Diplomacy on a plate: Dissecting the menu at the state banquet for King Charles

The full menu for the program was announced as President Donald Trump and Melania Trump welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla as part of their state visit on Tuesday evening.

The dinner celebrated the relationship and was accompanied by a speech from the King, in which he thanked Mr Trump for a “wonderful dinner” and touched on the “difficult moments” between the two countries.

The menu featured many classic French dishes, including Dover sole meuniere and potato pavement, and elements of the banquet presentation were chosen to reflect the “long and enduring friendship” between the UK and the US.

The spring theme was also echoed throughout the dinner, with fresh seasonal flowers on the table that a White House spokesman said were “inspired by the beauty of English gardens.”

The king’s banquet menu read in full:

First course: garden vegetable veloute, hearts of palm salad, fried shallots, micro mint.

Second course: Spring herb ravioli, ricotta cheese, morel mushrooms, light parmesan emulsion.

Third course: Dover sole meuniere, spring ramps, snow peas, potato lay, parsley oil.

Fourth course: White House honey and vanilla bean cream, flourless chocolate cake, almond jacone, creamy ice cream. full text of the menu:

The first course was garden vegetable veloute, a creamy French soup that can be served hot or cold.

It was accompanied by a simple heart of palm salad and finished with crispy fried shallots and micro mint.

For the second course, those who enjoyed spring herb ravioli pasta filled with ricotta cheese and morel mushrooms with a light parmesan sauce, and herbs from the White House kitchen garden were also used in the dish.

The third course was Dover sole meuniere, another classic French dish. It was a dish in which fish was lightly dusted with flour and pan-fried in nutty brown butter, served with spring ramps, also known as wild leeks or wood garlic.

The meal came with flat-shelled snow peas and potato slabs; A French side dish consisting of thinly sliced ​​potatoes pressed into cubes with cream and butter and fried, all served with parsley oil.

For dessert, guests were treated to a beehive-shaped chocolate cake with White House honey and vanilla bean cream pudding.

There was also a French almond sponge cake, also known as almond jaconde, and creme fraiche ice cream topped with brown butter sprinkles.

The hand-painted menu had golden inscriptions inviting the King and Queen to a banquet.

Wines such as Hopkins Riesling Heritage 2024, Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022, and Newton Chardonnay Unfiltered 2022 were selected to complement the courses.

A White House spokesman said the wine selections honored the “shared heritage and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”

The evening’s entertainment also included performances by United States military musicians.