This week marks the final countdown for the team of royal chefs and staff at Windsor Castle, who are meticulously preparing a lavish evening for hundreds of guests at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on Saturday.
Six hundred people are invited to the wedding ceremony, and Queen Elizabeth will host a daytime reception at St George’s Hall at the Castle.
The team of around 30 royal chefs, led by Mark Flanagan, are already busy in the kitchens at Windsor.
He talked to Sky News about how his staff is preparing for the big event.
“We’re breaking into smaller teams, getting all the asparagus peeled, the vegetables prepared, that sort of thing in advance. So on the actual day it’s just the minimal amount of cooking and maximum amount of presentation time,” he explained.
The royal couple have also been heavily involved in the planning of the event.
“They’ve tasted everything, they’ve been involved in every detail. We’ve been really fortunate with the date of the wedding…all the British vegetables are just coming into season. The couple wanted us to make sure that we used all of the local, seasonal produce as much as possible throughout their menu,” he said.
Added pastry chef Selwyn Stoby: “You don’t get many opportunities in your lifetime to do a royal wedding so this is very very special. The care, the attention, the details and everything - it really is very exciting.”
The kitchens at Windsor Castle are thought to be the oldest working kitchens in the country, with a history stretching back to the 14th Century and the reign of Edward III.
More than 30 monarchs later, they continue to serve the royal family under Queen Elizabeth II.
Following the wedding ceremony, a more intimate evening dinner, hosted by Prince Charles, will take place at the nearby Frogmore House, with a different catering company providing the menu.