King Charles and Queen Camilla may have access to almost any meal imaginable, but their former personal chef says their daily plates were far less extravagant than people might expect. Visen Anenden, who served as Charles’ head chef for nine and a half years, revealed that the couple favored small portions, traditional dishes and ingredients sourced directly from the royal estates. While Charles had a particular weakness for savory soufflés, Camilla preferred roast chicken and would even visit the kitchen to explain exactly how she liked it prepared.
5Speaking to Heart Bingo Online, Anenden said portion control remained a consistent feature of meals prepared for Charles and Camilla. “The thing with the royals is that they don’t eat a lot,” the chef explained. “It was always small portions. It’s never substantial, loaded plates at all, never.”
Even a traditional Sunday roast was reportedly kept relatively light. Rather than filling their plates with several helpings, Charles and Camilla would typically receive two slices of meat, roast potatoes and light Yorkshire puddings.
Anenden believes their smaller meals partly reflect an awareness of their health and public appearance. “I think they control their diet, and they’re conscious of how they look and present themselves,” he said. “They’re very conscious of their diet.”
The chef suggested that food may also offer the royals an opportunity to exercise control over at least one part of their highly structured lives. “People like King Charles, because they have control over the food, that’s the only aspect of their life that they can control,” he explained.
King Charles Loved A Savory Soufflé
5When asked about the monarch’s favorite dish, Anenden said one item repeatedly returned to the menu. “I’d say, for King Charles, it was always a soufflé,” he shared. “He loved the soufflé.” Rather than a sweet dessert, Charles preferred savory versions served alongside a runny egg.
Camilla, meanwhile, gravitated toward familiar British comfort food. “Camilla’s personal favorite was always roast chicken or roast beef,” Anenden said. “She would usually have it on a Sunday, but it wouldn’t be a typical hearty roast dinner.”
Camilla reportedly took a particularly active interest in how her roast chicken was cooked. “Queen Camilla, she loved roast chicken, so she would always come in and say how she liked it done,” the chef recalled. “That’s great to me because she used to cook a roast chicken herself, so I was happy to do her take on it.”
Neither Charles nor Camilla prepared meals for each other while Anenden worked for them, leaving the actual cooking to the kitchen staff.
5Charles reportedly remained deeply involved in planning what he ate, even though he did not personally cook. “No, he would never cook,” Anenden said. “He would come in and speak to you about the menus, though. He, without a doubt, was extremely interested in what he eats, he’s a real foodie.”
Menus were built around the season, the available produce and whichever royal estate the couple was visiting. “In Scotland, you would have a different style of food, whereas in Highgrove, it would be what you could source from the garden,” the chef explained.
Charles also wanted to know the origin of each ingredient. During game season, for example, the royal kitchen would incorporate more game into its weekly menus, although Camilla reportedly was not especially fond of it. Instead, the Queen preferred what Anenden described as a “clean diet,” including fish, protein, fruit and porridge.
Almost Everything Was Made On The Estate
5Anenden said the royal kitchen was remarkably self-sufficient. “What King Charles preaches, he does,” the former chef said. “We would get everything from the Duchy Estate.”
Milk came from the estate’s cows before being pasteurized and used to produce ingredients such as double cream. The kitchen staff also prepared bread, cakes and juices rather than relying heavily on store-bought alternatives.
The eggs used for meals came from the estate’s chickens, while duck eggs were incorporated into afternoon tea when they were in season.
One of Charles and Camilla’s preferred sandwiches was made with Irish soda bread, egg mayonnaise, watercress and whichever herbs or tomatoes were available from the garden. “It’s never pretentious, which is one thing I found working for them,” Anenden said.
The chef credited Charles with championing sustainability, seasonal ingredients and British produce long before those principles became widespread across the restaurant industry. “Charles was way ahead of the curve,” he said.
Camilla Was The More Adventurous Eater
5Neither royal was reportedly a fan of especially spicy food, although both enjoyed kedgeree prepared with a selection of spices.
Charles’ tastes leaned toward British, Italian and Spanish dishes. Camilla, however, was described as more willing to explore unfamiliar flavors. “But when it came to trying different things, I would say Camilla was more open-minded,” Anenden said.
The chef, whose parents are from Mauritius, prepared Mauritian food for the couple on several occasions. Charles’ fondness for mutton made the slow-cooked cuisine particularly suitable for his tastes.
Although the royal kitchen could create dramatic presentations, including an entire fish baked in herb salt dough, Anenden said many of Charles and Camilla’s meals remained homely and recognizable. “The normal thing for them would be scrambled eggs and smoked salmon,” he said. “It was quite simple, very traditional and homely.”
