All the behind-the-scenes details of King Charles’s dinner honoring Italy, from VIP guests to wine in glasses

Picture an evening at dinner surrounded by VIPs such as Donatella Versace, David and Victoria Beckham, internationally famous actors like Helen Mirren, Stanley Tucci and Sienna Miller, pop singers like Rod Stewart, leading wine producers like Lamberto Frescobaldi and Chiara Soldati, stylist-symbols of Made in Italy like Brunello Cucinelli, Angela Missoni, Patrizio Bertelli (Prada), Renzo Rosso (Diesel) Remo Ruffini (Moncler) and Maurizio Marinella, classical dance stars such as Roberto Bolle, and also Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food, famous chefs like Carlo Cracco, Davide Oldani and Giorgio Locatelli, and the famous pizza chef Franco Pepe, plus Federico Marchetti, president of the Fashion Task Force, famous entrepreneurs such as Emma Marcegaglia, Andrea Illy and Guido Barilla, the famous architect Stefano Boeri, the Italian Ambassador to Great Britain, Inigo Lambertini, and the British Ambassador to Rome, Lord Edward Liewell. They were all in attendance at the court of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, in the splendid Highgrove Estate, to celebrate the relationship between Italy and the United Kingdom, and especially Slow Food and Slow Fashion. The exceptional event, which while the guests enjoyed ravioli and Gavi, porchetta and Barbaresco, Recioto and zuppa inglese, sealed the announcement of His Majesty’s official visit to our country, scheduled for April, the first visit since he was crowned. Here is the report of the behind the scenes of the formal dinner, from the details of the menu (prepared by the Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei), to the wines in the glasses, of an event that once again emphasized His Majesty’s love for Italy, confirmed by decades of traveling, visits and personal relationships. While Lamberto Frescobaldi awaits a visit from King Charles in Tuscany, to see an olive tree he himself planted way back in 1986, Chiara Soldati of La Scolca underlines the great work that has been done to promote Made in Italy.
“All’eterna cultura italiana del buon cibo” (To the eternal Italian culture of good food) was the toast, pronounced in very good Italian, with which King Charles III of England opened an evening dedicated to the centuries-old relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy. The king held the formal dinner in his private residence of Highgrove House, in Gloucestershire, accompanied by Queen Consort Camilla, to promote Slow Food and Slow Fashion, and especially to reiterate the strong liaison that binds two populations united by their great respect of culture, including good food. One of the special guests of the evening - among the elite of famous faces, Italian and English - was the American actor (with Italian origins), Stanley Tucci, star of films such as “The Devil Wears Prada”. He is an expert on the Italian food and wine universe, as he amply demonstrated in "Searching for Italy”, a series that has been a huge success both in the States and in the UK. Tucci collaborated with the Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei, who has been in the United Kingdom for years, and is a refined ambassador of Italian cuisine in the world (he has been named Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic), in creating the exclusive menu for the evening. “To better emphasize the special friendship between the two countries”, Mazzei commented, “Stanley and I prepared an Italian menu made almost entirely with products from the United Kingdom. I must say that I found excellent products that have nothing to envy those of Italy. The only products that I had come directly from Italy were extra virgin olive oil and the wines”.
The aperitif for the approximately 80 guests, included cured meats, Tuscan-style paté and coppa, Yorkshire Pecorino cream puffs and tartlets with English vegetable caponata, accompanied by cocktails that Alessandro Palazzi, bartender at the Dukes Bar, a historic traditional bar in London, prepared. Then, once the guests were seated - the long, imperial tables were set with white tablecloths and tall silver candelabras decorated with flowers, light wood chairs, and a simple but very elegant mise en place (plates with the Estate’s crest, silver cutlery and smooth glasses) - they were served a three course meal. The entree was Panzanella with Scottish crab, followed by Ravioli with ricotta and herbs from the Highgrove Estate and tomato puree from the Isle of Wight. Next, Suffolk Porchetta, accompanied by a sage and pumpkin puree and Tuscan black cabbage. The dessert course was Zuppa Inglese with biscuits, prepared with Dubonnet instead of the classic Vermouth to pay homage to one of Queen Elizabeth’s most loved wines. Off the menu a classic Italian Carnival dessert, le frappe, was served. The dinner was inspired by the great Italian tradition, but prepared with strictly British raw materials.
What wines were in the guests’ glasses? The welcome toast was made with the bubbles produced at Highgrove, while strictly Italian wines were chosen for the rest of the dinner. First, Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca Black Label 2023, a well-known Piedmont brand. Then, Barbaresco Gaja 2021, a true champion of Piedmont enology in the world, paired to porchetta. Finally, for dessert, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Zenato was served, a gem of meditation wines. “The choice of wine”, Nadia Zenato, head of the Venetian brand, commented, “fills us with pride, and we wish to thank Chef Mazzei, who has known us for a long time and who chose our Recioto, which the guests at the dinner greatly appreciated”.
“King Charles was as usual, very kind and friendly, giving a speech in Italian and praising our food,” Lamberto Frescobaldi, who attended the gala dinner and whose family, one of the oldest in Italian winemaking, is closely linked to the English Royal Dynasty, told WineNews. “He has always been committed to healthy food and the origin of the products he puts on the table. He praised not only all Italian food, but also our lifestyle, in his speech. I was sitting not far from him, and right next to Queen Camilla’s sister, who is also a great fan of Italy. Here in their Highgrove Estate, about 200 km from London, there is a real farm, open to the public, where they grow their products. We have had a long relationship with the Royal Family”, Frescobaldi continued, “and as a matter of fact, when King Charles saw me, he said that I look more and more like my father Vittorio, who accompanied Charles on his first visit to Tuscany in 1986. On that occasion, Carlo planted an olive tree on our Nipozzano Estate and since then, every Christmas I have sent him a bottle of our oil. On this occasion too, he asked me about his olive tree and promised me that he would come and see it soon. Unfortunately, not in April, because the official program of His Majesty’s visit does not include Tuscany. We will have to organize a visit prune it…”, Frescobaldi said, smiling.
“It was an honor to represent Italy, my Region and my territory on such an important occasion”, Chiara Soldati, CEO of La Scolca and Cavaliere del Lavoro emphasized, “where the excellence of Italian lifestyle was celebrated. Chef Mazzei created an excellent food and wine bridge between the two countries, in a not only metaphorical union between two highly important cultures and traditions. Occasions like this are the perfect opportunity to highlight the value of our food and wine tradition and our know-how, elements that make Made in Italy a renowned and very appreciated model at the international level.”