US President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania are being hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at a star-studded banquet at Windsor Castle tonight
US President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania are being hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at a glitzy state banquet in Windsor Castle, as part of their state visit to the UK.
And as is tradition with state banquets when hosting a foreign leaders, chefs have been handpicked to create a menu, written in French as is tradition, that reflects the country being hosted .
And the full menu of what Mr Trump and the other guests will dine on tonight has been revealed. For starter they will enjoy Hampshire watercress panna Cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad.
The main course is organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, with a thyme and savoury infused jus. While dessert is a vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums.
The wines on offer are Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016; Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2018; Ridge Vineyards, and Monte Bello, 2000. Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne, Pol Roger, extra cuvee de Reserve, 1998, has also been chosen because of the president’s love of the wartime prime minister.
After dinner, guests will be served Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port, in recognition of Mr Trump as the 45th, as well as the 47th, President of the United States. There will also be Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne, with the year reflecting when Mr Trump’s mother Mary Anne MacLeod was born in Scotland.
In addition there will also be Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980, Islay, on offer, which was a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth in 1980, which was bottled for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
And in a new tradition, a cocktail has also been created for the occasion, called Transatlantic Whisky Sour. It is described as a UK/US twist on the classic Whisky Sour, as it “blends the smoky depth of Johnnie Walker Black with the bright citrus of marmalade”.
It is described as being “crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more.”
A key difference between this state visit and other foreign leaders being hosted with a banquet, is that Trump will not take part in a special banquet tradition started by King Charles.
In recent years, leaders being hosted by the monarch have had a bespoke cocktail created to honour their visit to the UK. At tonight’s banquet, the boozy drink will be served that references and honours the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States.
However, as Trump is a teetotaller, he will turn down the drink created to celebrate his arrival on UK shores. “I’ve never had a drink,” the President told Fox News in 2016.
His life of sobriety originates from the tragic death of his older brother, Fred Jr, at the age of 42 from complications related to alcoholism. “It was a very tough period of time,” Mr Trump said during his first term as president, adding: “If you don’t start, you’re never going to have a problem. If you do start you might have a problem. And it’s a tough problem to stop.”
Tonight’s banquet menu is in stark contrast to the feast served on Trump’s 2019 visit, when he was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth. On his trip six years ago, the banquet menu consisted of a starter of steamed fillet of halibut, with watercress mousse, asparagus spears and chervil sauce.
This was followed by a main course of saddle of new season Windsor lamb, served with herb stuffing, spring vegetables and port sauce. Dessert was just as decadent, with Trump tucking into a strawberry sable with lemon verbena cream.
For the French state visit in July, which saw French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte visit the UK, French chef Raymond Blanc put together the menu in culinary collaboration with the Royal Household, designing the first course and the dessert.
The menu, which was written in French as is the custom for state banquets, began with a selection of tender summer vegetables from the Gardens of Le Manoir with Sage, Raw Tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing.
The next course was Supreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, followed by Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly for dessert. Buckingham Palace described the collaboration as being “in the spirit of the Entente Cordial”.
In a tradition started by the King, a cocktail was also created specially for the occasion, this time called L’entente. It combines British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.
Members of the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne are expected to make an appearance at tonight’s state banquet.