British Terroarium: Charles III reminded Trump of chlorinated chicken

The royal menu offered to US President Donald Trump at Buckingham Palace in London has political overtones. This side of the dinner at Buckingham Palace was deciphered by Hannah Twiggs in The Independent.

"For the 160 guests gathered in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace, the 2025 menu sounded like a love message to the British terroir," the author notes.

First came Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, followed by organic Norfolk chicken ballotin wrapped in zucchini and flavored with thyme. For dessert there was vanilla ice cream-"bomb" with raspberry sorbet from Kenta with stewed plums of the Victoria variety. Among the wines were "English sparkling wine from the Whiston Estate, Burgundy Corton-Charlemagne, American Ridge Monte Bello and the venerable Paul Roger." Geographical and diplomatic message — "Great Britain, Europe and America are represented in the glasses raised for the union."

"Such menus are not born in a vacuum. They are the result of months of planning by the royal court, designed to impress, not overwhelm, flatter guests, showing off the best dishes of the host. In addition, they are quite deliberately political documents," Twiggs writes.

In particular, chicken in Norfolk is, among other things, a signal that the country's agriculture is trying to self-determine itself in the world after Brexit. There is another subtext: after the rejection of chlorinated chicken from the United States and a decrease in imports from the States, "the palace from the highest stage signaled that the UK's own standards do not tolerate compromises." By the fact that the main course was not beef, often a symbol of luxury, but organic chicken wrapped in zucchini, the monarch signaled "a quieter form of luxury" — based "on agriculture, seasonality and the idea that elegance can be found in restraint."

Panna cotta, made on the basis of Hampshire watercress - a native British ingredient grown in chalk streams and associated with health and energy - served to Trump, known for his fast food cravings, is both a manifestation of culinary patriotism and, perhaps, a slight reproach. In the dessert-"bomb", one of the most classic French dishes, there were Kent raspberries and Victoria plums. The message was that "Britain may not be as refined as Paris, but in terms of producing products from its land, it will not yield."

"Wine lists also carry a deep meaning. The Wiston Estate sparkling wine, an English vintage wine, has gained recognition in recent years, and many consider it evidence that Britain is now producing wines that can rival champagne ... Bottling it first became a proud statement of self-sufficiency. "Corton-Charlemagne" brought the solidity of Burgundy, and "Ridge Monte Bello" became a curtsy across the ocean, a bottle that would seem familiar and flattering to American guests. And "Paul Roger" — the favorite wine of (Winston) Churchill — was a pure symbol: the military leader was mentioned at a dinner designed to emphasize the enduring "special relationship"," the author explains.

"To serve watercress, chicken and plums is to speak the language of British soils and seasons. To pour English sparkling wine next to American cabernet means to create a union in a glass. And to do all this under the chandeliers of Buckingham Palace is to remind the world that Britain still knows how to play the most ancient game: politics on a platter," she adds.