let's eat in a royal way

Here's What The Royal Family Really Likes to Eat

As we all continue to fawn over the growing royal family, I started to wonder how exactly they always look so freaking good (other than, ya know, using a team of experts to primp and prod). We all know by now that what you eat plays a major role, but never did I think we'd find out what they're all noshing on. But thanks to Carolyn Robb, the chef for the royal family from 1989-2000, that's all about to change.

Carolyn's new book, The Royal Touch, hits shelves today and it includes recipes of favorite royal dishes—we're talking meals that Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry all liked to dig into.

Better yet, Racked got Carolyn to dish on even more details, like which ingredient Diana and Charles refused to eat, and why Kate and William don't keep a chef on staff.

Some highlights from Racked include...

Charles and Diana's favorite foods: Prince Charles loved to have game from his hunting. At [their country house in] Highgrove, they'd grow their own fruit and vegetables, so almost everything was homegrown. That was the kind of thing he liked most of all—things from the garden, from the estate. Both he and Princess Diana had a really healthy diet.

Foods on the no-no list: The only thing that was forbidden was garlic. And the reason for that was that they obviously did a lot of public engagements and were in close proximity to people and never wanted to have garlic breath. [Ed note: Good call, guys. Nobody likes a faceful of garlic breath.]

Were the meals always extravagant? Surprisingly [not]. A lot of the product came from the garden. Lamb would come from the estate, milk would come from the cows on the estates. The pheasants and game were shot so that was no cost and the wild mushrooms, we'd pick and use them throughout the year. It was quite economical, the way the kitchen was run. We would do more extravagant things if we were entertaining.

Why Kate and William don't have a chef: Kate does quite a lot of the cooking at the moment. You have to remember that she's not royal. She comes from a normal background and a normal home where she's always coked for herself. And what I've always heard is that William enjoys spending time with her family because they just eat together at the kitchen table like a normal family. I'm sure that's what they still do.