Celebrated chef Gino D'Acampo recently gave a bizarre justification as to why he turned down a royal invite to have tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, calling the encounter his 'worst nightmare'.
According to the Dailymail, celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo has recently shared that he once turned down an offer to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace and have some tea with Her Majesty. The Italian-born chef, who rose to fame as a regular fixture on the ITV show This Morning, explained his refusal was because he was not fond of the food and drink on the royal menu.
The royal food was a nightmare for D'Acampo
In a quick chat with the Dailymail's editor Richard Eden, D'Acampo claimed he 'would love to meet her (The Queen)' but unfortunately the royal food was 'his worst nightmare'. He said bluntly:
'I'm not very keen on tea or cucumber sandwiches. I was invited to the Palace for tea just before Covid, but a cucumber sandwich is my worst nightmare. I don't like tea either, so I phoned my agent and said: 'I'd love to meet her, but I don't like tea and cucumber sandwiches, and I can't do either of those things.'
The 46-year-old TV personality added that he didn't want to dress formally to present the Queen, joking that the last time he had worn a tie was when he got married. He continued:
'I'm also going to have to wear a tie, and the last time I did that was when I got married. I can't do that. But if I can have a plate of pasta and a cup of coffee, I'm in.'
Still reporting the missed opportunity to have tea with the Queen, D'Acampo joked: 'But if I can have a plate of pasta and a cup of coffee, I’m in’.'
Despite his strict food choices, Gino said he doesn't allow his children to be 'fussy eaters'. The chef, who tied the knot with wife Jessica in 2002, has three children: Luciano, 20, Rocco, 17, and nine-year-old daughter Mia. In an interview with Hello! magazine, the Family Fortunes host said:
'My kids are not allowed to be fussy eaters. The problem with fussy children is their stupid parents. I run a family kitchen and in my house we don't have options. I never had options, why should they?'
While Gino D'Acampo was definitely not interested in having tea with the Queen, the former winner of ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! recently opened a posh afternoon tea restaurant in Newcastle that features classic British dishes with a unique Italian twist. That adds to his enviable portfolio of restaurants, located across the UK in Birmingham, Manchester, Harrogate, Leeds, Liverpool, and Hull.
And while D'Acampo has never got to have tea with the Queen, he should pride himself on being one of the lucky guys to be presented with such honor. Among the prominent guests to have ever seated at the same table with Her Majesty include F1 legend Lewis Hamilton, whose dining experience with the royal turned out to be quite an embarrassment.
The Queen's menu is surprisingly simple
Given her title, it is no surprise that the Queen has a team of professional chefs to cater to her every meal of the day. While most royal watchers opine that the food for a royal must be extravagant and ostentatious, the truth turns out to be quite different.
A creature of habit, the Queen actually eats the same dishes every day, most of which are simple and familiar to ordinary people. In his book, Darren McGrady, who worked as a chef for the sovereign for several years, reveals that the Queen always starts her day with a hot cup of Earl Gray tea and a few biscuits. For lunch and dinner, Her Majesty would opt for low-carb food as her go-to diet and avoid starchy food such as pasta and potatoes. Her favorite menu for lunch and dinner is grilled Dover Sole or Scottish salmon served with spinach and zucchini.
According to McGrady, Her Majesty is also very disciplined when it comes to tea habits. Her Majesty would love to have a cup of Assam tea and some sandwiches filled with cucumber, eggs, and smoked salmon for the afternoon tea, which is the must-have meal.
McGrady told Coffee Friend:
'The Queen had afternoon tea every day, wherever she was in the world.'
