Chef at Corinthia Attard cooks for King Charles at royal Italian-themed dinner

Francesco Mazzei, a celebrated Italian chef currently helming the kitchen at Corinthia Attard, has recently prepared a royal feast for King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The event, a UK-Italy themed dinner, was hosted at the King and Queen’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire and was attended by a star-studded guest list, including David and Victoria Beckham, Dame Helen Mirren, Donatella Versace, and Stanley Tucci.

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The dinner served as a prelude to the royal couple’s state visit to Italy and the Vatican in early April, a trip that will coincide with their 20th wedding anniversary.

Speaking at the dinner, King Charles expressed his admiration for Italian cuisine and culture, stating, “good food brings people together and what we choose to eat helps to define us – as families, communities and nations.”

He also described the evening as a celebration of “slow food and Italy”, two things “very dear to my heart.”

Mr Mazzei, who will also be opening a restaurant at the Corinthia London, curated a menu that showcased Italian culinary techniques while incorporating British ingredients.

The evening began with a reception featuring rare and pasture salumi, Tuscan-style paté, Yorkshire pecorino cheese puffs, and British vegetable caponata tartelletta, all paired with Highgrove sparkling wine.

For dinner, guests were treated to:

• Scottish crab panzanella
• Westcombe ricotta and Highgrove fine herbs ravioli with Isle of Wight tomato passata
• Suffolk Red porchetta, pumpkin and sage mash, and Tuscan kale
• Zuppa Inglese and biscotti

The meal was accompanied by Italian and English wines, including Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca Black Label 2023 and Barbaresco Gaja 2021, concluding with a Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Zenato dessert wine.

Mr Mazzei took a hands-on approach to sourcing the ingredients, travelling across the UK to find the best local produce.

“I was in Devon two weeks ago to get the salumi. I went to see the pigs where the belly comes from,” he revealed.

“The tomatoes for the passata are from the Isle of Wight. The cob nuts for the biscotti are from Kent,” he said, and emphasised his excitement at cooking for the King, stating, “this is my first time cooking for the King. I’m quite excited about that.”

He also highlighted the careful balance between Italian tradition and British ingredients, saying, “it is an Italian menu with British produce, well 99 per cent as the extra virgin olive oil is Italian.”

The chef ensured that King Charles was made aware of the sourcing efforts, sending a detailed report to the royal chef: “I made a report of where I had been, so it is all there and documented. I sent this to the royal chef and said, ‘make sure the King sees this’.”

A star-studded affair

Among the notable guests, Dame Helen Mirren, who spends half the year in Puglia, shared her love for Italian culture, while David Beckham reflected on his time playing for AC Milan.

Cocktails were prepared by Italian mixologist Alessandro Palazzi, who crafted James Bond-inspired martinis using herbs from Highgrove’s gardens.

King Charles even tried his hand at mixing a martini under Mr Palazzi’s guidance.

The evening concluded with a toast by the King in Italian: “Alla eterna cultura italiana del buon cibo”, meaning “to Italy’s timeless food culture.”