The Lavish Menu Guests Indulged In During Trump's British State Banquet

What President Donald Trump usually eats in a day might have had a small influence on the menu at the 2025 British State Banquet. According to The Telegraph, the White House was consulted to make sure the food would suit the American president's palate. However, seasonal produce and sustainable farming, both of which King Charles staunchly supports, set the tone for the evening's meal. The dishes featured locally significant ingredients and had a restrained touch — a far cry from Trump's preferred well-done steaks with ketchup and the Nacho Cheese Doritos he always keeps on hand in the Oval Office.

The first course was a panna cotta made with Hampshire watercress, accompanied by parmesan shortbread and a quail egg salad. Organic stuffed poultry featured in the main course: chicken ballotine wrapped in zucchini and an herby thyme- and savory-infused jus. The meal finished with a vanilla ice cream bombe that had Kentish raspberry sorbet on the inside, served with poached Victoria plums. While not fully in line with the Trump family's eating habits, the meal did have chicken (a favorite meal of Melania Trump's is chicken parmesan) and ice cream (one of Trump's favorite desserts).

The wine list featured four thoughtful selections: Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016 (an English sparkling wine made with all three traditional Champagne grapes); Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2018 (a white Burgundy made with chardonnay); Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000 (a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc blend from the Santa Cruz Mountains in California); and Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve, 1998 (a pinot noir and chardonnay Champagne that was a favorite of Winston Churchill). 

"A geographical spread, yes, but also a diplomatic one — Britain, Europe, and America all represented in the glasses raised to toast the alliance," writes Hannah Twiggs for The Independent. A specialty cocktail called the Transatlantic whiskey sour had Johnnie Walker Black, citrus marmalade, a pecan foam, and a toasted marshmallow on top of a star-shaped cookie in a not-so-subtle reiteration of that theme.

After-dinner drinks were nods to Trump, with a port from 1945 to symbolize his position as the 45th U.S. president, as well as a 1912 cognac that shared the same year as his mother's birth. Trump, who does not drink alcohol, likely had a soda instead. The British State Banquet, in all of its elegance, was less about Trump's personal tastes and more about unity and Britain's diplomatic power.