Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding chef Clare Smyth reveals the Duchess ‘is very into food and the restaurant world’ and says third Michelin star feels like ‘winning the World Cup’
- Clare Smyth, from Northern Ireland, was award a third Michelin star last month
- Has now compared the accolade to ‘winning the world cup or an Olympic medal’
- Chef cooked for Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle’s, 39, wedding reception
- She revealed Duchess ‘is really into her food’ and ‘is very tuned into restaurants’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding chef has spoken about the Duchess’ love of food as she praised the royal for being ‘very tuned into the restaurant world.’
Clare Smyth, who catered for the Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, at their wedding in summer 2018, saw her Notting Hill restaurant Core going from two to three Michelin stars last month.
Speaking to the BBC, the Northern Irish chef, who was the first and only female chef to run a restaurant with three Michelin stars in the UK, said: ‘To be awarded three Michelin stars is like winning the World cup or an Olympic medal – its the pinnacle, it’s global recognition.’
Meanwhile she also revealed: ‘Meghan is really into her food in particular and loves food and is very tuned into restaurants and what happens in our world.’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding chef Clare Smyth has spoken about the Duchess’ love of food as she praised the royal for being ‘very tuned into the restaurant world’
Speaking about the accolade, she explained: ‘There’s only seven women in the world with a Michelin star.
‘They are awarded for food really, just for food. quality of ingredient, technique and personality of the chef.’
Speaking about catering for the royal couple’s wedding reception in 2018, Clare added: ‘They approached us to do it and it was so good to be part of the day, something we’ll all remember forever.’
The Duchess has long been vocal about her passion for cooking and food, often writing about the topic for her blog The Tig, which was launched in 2014.
Clare, who joined the Duchess of Sussex on a visit to the Hubb kitchen in November 2018, said the royal ‘loves food’
The royal dated celebrity chef Cory Vitiello for two years after her split from her first husband, with the pair splitting months before she met Prince Harry.
Meanwhile in her first solo project as a member of the royal family, Meghan wrote the foreword to the new book produced by cooks from the Hubb Community Kitchen, an initiative based near the site of the Grenfell tower.
The Duchess came up with the idea for a book in aid of those affected by the tragedy, which killed 72 people, after secretly visiting the Al Manaar Muslim cultural heritage centre.
Meghan met women from the kitchen who were using recipes passed down through generations to cater for families made homeless by the fire. It was this which gave her the inspiration for the book.
The Michelin star chef catered the couple’s royal wedding reception during the summer of 2018
Clare even joined the Duchess during one visit to the kitchen in November 2018, with the pair snapped laughing together as they spoke with several of the volunteers at work.
The chef, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was widely touted to get the third star last year but missed out, with only Instagram-friendly sketch in Mayfair winning the award.
Last month, judges hailed Smyth – whose dishes include Isle of Mull scallop tartare with sea vegetable consommé and Highland Wagyu beef and Porthilly oysters – as ‘one of Great Britain’s most gifted chefs’.
The judges added: ‘It’s not just the food that makes a restaurant and, at Core, Clare Smyth really focuses on the whole experience.
Clare, who is originally from Northern Ireland, saw her Notting Hill restaurant Core going from two to three Michelin stars last month
‘From the moment you arrive, Clare’s superb service team put you at ease with their warm welcome and natural pride.’
Her Core at Home menu costs £175 per person, with a minimum two-person order and features her signatures dishes such as Caviar Gougere and Colchester crab tart, and Rhug Estate fallow deer with celeriac and black Perigord truffle.
Smyth has previously spoken out about sexism in the industry, saying it was ‘strange’ that there were still separate awards for male and female chefs.
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