A Kitchen Tradition: How Staff Once Amused Queen Elizabeth

The Royal Family's busy kitchens are full of memorable stories, and former pastry chef Colin Alderson had a front-row seat to the monarchy in the 1970s. Alderson was named as pastry chef to Queen Elizabeth in 1972, and worked at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Royal Yacht Britannia over the course of five years. Along with glamorous banquets and everyday dinners that were pulled off without a hitch, the chef tells Marie Claire there were some more hilarious moments at the palace.

Speaking on behalf of Champions Speakers Agency, Alderson says one dessert gone wrong was given an unforgettable name by Queen Elizabeth.

“One I remember was the ‘Peach Titanic,” he says. “It was a lemon and vanilla mousse served in a silver dish with fresh peaches on top, a jelly glaze and cream. On one occasion, there wasn’t enough gelatine in it, so when it was taken to Her Majesty, the peaches sank.”

When Queen Elizabeth saw the droopy dessert, she quipped, “Whatever is this, Peach Titanic?”

Alderson says that when it came to soufflés, the kitchen staff came up with a clever way to disguise failed attempts. “There was another trick if the pastry chef wasn’t at Windsor on a private weekend and somebody else made a soufflé that didn’t work,” he shares. “They would tell Her Majesty there had been a terrible accident and the soufflé had been dropped.”

Whether or not Queen Elizabeth caught on to the “trick” is unclear, but Alderson shares that some of her favorite sweets included crème brûlée and crème caramel. “We also made soufflés, including cheese, lobster, mushroom and spinach, as well as the famous ice cream bomb,” he adds.

As for the elaborate state banquets hosted at Buckingham Palace, Alderson says the late Queen “was very much involved.”

“Menus would be prepared around six weeks in advance,” he says, explaining that after Queen Elizabeth approved them, the menus “would then be sent to the relevant embassy for approval, particularly in case one of the visiting dignitaries disliked a particular dish.”

Aside from being involved in menu preparation, Queen Elizabeth liked to be hands-on with staff events, judging the annual Balmoral costume party at the end of the summer season. “I used to help everybody else with costumes, but in my final year I thought, ‘I’m going to win this competition myself,’” Alderson recalls.

He “spent about three weeks” making a huge Loch Ness Monster costume, and the former palace chef admits that his creation “was so big that, when the night came, it wouldn’t fit through the doorway.” Alderson ending up winning first prize, sharing, “it was worth it just to see The Queen laughing in the stable yard.”