A good wedding can make you hungry.
By John Stillwell, AFP/Getty Images
The eight-tiered wedding cake made by Fiona Cairns and her team awaits the newlyweds.
By John Stillwell, AFP/Getty Images
The eight-tiered wedding cake made by Fiona Cairns and her team awaits the newlyweds.
But the lucky 650 guests who attended today's post-wedding luncheon at Buckingham Palace had few worries about a lack of food.
Not only did they eat classic English fruit cake decorated with elaborate English flowers by famed cake designer Fiona Cairns, they also were offered up 10,000 canapés from 21 chefs in the palace kitchens.
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You figure out how many that is per person.
And it was all washed down with Champagne. Of course.
The reception in the Blue Room at the palace immediately followed the ceremony at Westminster Abbey that included the traditional kiss by the newlyweds on the balcony outside. The crowd roared.
Hosted by the Queen, the reception was filled with members of the British royal family, members of foreign royal families, heads of states and a few celebrities thrown in for the glitter factor. Among them: David and Victoria Beckham and singer Elton John.
Guests were entertained by Claire Jones, the official Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales.
Breaking from tradition, Prince William and his bride decided on a buffet-style lunch rather than a more lavish sit-down meal, which is the tradition. (William's grandmother celebrated her 1947 nuptials with filet de sole Mountbatten and a bombe glacée Princess Elizabeth.)
Details about the food at the reception were initially well-guarded, but the offerings included finger foods that could be consumed in just two bites.
On the buffet table: Cornish crab salad on lemon blini; pressed duck terrine with fruit chutney; roulade of goat cheese with caramelized walnuts; Scottish smoked salmon rose on beetroot blini; miniature watercress and asparagus tart; quail eggs with celery salt; Scottish langoustines with lemon mayonnaise; pressed confit of pork belly with crayfish and crackling.
And of course, English comfort food made an appearance: bubble and squeak with confit shoulder of lamb, and miniature Yorkshire pudding with roast filet of beef and horseradish mousse.
All that was followed by "puddings," as sweets are known in Britain: gâteau opera, blood orange pâté de fruit, raspberry financier and rhubarb crème brûlée tartlet.
As for the liquids, beer was not offered, as it's regarded as déclassé for any event the queen attends. This despite the fact that a couple of beers have already been named after the newlyweds — "Kiss Me Kate" ale and "Windsor Knot."
The Champagne of choice was non-vintage Pol Roger, which has never been served at a royal wedding. It was Winston Churchill's favorite and remains a popular Champagne in England.
Contributing: Traci Watson
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