Jubilee Case Study: Rob Kennedy Culinary Director, Chartwells Independent

I have been privileged enough to serve The Royal Family five times and cooking for them has been a career highlight, that I am always so proud to tell people about. As a chef, it does not get much better than cooking for Her Majesty The Queen!

One of the events where I cooked for The Royals, was a military event for over 1,200 people including The Queen and the immediate Royal family. The pressure was on and we went for a traditional menu of Scottish salmon starter, a succulent venison main course and a winter spiced fruit pudding. The team were absolutely thrilled to be at this event and it will always be a special memory for me.  

I have also worked at two separate events at Windsor. One was in conjunction with The Royal Windsor Horse Show, built into the grounds of the castle. As you can imagine it is an absolutely beautiful event. Months of careful planning goes into these menus - this includes tasting sessions, meetings with suppliers, discussions with Clarence House and working with a large brigade of chefs prior to the event, as well as during.

As a result of these experiences I featured on the BBC’s Royal Recipes three times and again, it’s been so great to be able to share these unique experiences with the public.