia_114856.jpg

Diana, Princess of Wales, enjoys a ride on the Maid of Mist in Niagara Falls, Ont., in 1991, with her sons Prince Harry, then 7, and Prince William, then 9. |(AP Photo/Hans Deryk)

Ever wonder what the British monarchy-in-waiting liked to eat for dinner? Breakfast? Light lunch?

If you’re Chef Carolyn Robb, you knew the answers to all that and more: Precisely who liked comfort food and who preferred a lighter touch when it came to menus. That’s because Robb was employed for over a decade as the first female private chef at Kensington Palace, the home of the late Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and the royal princes Harry and William.

For 11 years, the South African-born Robb cooked for the royal foursome (except Christmas when the Royals were at Balmoral with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the family), learning their favorite foods and incorporating some of her favorite recipes into their daily menus. Robb has just penned “The Royal Touch: Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Former Royal Chef” (ACC Editions), which features a treasure trove of her favorite recipes culled from her culinary work across three continents and several decades, including many dishes served to the princes and princess while at Kensington. Many of the foods were sourced locally and far from pretentious. And yes, the book includes the recipe for the Chocolate Biscuit Cake, Prince William’s favorite childhood treat, which he selected for the Groom’s Cake for his wedding to Kate Middleton. (Though the wedding version was not baked by Robb, in the book she states; “It was designed, made and gifted to Prince William by McVitie’s biscuit manufacturers and is said to have been made from 1,700 biscuits and 17 kg of chocolate!”)

“Princess Diana chose what the boys ate everyday, and even if we were just making chicken tenders, it was all cooked at home and very nutritious,” Robb told Yahoo Beauty in an interview earlier this summer. “The food is healthy, but it’s definitely about enjoying food, not deprivation. … Prince Charles was very keen of food miles and what’s in season. Some of [the ingredients] were from the estate, and what wasn’t was definitely sourced locally.”

Chef Carolyn Robb | COURTESY “THE ROYAL TOUCH”

Chef Carolyn Robb | COURTESY “THE ROYAL TOUCH”

And while a good deal of the recipes in the book might not technically be considered “healthy options,” it’s clear they are made with the freshest ingredients (organic where possible) and obviously portion control is a must. Robb did however, via an email interview, select five healthy options from the book. They include: Breakfast Muffins (pg 206); Salmon Mayonnaise Wraps (pg 25; “these can be made ‘snack-size’ or larger. Using lettuce as wraps instead of flatbreads makes them a light and healthy option.”); Salad of Prosciutto-wrapped Peaches with Figs and Buffalo Mozzarella (pg 53); Seared Salmon Fillet served on a Black bean, Tomato and Avocado Salsa (pg 73, served warm or cold); Spring Lamb Salad (pg 77); Summer Ratatouille with Seared Tuna (pg 78); and Warm Salad of Jerusalem Artichokes with Smoked Bacon and Lemon-Parsley dressing (pg 103). The recipes for all of these dishes are available below.

Robb talked to me via email about her career as chef to the Royals.

Q.What is your culinary background?

A. My mother was a wonderful cook and from a very young age I was at her side in the kitchen helping with the cooking. I grew up in South Africa where we had a wonderful garden, and my father grew an amazing array of fruit and vegetables. It was the combination of always having wonderful homegrown produce and never letting any of it go to waste and my mother being such a talented cook that gave me my great love of food and cooking.

royal_touch_cookbook.jpg

Q. What is your educational background?

A. I started studying languages at university but the call of the kitchen was too great! I left South Africa and spent six months working in a hotel in Switzerland before embarking on a Cordon Bleu diploma in the U.K. Once I was cooking for Prince Charles I worked closely with some of the top chefs in the U.K., France and Italy — which was an amazing opportunity and from whom I learnt so much.

Q. What were your professional posts prior to the Princess Diana and Prince Charles?

A. None! Whilst at cookery school I was invited to go to Kensington Palace for an interview. My first job as a chef was with TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester where I stayed for 2 years. After this I was offered a job with TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, where I remained for 11 years (from 1989 through 2000).

Q. Is there a massive amount of vetting that must be done before one can be employed in such a capacity as chef to the royal family?

A. Every prospective employee of the royal household undergoes security checks. I cooked a meal for Prince Charles and Princess Diana as part of the interview process and was interviewed by Princess Diana. There did not seem to be a massive amount of vetting of my skills as a chef!

Q. Were any of the recipes presented to you old family favorites of Princess Diana or Prince Charles (specific dishes they liked from their family dinners from their childhoods, for example) or were all the recipes of your own creation?

A. A few recipes were presented to me but over the years I modified them and put my own stamp on them. However, the majority of them were my own recipes that became favourites.

Seared Salmon Filet, servedon black bean, tomato and avocado salsa. From the cookbook: “The Royal Touch: Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Former Royal Chef” by Carolyn Robb. | COURTESY THE ROYAL TOUCH/SIMON BROWN

Seared Salmon Filet, servedon black bean, tomato and avocado salsa. From the cookbook: “The Royal Touch: Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Former Royal Chef” by Carolyn Robb. | COURTESY THE ROYAL TOUCH/SIMON BROWN

Q. You noted five healthy recipes from the book as being healthier options. What makes them so?

A. I do use butter, cream, sugar, etc., in many of the recipes but these ones are certainly lighter and are well-suited to anyone who is watching carefully what they eat. My style of cooking in general is not one where I exclude whole food groups or count calories/glycemic index, etc. It is more about using great quality ingredients and sourcing fresh produce locally and when it is in season — and combining good home-cooked food with a great exercise regime I am also a fitness instructor!

Q. Can you give me three “best exercises” for people who may not be able to afford a personal trainer or club membership.

A. I love all forms of exercise — classes, swimming, running, tennis, basketball, squash, etc. and for a time I enjoyed participating in triathlons. Now I am a busy working mother with two small children so don’t have the time for “recreational exercise” — but there are still plenty of ways to keep active. I always walk up stairs in preference to using an escalator or elevator. I use my bicycle (with baby seat on the back!) or I walk whenever I can instead of using the car or a public transport. At this time of year, the fall, even with a small garden I get plenty of exercise raking up the fallen leaves and digging in my vegetable patch. If you have young children with bikes and you take them to a wide open space and run alongside them whilst they cycle you can even get a bit of aerobic exercise.

Q. Were the royals conscious about more healthy options?

A. I  would not say that they ate “diet” foods but they certainly had a healthy diet of freshly prepared meals using organic produce as much as possible. There was wonderful homegrown organic fresh produce to cook with.

Q. Your book has wonderful anecdotes about each recipe. How did you come to know which recipes were favorites among the family members?

A. When they asked to have a dish again you knew it was a success!

Q. Were they keen on letting you know what they liked and didn’t like?

A. Yes, they did let you know either way! But were wonderful about hand-writing lovely notes of appreciation when they really loved something!

Q. Did you have a huge kitchen staff to help you prepare the meals?

A. No. There were 3 of us in total — but often you worked on your own as the family traveled a lot, and so we would be scattered around the country in different kitchens catering for different events.

Q. Of all the recipes in the book (more than two-thirds were prepared and served to the royals), which were their three favorites?

A. A great favourite of Princess Diana was the stuffed aubergine. The sticky fruit cake was always served to Prince Charles with an afternoon cup of tea. The chocolate biscuit cake was a favourite of both Prince William and Prince Harry. … I had this [cake] as a child, so [I] loved making it for the young princes to enjoy when they were young.

Q. What was a favorite dessert of the boys? Of their parents?

A. Homemade ice cream. The recipe I have included in the book is one which does not require an ice cream machine.

Q. Who was the most finicky eater as a child, Prince William or Prince Harry?

A. They were both really good eaters.

Q. What would a typical dinner menu consist of (using recipes in the book, construct a typical meal for dinner for the Royals).

A. Double-baked souffle, herb baked sea bass with spinach, caramelised fennel, vine tomatoes and lemon butter, homemade vanilla ice cream served with fruit from the garden.

Q. What was your favorite recipe from the book to prepare for the family?

A. Risotto is one of my favourite things to make!

Q. What five ingredients are a must in any well-stocked kitchen?

A. Pure vanilla extract, the best quality chocolate you can afford, great olive oil, parmesan on the block, and oranges. I love orange zest for its incredible colour, flavour and aroma. I use it in everything from cakes to fresh herb butter for fish to marinades.

Posted on Oct. 23, 2104.

Follow @MiriamDiNunzio//

The Latest
The man was found unresponsive in an alley in the 10700 block of South Lowe Avenue, police said.
The man suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center, police said.
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”
Women make up just 10% of those in careers such as green infrastructure and clean and renewable energy, a leader from Openlands writes. Apprenticeships and other training opportunities are some of the ways to get more women into this growing job sector.
Chatterbox doesn’t seem aware that it’s courteous to ask questions, seek others’ opinions.