It feel like so long ago, but back in May, we got to see a literal fairytale come true. Or at least that's how it seemed at the time. Prince Harry finally tied the knot with Suits star Meghan Markle, and before all the family drama and the sniping and the rumours, it was just a beautiful occasion to behold for.
The guest list was illustrious, the ceremony picturesque and romantic; most importantly, though, the food was off the chain. (Do the cool kids still say "off the chain"? I'm sure they do.) There was a delicious lemon-flavoured wedding cake, and if you weren't on the VIP menu, there was plenty of pizza to go around.
There was plenty of delicious food on offer, but in another world, the Royal Wedding could have been catered by none other than Jamie Oliver. Well, if Prince Harry and Meghan had decided to return his calls. That's the story from the 43-year-old TV chef, who revealed all on an episode of Channel 4's Sunday Brunch.
Jamie Oliver says that he personally wrote to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ahead of the wedding, asking if he could provide food for their VIP guests, but was met only with silence. Blaming "slick" palace protocol for denying him his dream gig, Oliver says his idea was to combine "the best of British and American chefs".
Sounds... interesting.
"I did actually write and say if they want the food sorted I would bring the best of British and American chefs together to do the catering... I didn't get a reply. That is a true story. I would have done it for free, you know, I like a bit of a moment."
Of course, with Buckingham Palace dashing Oliver's dreams of catering a Royal Wedding (for now), the honour instead went to Clare Smyth, a chef from Northern Ireland who's now been named 2018's chef of the year. Describing the experience as "surreal", Smyth said that the occasion went perfectly.
"The fairytale story was my lasting memory from the wedding. It couldn't have been more perfect... it was completely surreal. They were involved in the menu, it was very important to them... it's a once in a lifetime thing so it's nice to be a part in it."
While we may never officially know what was on the menu that day, we've got a pretty good guess as to what the people at the VIP table ate that memorable day. Smyth was said to have prepared a completely organic menu, with the highlights being posh burgers made from Wagyu beef.
She wasn't in charge of the cake, however - that was all down to baker Claire Ptak.
All in all, the Royal Wedding was a fantastic occasion for all involved, and the food on offer was at least a part of that. Who knows how things would have gone if Jamie Oliver had gotten involved?
