Royals

Calling all cooks! The Queen is looking for help in the kitchen

Oct 09, 2018

The royals are hiring a sous chef! Source: Getty

Fancy spending your time wandering the famed kitchens at Buckingham Palace and mingling with the royals? Well daydream no more because the Queen is hiring and it sounds like a damn good gig!

The Palace is searching for a new sous chef to help run the kitchen and cook mouthwatering meals for the Queen and her family. The lucky candidate will dish up plates for the royals and their many esteemed guests and will be expected to cater to the numerous functions held at the palace throughout the year, including those attended by extended members of the royal family and dignitaries from around the world.

So what does it take to cook for a Queen? Candidates must be “an experienced and qualified chef”, but the royals are really looking for a team player, with “excellent communication skills”, and the ability “to establish and maintain effective working relationships with your colleagues around the organisation”.

Most importantly, the ad says the successful candidate will “have a thorough knowledge of the food industry and are trained in classical French cuisine”.

“Above all, you’ll be committed to achieving high standards every day, making you a real asset to the Kitchen team,” the ad demands.

While the job description doesn’t include the sous chef’s salary, the position does come with a comprehensive benefits package, including 33 days holiday and a 15 per cent employer-paid pension (superannuation) contribution. They’ll also be given the choice to live at Buckingham Palace, with meals included, for a reduced salary.

The Queen has employed a number of top chefs in the past, many of whom have divulged some of the Monarch’s favourite foods and treats. Former head chef Darren McGrady, who worked for the Queen for 11 years, previously revealed Her Majesty prefers a simple breakfast of cereal and Darjeeling tea, rather than the full-English enjoyed by many of her subjects.

And unless it’s a fancy banquet or she has special guests over, dinner is pretty simple too. McGrady says the Queen adheres to a low-carb diet and rarely has pasta, potatoes or rice on her menu. Garlic is a strict no-no, for fear of bad breath, and shellfish is rarely served when guests are around to eliminate the risk of food poisoning.

She’s also famously frugal and never wastes a scrap of food if it can be helped. Former royal head chef Mark Flanagan previously told The Telegraph, Her Majesty stores her breakfast cereal in plastic containers to ensure it doesn’t go stale and lasts longer, and rather than enjoying a tasty new treat every day she demands the same cake be dished up for afternoon tea until the last slice is gone – no matter how long that takes.