The Royal Wedding Menu: Would our bodies survive it?
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The royal Wedding Menu: Was it fit for a king or for a health nut?
The Royal Wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was a spectacular affair which held the world captive for 24 hours. But how was the royal wedding reception menu? Would our bodies survive this indulgent affair?
Given that Meghan Markle used to pen (closed down in the last 3 days) a food lifestyle blog called “The Tig” (named after the Tuscan red wine Tignanello) and her character, Rachel Zane, on the beloved US law sitcom Suits, was a “foodie”, we are all dying to hear what both Meghan and Prince Harry served to their guests. The guests which includes the likes of George Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Oprah, Elton John and Serena Williams are all well known for being health conscious, but have also been ridiculed at times for their weight. Did the royal wedding menu fit into their eating regimes? Would it be considered our “treat meal” or would it slot nicely into our weight loss and health eating plan.
Meghan and Harry, the newly crowned Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hired Royal favourite Table Talk to provide their menu. Table Talk did the catering for Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding reception in 2011 and also Pippa Middleton’s wedding last year. Markle, who has often written about the importance of organic eating in her blog, was said to have had a large say in the direction of the food. The luncheon (which the bill was footed by the Royal family) included:
- Scottish Langoustines wrapped in Smoked Salmon with Citrus Crème Fraiche
- Grilled English Asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian Ham
- Garden Pea Panna Cotta with Quail Eggs and Lemon Verbena
- Heritage Tomato and Basil Tartare with Balsamic Pearls
- Poached Free Range Chicken bound in a Lightly Spiced Yoghurt with Roasted Apricot
- Croquette of Confit Windsor Lamb, Roasted Vegetables and Shallot Jam
- Warm Asparagus Spears with Mozzarella and Sun-Blush Tomatoes
There are also a few bowl food options:
- Fricassee of Free Range Chicken with Morel Mushrooms and Young Leeks
- Pea and Mint Risotto with Pea Shoots, Truffle Oil and Parmesan Crisps
- Ten Hour Slow Roasted Windsor Pork Belly with Apple Compote and Crackling
The Verdict
No doubt the food was of high quality with multiple ingredients that would have benefits to your health. How would we have done? Would we have overindulged? The main issue at these informal share luncheons, is not actually the food itself but overeating and overindulging. My advice, is to pick 5 dishes that you like and just to stick to 1-2 serves of each rather than trying everything and having multiple servings. This is obviously hard to do, but important from preventing overeating which can get out of control very easily. I think we have all had that bloating feeling after a “big lunch” on multiple occassions where we lie on the coach proclaiming, “I have eaten too much!”.
In terms of the food choices, Meghan and Harry served an excellent combination of omega-3 (smoked salmon), Lycopene (tomatoes), polyphenols (basil), lactobacillis (yogurt) and iron (lamb). The benefits of free range chicken means it is free of the nasty hormones that can cause damage to our body. A wonderful alternative to fresh cream, is crème fraiche. It is lighter and less indulgent than the full version and could be used if you were hosting a dinner where you didn’t want to send your guests home with a heart attack.
The obvious thing to avoid at this luncheon if you were watching your weight is the pork belly. It is often more than 50% fat, and the crackling skin has more than a days worth of calories and fat in it. Yes, evil, sinful and just so good, but it really should be avoided at any occasion. There are plenty of other healthier options at this Royal couple’s reception and similarly, at the choices you can make at a restaurant or dinner that you can choose.
The three sweet canapés: champagne and pistachio macaroons, orange crème brûlée tartlets, and miniature rhubarb crumble tartlets sound absolutely divine, but if faced with this situation, you would just choose one of those three choices and one only.
Yes, we can say, these “special” occasions happen infrequently and it is ok to indulge and “give yourself a break” from healthy eating. But just remember your weight gain does not “take a break”. Studies show that people gain most of their weight between Christmas and New Year and on the weekend. Sprinkled with the multiple additional tempting occasions like birthdays, weddings, cultural and religious festivals spread throughout the year, there are countless days of possible overeating. If we indulged in all of them, before we know it we could have gained 4kg a year. Over 10 years, that is 40kg. Frightening thought isn’t it.
The royal wedding menu of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was spectacular, and delicious in every sense. They did include healthier options intermixed with the more indulgent and eviler choices. So next time, you are celebrating a “royal” occasion, just be mindful of your choices and how much you are eating. I guess, if things get out of hand, that’s always the earlier morning run the next day to make up for it. Set the alarm!
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