A former royal chef has revealed one of the royal family's favourite meals. Chef Enrico Derflingher was the first Italian to be employed as a personal chef to the British royals, and primarily worked at Kensington Palace between 1987 and 1990.
During his time working at the palace Enrico often prepared food for banquets across the Queen's various estates, and there was one meal in particular that proved popular. Speaking to Country Living, Enrico explained that the "Queen Victoria Risotto" was a signature dish that he now serves in L'Orangerie restaurant at the CastaDiva Resort & Spa in Lake Como, Italy.
The royal family are said to be fond of an Italian risotto dish
"The ingredients for the risotto includes Sicilian red shrimps, parmesan, herbs and Italian sparkling wine. The baptism of the dish took place during the first encounter between Ronald Reagan and Michail Gorbachev at the end of the Cold War," Enrico explained. "I then put my twist on it and served it at important state events at Buckingham Palace and the White House."
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Enrico, who went on to work as a personal chef to George Bush Sr during his presidency in the 1990s, also shared his memories of working for the royals. "One of my favourite memories cooking for the family has to be the time I prepared a banquet for Her Majesty's Garden Party at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. It was a very special occasion that I was privileged to be a part of," he said.
Enrico Derflingher worked for the royals for three years
The Italian is not the first chef to share his experiences of working in the royal household. Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked at Buckingham Palace for 11 years, previously told HELLO! that the Queen "never was a foodie" - unlike her husband Prince Philip – and that she preferred to stick to the same dishes. He also revealed that each week, a red leather-bound book of menus, written in French, would be sent to the Queen for her to check over. "She would put a line through the ones she didn't want," Darren said. "Sometimes she'd put a line through it all and put something different, like if she was having dinner with Prince Andrew, his favourite was crème brulee with Sandringham oranges."
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