Duchess of Cornwall's food speech

Apr 23, 2010, 12:02 GMT

Britain's Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall has taken a swipe at big multinational food companies.

The duchess - who was supporting the launch of British Food Fortnight in London yesterday (22.04.10) - claimed that simple, organic food was better than the mass-produced products made by giant food conglomerates.

She said: "I have always loved food and really enjoy cooking simple dishes with the best British ingredients. That, for me, is what British food is really about: a chicken that has lived a natural life, pecking and scratching about in the yard, roasted until golden brown.

"Or a spanking fresh mackerel, grilled until the skin is crisp. The first British asparagus just shooting up now. Or a proper Somerset Cheddar, made with unpasteurised milk from the farmer's own herd. Food that follows the seasons, rather than the whims of some vast multinational food conglomerates."

The 62-year-old duchess, who is currently nursing a broken leg and ruptured shoulder, spoke from a wheelchair, and condemned those who think British cooking is in an international joke.

She added: "British food has been woefully under-rated for years, seen, wrongly, as some sort of international culinary joke. Dull, turgid and over-boiled, they grin, across the globe. Utter rubbish, I say."