The head chef at Chequers, the country estate of the UK prime minister in Bucks, has shed light on the eating habits of the six leaders he has worked for during his tenure.
Graham Howarth was appointed head chef at Chequers, a 16th-century manor house near Princes Risborough that has served as the country retreat of the serving prime minister for over 100 years, in 2010.
During that time, he has prepared meals both intimate and grandiose for Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Rishu Sunak - and has been granted a unique window into their culinary and recreational habits.
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Speaking to The Times, Howarth remained tight-lipped about the specific preferences of each sitting prime minister but did reveal that one PM had "threatened on more than one occasion to come and do some cooking" and that another had left staff scrambling to prepare elaborate desserts while guests arrived after they were woefully late in sending through their menu preferences.
"They all have their different likes and dislikes, and we have to get to the bottom of that. It can be just good, wholesome family cooking or we might have dinner parties thrown in where we kick it up a little bit. It changes every time there's a new prime minister."
During his time at Chequers, Howarth has witnessed Cameron's 'Ibiza rave', held for his wife Samantha's 40th birthday, Johnson's 'huge farewell barbecues' in summer 2022 and has cooked for a number of foreign dignitaries including multiple US presidents and Queen Elizabeth II.
He still has yet to land his dream dinner guest, however - a surprisingly reticent David Beckham.
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