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Original poster

State banquet menu.

101 replies

madaboutpurple · 19/09/2025 13:47

After reading the menu they ate especially the starter I am glad I did not have to go .The starter they had sounds really odd. Also why is the vegetarian menu never mentioned. I wonder what alternatives were offered.

OP posts:
Cancelthecake · 19/09/2025 15:46

God, can you imagine the MN post pre-banquet?

I have 160 people coming for a sit down dinner.

4 have a life-threatening nut allergy
25 are gluten-free.
40 will only eat fish
11 are vegan
19 have a dairy/wheat allergy
4 people hate the smell of fish
17 can't have eggs
14 can't touch anything smothered in sauce
Nothing must smell
5 of them can only eat at 5.30pm

...etc etc

...and no, I'm not having a pop at anyone who has allergies or a restricted diet, just pointing out why the menu might seem slightly non-adventurous, as clearly cooking/serving 160 meals is a bit of a challenge.

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 19/09/2025 15:46

Dh remarked that Trump probably saw the Quails eggs and thought that the UK was also going through an egg crisis... Well it made me laugh anyway.

bluegreygreen · 19/09/2025 16:13

Re food preferences: apparently Keir Starmer is pesctarian so had a different main course - fillet of turbot, wrapped in green and yellow courgettes with sauce verde.

They started serving quite late, after procession and speeches. Maybe as well as needing a menu that can be served to nearly 200 people, it also has to be fairly easily digested?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 19/09/2025 16:15

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 19/09/2025 15:46

Dh remarked that Trump probably saw the Quails eggs and thought that the UK was also going through an egg crisis... Well it made me laugh anyway.

Made me laugh too!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 19/09/2025 16:17

Cancelthecake · 19/09/2025 15:46

God, can you imagine the MN post pre-banquet?

I have 160 people coming for a sit down dinner.

4 have a life-threatening nut allergy
25 are gluten-free.
40 will only eat fish
11 are vegan
19 have a dairy/wheat allergy
4 people hate the smell of fish
17 can't have eggs
14 can't touch anything smothered in sauce
Nothing must smell
5 of them can only eat at 5.30pm

...etc etc

...and no, I'm not having a pop at anyone who has allergies or a restricted diet, just pointing out why the menu might seem slightly non-adventurous, as clearly cooking/serving 160 meals is a bit of a challenge.

Grin

Based on that post above, if it was a banquet hosted for the Royal Family rather than by them, the AIBU would also be mentioning that some of the guests would be bringing their own cutlery and you can imagine the responses to that!

Goodideaornot · 19/09/2025 16:21

JadziaD · 19/09/2025 14:38

Jokes aside, I have to admit, I would LOVE to go to a State Banquet like this. I just think it would be absolutely fascinating.

And how Kate didn't vomit when he kept talking about how healthy and beautiful she looked.... god. She always gets put next to the crazies - downside of being second highest ranked female? I have to wonder if she goes up and slugs tequila to recover!?

Ha! 😂😂my thoughts exactly

Cynic17 · 19/09/2025 16:34

The starter sounded fantastic, but the whole thing is very simple - for all the reasons as mentioned. But it will have been best quality sourced and presented, so making chicken and veg rather more delicious than usual.

OhNoNotSusan · 19/09/2025 16:36

and how many were they feeding?
the meal sounds good, apart from the parmesan

Coffeeishot · 19/09/2025 17:03

viques · 19/09/2025 14:46

I feel sorry for his secret service food tasters ( apparently he has them) imagine having to taste Big Macs and fries every day, several times a day. They must have been thrilled to have something different to try.

Show quote history

Do they just go drive through ? Or uber eats, they could have a mcdonalds installed in the White house .

AgnesMcDoo · 19/09/2025 17:04

I thought the menu sounded delicious

Zilla1 · 19/09/2025 17:08

Cancelthecake · 19/09/2025 15:46

God, can you imagine the MN post pre-banquet?

I have 160 people coming for a sit down dinner.

4 have a life-threatening nut allergy
25 are gluten-free.
40 will only eat fish
11 are vegan
19 have a dairy/wheat allergy
4 people hate the smell of fish
17 can't have eggs
14 can't touch anything smothered in sauce
Nothing must smell
5 of them can only eat at 5.30pm

...etc etc

...and no, I'm not having a pop at anyone who has allergies or a restricted diet, just pointing out why the menu might seem slightly non-adventurous, as clearly cooking/serving 160 meals is a bit of a challenge.

Or a MN post along the lines of - well, there's 160 of us so one chicken serves everyone for the first meal then leftovers for the next day and we make a stew with what's left for people to eat another day.

soupyspoon · 19/09/2025 17:09

Poirot1983 · 19/09/2025 13:53

  • Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad
  • Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury infused jus
  • Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums

Sounds delicious to me and I love the fact they have got 3 counties in there, including the one I live in.

Wow that sounds lovely, especially the starter

soupyspoon · 19/09/2025 17:13

JadziaD · 19/09/2025 14:33

I feel like I'm being atttacked for thinking the menu is a bit boring? Grin

I am not a professional chef and I appreciate there's notable skill in creating a good panna cotta and a good ballentine of chicken.

But I guess if I was at a really swanky do like this I' dbe expecting a few foams or some more left field ingredients or something. A souffle. Perhaps a vegetable done three ways. Maybe an additional sauce?

Perhaps I watch too much masterchef?

Foams!!! Lol. Yes you've fallen for food bullshit!!

FrangipaniBlue · 19/09/2025 17:13

Each course individually sounds lovely but I wouldn’t have put the 3 together on a menu - everything is the same “off white” colour and all sounds very “soft”…..

I like my food a rainbow of colours….. and where’s the texture and crunch?

FuckRealityBringMeABook · 19/09/2025 17:14

DiscoBob · 19/09/2025 15:00

To me I'm thinking more blancmange/jelly. Cold, wet, slimy, wobbly. Not good!

Show quote history

Sounds like a sly nod to the Don himself

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 19/09/2025 17:43

FrangipaniBlue · 19/09/2025 17:13

Each course individually sounds lovely but I wouldn’t have put the 3 together on a menu - everything is the same “off white” colour and all sounds very “soft”…..

I like my food a rainbow of colours….. and where’s the texture and crunch?

Edited

I was thinking that, but in the first course the panna cotta was probably green and there was scope for the salad to be colourful. The chicken/turbot/vegetarian main course presumably had vegetable accompaniments as well as the courgette element. Red from the sorbet and yellow/red from the plums.

DiscoBob · 19/09/2025 18:58

FuckRealityBringMeABook · 19/09/2025 17:14

Sounds like a sly nod to the Don himself

Show quote history

Haha. Almost definitely! And the main course is literally 'chicken under pressure.'

Double meaning there maybe also?

EasternStandard · 19/09/2025 19:26

FrangipaniBlue · 19/09/2025 17:13

Each course individually sounds lovely but I wouldn’t have put the 3 together on a menu - everything is the same “off white” colour and all sounds very “soft”…..

I like my food a rainbow of colours….. and where’s the texture and crunch?

Edited

Yes this is what I meant by samey. It’s all sounding blancmangey

FrangipaniBlue · 19/09/2025 22:41

EasternStandard · 19/09/2025 19:26

Yes this is what I meant by samey. It’s all sounding blancmangey

Show quote history

Blancmangey!! That’s the perfect word to describe what I imagined 🤣🤣

ThreePears · 19/09/2025 22:52

HermioneWeasley · 19/09/2025 14:42

I thought it sounded really boring. I’d have showcased British food with something like a smoked salmon starter, beef main course and a creme brûlée for dessert with a cheese course and some petite fours as well.

showcasing ……watercress and vanilla ice cream?

This is his second state visit, so they might have had something like that the last time.

RobustPastry · 19/09/2025 23:05

Panna cotta is horrible like a kids party blancmange from the 1970s. Savoury version sounds even worse, sorry. I’m sure the rest was nice.

I have even greater respect for Kate having to talk to that absolute horror Trump all night. She is extremely professional I would not have been able to face it.

AdaColeman · 19/09/2025 23:44

I thought it was an interesting menu for the late summer, that had to please a wide range of tastes, and be simple to serve to almost two hundred people.
I liked the sound of the watercress panna cotta, probably like a creamy mousse, with quail eggs and Parmesan shortbread, making a good combination of textures.
The vegetables with the chicken dish were buttered chard and spiced pumpkin, so were colourful and a little autumnal, also the chicken parcel would have had a stuffing, probably herbs, so the main course wouldn't have been bland at all.
The pudding would have been colourful too, with the raspberry sorbet and poached plums.

I liked the use of typically British ingredients like watercress, raspberries, quail eggs and Victoria plums.
I would have added a cheese course, especially as they had some 1945 port to drink!
Wine Wine Wine

Sausagescanfly · 19/09/2025 23:58

I've been interested to read about the cocktails that are invented for each banquet.

Trump's seems to have been whiskey and marmalade.

Macron got gin with lemon curd.

The Japanese Emperor got whiskey and yuzu marmalade.

I reckon whoever is next is either getting strawberry jam and vodka or mango chutney and tequila.

SnowFrogJelly · 20/09/2025 01:16

Side of fries?