Windsor Castle Goes Vegan

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On November 3, 2009, Windsor Castle went vegan for the day. The Duke of Edinburgh, founder of the secular Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) which, with the UN Development Programme, organised the lunch as part of “the Celebration of Faiths and the Environment”. The banquet served 200 including UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, the Grand Mufti of Egypt and Archbishop Valentine Mokiwa, President of the All Africa Conference of Churches. It was the first vegan banquet in Windsor Castle's history.

BBC News reported:
All the food will be free-range, and most organic, local and fair-trade. No bottled water will be provided.

The menu for the vegan banquet at Windsor Castle

STARTER

Salad of roasted English pear, steamed celeriac and oven roasted cobnuts

Frisee leaves tossed with a hazelnut oil and lemon oil dressing

Served with a red grape reduction

Ciabatta bread served with olive oil

MAIN COURSE

Portabello mushroom stuffed with artichoke, red onion and thyme, set on pearl barley and butternut squash risotto with gremolata oil

Roasted root vegetables to include carrots, parsnips and beetroot turned with baby chard

DRINKS

Cranberry and fresh orange cocktail

Jugs of iced tap water and lemon on the tables

(No dessert due to extremely tight schedule)
The article also noted that the Bishop of London has become vegetarian for ecological reasons.

I think it is wonderful that a celebration of various faiths as well as the environment took place during a vegan meal at Windsor Castle. Talk about a historical moment!

Photo: f_samora

1 comments:

Mel said...

How interesting! What a fabulous menu. I have to wonder about the no dessert though. Did I read correctly in the article (or perhaps it was another article) that there was originally an oil-based pie crust planned? I've tried to bake oil-based pie crusts and had no luck at all. (Mind you, I am anything but an accomplished baker!)
:-)

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