With the royal wedding mere days away, local businesses in Windsor are preparing to mark the high-profile event with festivities fit for a royal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to tie the knot in Windsor, approximately 30 kilometres west of London, on Saturday, May 19.
Windsor, a town of 32,000 people and home to the 1,000-year-old royal residence of Windsor Castle, is expected to welcome as many as 100,000 visitors for the wedding day.
One eatery, the Windsor Grill, is launching a special menu for the weekend of the wedding day that the British government has deemed a 鈥渄ay of national celebration.鈥�
Among the royal items on the menu, a Canadian ingredient pays homage to Meghan Markle鈥檚 years living in Canada: the Grey Owl Goat鈥檚 cheese, from Quebec鈥檚 Fromagerie Le Détour, which is believed to be the bride-to-be鈥檚 favourite.
鈥淲ith Meghan Markle being American but (having) lived in Canada for a while, I鈥檝e sourced things like Grey Owl Goat鈥檚 cheese 鈥� apparently it鈥檚 Meghan Markle鈥檚 favourite cheese, or so the says,鈥� Windsor Grill Owner and Chef Patron David Wilby told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview.
鈥淚 managed to get some . 鈥� You can鈥檛 normally buy some in this country.鈥�
Indeed, Fromagerie Le Détour was "surprised and delighted" to hear from Wilby, co-owner Ginette Bégin told CTVNews.ca, adding that she was also taken aback to hear Markle mention the cheese in an interview.
鈥淭his is a very great honour for our small artisan cheese dairy. We could never have imagined that one of our cheeses was mentioned by someone overseas as their favorite cheese,鈥� Bégin said.
鈥淲ho knows, we may have the chance, one day, to welcome (the future) Mrs. Markle to our artisan cheese dairy,鈥� she said in an emailed statement.
The Windsor Grill's will also feature seared tuna Nicoise, linguine with slow-cooked courgettes, lemon and goat cheese, twists on what are believed to be Markle鈥檚 favourite meals.
Not to forget the groom-to-be, the restaurant will also be featuring cottage pies and smoked haddock and salmon fish cakes, which are rumoured to be Prince Harry鈥檚 .
For dessert, the restaurant will also be offering an elderflower and lemon dessert, a nod to the royal wedding cake being made by celebrated pastry chef Claire Ptak, the owner of the London-based Violet Bakery.
Wilby has also sourced two rare wines, named Elizabeth and Philip, which were first produced when the couple visited the wine estate during a royal visit, he told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview.
Also on the drinks list, include an Australian sparkling rose wine, called the ; as well as a limited edition craft beer from a local brewery, called Harry & Meghan's Windsor Knot, a sequel to the first version first made in 2011 to commemorate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
The pale ale combines British and American hops, barley grown locally on the Royal Farms in Windsor -- and a finishing touch of champagne yeast, to produce an 鈥渋ntense and distinctive tropical fruit aroma including mango, lychees and passion fruit.鈥�
And on Saturday, the day of the wedding, the restaurant will be selling bacon and sausage sandwiches to royal-watchers joining in the morning鈥檚 festivities on the street.
Meanwhile, the has reported the royal couple is expected to have their wedding reception catered by Table Talk. Prince William and Kate Middleton also reportedly use Table Talk to cater their wedding in 2011 wedding.
鈥淲hilst we are sure the catering will be spectacular at the castle, Prince Harry and Ms Markle should be comforted to know that we have some of their favourites ready should they wish to pop out for a bit,鈥� Wilby said in a statement.
