DINNER AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Sub-titled 'Secrets and Recipes from the reign of Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II' this melting pot of anecdotes, photographs and recipes is written by Charles Oliver who was in royal service for more than 60 years. If you have ever pondered what Queen Victoria ate for breakfast, George V's preferences for pudding, the formal proceedings of a state supper, the intimate affair of afternoon tea and an insight into the history of royal cooking, here are anecdotes and menus that span three generations of royal dining. The selection of menus are those used at actual royal events alongside a series of exclusive private photographs of the royal family, all about the rules and protocols, how guests should be seated and that Her Majesty's only dislike her Head Chef Charles Mellis can recall is her dislike of grapefruit. The Queen and Prince Philip enjoy fairly light meals and a typical royal menu would be smoked Scottish salmon and Cornish lobster, grilled fillet of beef maître d'hotel, accompanied by buttered French beans, a macédoine of vegetables, fried potatoes and salad, followed by vanilla cream parfait, cheese and cream crackers, celery hearts, fresh fruit and coffee. Here are recipes like Poulet au Riz, Dinde Rôtie Palace with sausage meat, Potato Croquettes, Asparagus Sauce Chantilly and Millefeuilles aux Pommes. There is a wonderful photograph of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in full Highland dress on page 144 and a very relaxed young Queen Elizabeth in front of a huge open fire, also in Scotland, the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, and relaxed shots in the garden with the corgis, plus after-dinner rituals in the dining room at Balmoral and plenty of personal information based on Charles Oliver's personal recollections. He died in 1965. We dish up 219 decadent pages, many photos and line art.