Her Majesty The Queen
Everyone needs a fairy godmother. Ours is Her Majesty The Queen.
Her Majesty has supported Love British Food and British Food Fortnight since the campaign’s early years. Her Majesty’s commitment, passion and support for the campaign has been instrumental in its success.
I have been involved with the work of Love British Food and its annual national food promotion, British Food Fortnight, for some years and it is very exciting to see how it has grown and everything is have achieved over the years.
Her Majesty The Queen, June 2012
I’m a passionate believer in great British food, not at the expense of the cuisine of other countries, but alongside them. And I am so pleased to have had the chance to see for myself the excellent initiatives being organised in schools and community centres across the country through British Food Fortnight. Our children and grandchildren are the future of good British food. And that’s why British Food Fortnight is so important.
Her Majesty The Queen speaking in Westminster Cathedral Hall in 2010 at the launch of our Olympic year activities
Here is the story of Her Majesty The Queen’s support. For us it has proved that fairy tales really do come true.
We first worked with Her Majesty The Queen in 2008 when, accompanied by then The Prince of Wales, Their Majesties marked the launch of British Food Fortnight’s activities with a visit to a new volunteer run allotment in
St James’s Park. It was Her Majesty’s birthday and school children and volunteers working on the allotment presented her with a birthday carrot cake made with carrots picked from the allotment.
The following year, Her Majesty launched our educational activities at The Compass Sure Start Children’s Centre in Gloucester. British Food Fortnight teamed up with local charity The Wiggly Worm to give a cookery lesson to parents of the children who attend the centre to inspire them to cook nutritious meals at home. The Queen spent a very hands on afternoon at the centre meeting parents and their children as they cooked and enjoying a meal with them afterwards.
In the autumn of that year Her Majesty attended a special Love British Food tea at London’s Dorchester Hotel prepared by the winning pupils of the British Food Fortnight’s school competition. The children had taken over the kitchens at The Dorchester to prepare the tea with the help of the hotel’s leading chefs.
In 2010, despite having broken her leg and being in a wheel chair, Her Majesty launched our forthcoming Olympic year activities alongside the BBC’s Hairy Biker Chefs, Dave Myers and Simon King. The Queen addressed 250 retailers and caterers who had gathered in Westminster Cathedral’s hall in central London for the launch. This resulted in British food promotions and celebrations across the country during the Olympics.
Her Majesty’s enthusiasm and support for our school activities grew and in 2011 she allowed the winning schools in our annual competition to take over the kitchens in Clarence House. With the help of the Hairy Bikers, the children prepared lunch for Her Majesty and leaders from many of the organisations that take part in our activities. It was a wonderful day for all.
In 2012, Her Majesty invited us to organise a children celebration to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Schools across the country were invited to ‘Cook for The Queen’ by creating a teatime menu that celebrated the food produced in their part of the country. The winning schools were invited to Buckingham Palace where they worked alongside the Royal Chef in the Royal kitchens to prepare their menus for a spectacular tea time reception for Her Majesty. It truly was a day when dreams came true. Her Majesty travelled the country to launch the competition with regional events for schools at The Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh and in Nova Hreod school in Swindon.
Speaking at the reception in Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty The Queen said:
I have been involved with the work of Love British Food and its annual food promotion, British Food Fortnight, for some years and it is very exciting to see how it has grown and everything it has achieved over the years. Inviting children to Cook for the Queen for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee is an idea I had a year ago and it has been wonderful to see how schools have responded. 208 schools interested from across the UK, from the tip of Cornwall in the South to the Shetland Isles in the North. Giving young people the skills they need to cook for themselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. If they do not learn about cooking as a child, it becomes increasingly challenging as they grow into adulthood, with the pressure of work and family
The following year, Her Majesty’s enthusiasm for our school activities was the inspiration for our next big project: a National Harvest Festival for children in Westminster Abbey; the first harvest festival to be held in the Abbey for half a century. Children across the country were invited to apply to attend the service through a Harvest Lottery for Schools called ‘Bring Home the Harvest’. The 500 winning children came to the Abbey that autumn with harvest boxes full to the brim of produce they had grown or made themselves. The entire nave of Westminster Abbey was lined with their produce. It was a spectacular sight. Actors Damien Lewis and Martin Clunes did readings; The Bishop of London officiated; and personalities from the world of television, food and farming sang harvest hymns. Her Majesty launched the Harvest Lottery at Godolphin Junior School in Slough. She attended the service in the Abbey talking to almost every single child afterwards. It was a day that everyone will remember forever.
Her Majesty continues to support our campaign to keep the celebration of Harvest on the national calendar. She has joined hundreds of children at a harvest service in Birmingham Cathedral when the centre of the city was filled with farm animals. And she sends a message of support to Love British Food’s harvest service every year as our harvest torch travels the country.
We could not have achieved all we have without Her Majesty’s support. We, and the many hundreds of children and people who have met her through our activities, would like to say: “Thank you Ma’am”.
