A careful eater and a champion of organic farming, King Charles III has a potent pulpit for changing the national diet — though that royal quiche has met some resistance.
British supermarkets are brimming with packages of coronation cupcakes, hoppy coronation ale and coronation crisps seasoned to taste like king prawn cocktail. There are even Jack Russell-themed cakes in honor of the king and queen consort’s rescue dogs, Bluebell and Beth.
The royal couple likely won’t eat any of it. King Charles III and Queen Camilla lean heavily on fruit and vegetables, preferably organic and from their own gardens. She loves fish and salads. For breakfast, he requires a selection of six honeys and a special mix of muesli, and to end a meal, a plate of local cheese. To lower his carbon footprint, the king goes vegetarian two days a week, and gives up dairy on another.
But can Britain’s first green-minded monarch persuade a nation that loves Sunday roast, chips and chicken tikka masala to embrace the locally grown, organic, climate-friendly diet that he follows?
There is undoubtedly power in how a nation’s leaders and their families eat. Jacqueline Kennedy installed a young French chef from New York in the White House kitchen, ushering in a new frontier of sophisticated dinner-party diplomacy. The Obamas planted a vegetable garden and used it to to promote local food and healthier school lunches. President Trump served a fast food buffet to a championship football team to underscore his fight with Democrats over a government shutdown and to burnish his populist image with what he called “great American food.”
When it comes to making lasting change in a nation’s food culture, the king has an edge that American presidents don’t, said Jamie Oliver, the English chef and television personality who tackled unhealthy school lunches. He has worked with Charles on a number of projects, and shared a few meals and several “lovely cups of tea” with him.
“People in the public eye come and go, but not the crown,” Mr. Oliver said, “so he’s been very important for progress in the U.K. That consistency and relentlessness has extraordinary value, because his secret weapon isn’t just being king — it’s time.”Charles was an early adopter of organic agricultural practices back when it was novel enough to get him a good drubbing from the press and even members of his own family. It didn’t help that he was an advocate for talking to plants and playing music to make milking a calmer experience for his cows. He even converted his blue 1970 Aston Martin, a gift on his 21st birthday, to run on bioethanol derived from surplus English white wine and whey left over from making cheese.
The royal family is encouraging Britons to cook for a series of street parties throughout coronation weekend. The main event, called the Coronation Big Lunch, will be held on May 7, a day after the new king is crowned.
Menus will include everyday food like sausage rolls, scones and finger sandwiches, but Buckingham Palace has sent out suggested recipes for home cooks, including roasted rack of lamb with an Asian-style marinade, hard-shell shrimp tacos with pineapple salsa, and grilled eggplant with a dressing of mango chutney, yogurt and curry powder.
