13 Foods Kate Middleton Absolutely Loves
Kate Middleton is famous for being a part of the British royal family. Fans all over the world follow Kate's fashion choices, her philanthropic efforts, and even her parenting style. Although all of these things may seem like fairly normal events in a person's life, because Middleton is a royal, they are subjects of fascination. Not only are fans of the British family interested in familial events such as weddings and the births of new children, they are also intrigued by everyday matters like what the family eats — and Middleton is no exception.
Thanks to the nearly endless flow of reporting on the royals, we have several reports of the Princess of Wales's favorite foods. We know that what Middleton eats in a day is focused on health and nutrition. She appears to enjoy vegetable-filled smoothies, healthy snacks like popcorn, plant-based curry, and raw fish. Some of these meals are shared with her family, while some appear to be enjoyed alone. A few dishes are prepared by Middleton, but we also know that she has access to private cooks as part of the royal family. If you're curious to know some of the real princess' most beloved treats, read on.
1. Oatmeal
One of Kate Middleton's favorite breakfast foods is oatmeal. According to Marca, she eats a bowl of oatmeal every day in the morning, along with a nutrient-rich drink like a green smoothie. Over in the United Kingdom, residents sometimes call oatmeal "porridge," per Chef's Pick. Other times, there is a real difference between porridge and oatmeal. Porridge is any grain that's cooked and served hot, whereas oatmeal refers only to prepared oats. It gets confusing because all oatmeal is porridge, but not all porridge is oatmeal.
To make a breakfast like Middleton's, you have a few choices. Oatmeal can be prepared savory or sweet. It can be made using different kinds of oats (like instant or rolled). The liquids used could be milk, water, or even tea. Then, there are the toppings. Many people use salt, cinnamon, honey, brown sugar, or butter to add flavor to their oatmeal. These are just a few simple ways to make oatmeal taste better and customize the dish to your tastes. No matter what you do, you'll reap the many nutritional benefits that oatmeal has to offer. Per Healthline, oats are high in fiber, protein, zinc, and iron, providing a healthy start to the day.
2. Sushi
The Princess of Wales also is said to enjoy sushi. As Elle explains, the public learned about this love when she attended an event with her husband Prince William at a Japanese cultural center. The facility, called Japan House, is home to a Japanese eatery called Akira Restaurant. During the event, Prince William sampled some of the restaurant's specialties and told the executive chef that he and Kate loved sushi.
If you haven't had sushi and want to try this favorite food of Middleton's, your best bet might be to purchase it from a restaurant. One form you're likely to come across is maki sushi. There are seafood rolls filled with a layer of rice and an assortment of fillings — typically raw seafood and other ingredients. It's then sliced into the iconic round bites to show off the colorful fillings (via Web Restaurant Store). Other common sushi types to try include nigiri (raw seafood on top of rice) or sashimi (usually pieces of raw fish). If you want to make your sushi from scratch, you can — although we doubt Middleton is doing the same, given her busy life as a royal. Just be sure to purchase sushi-grade fish when you are attempting to make your own.
3. Popcorn
Kate Middleton is also thought to enjoy popcorn. According to My London, some believe the Princess of Wales eats a bag of popcorn every day. While we think this may be a stretch, Middleton has been spotted eating popcorn with her husband William. The snacking sighting occurred in 2014, while the couple was attending an NBA game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets (via People). They shared some popcorn while sitting and watching the game from their front-row seats.
As one of the least fancy snacks on Middleton's list of favorite foods, you should have no trouble eating like a princess. There are endless types of microwave popcorn — as well as popped and flavored types of popcorn — at the grocery store. You can also make your popcorn using only a pot, kernels, some oil or butter, and salt. For a lightly sweetened snack, add a little bit of sugar to the popping oil to make kettle corn.
4. Ceviche
The Princess of Wales has expressed a fondness for ceviche, a dish that usually consists of raw fish, citrus, and vegetables. Per The Daily Mail, Kate Middleton has been eating ceviche since at least 2014 — especially for lunch meals. She appears to admire the dish, in part, for its ability to be made with entirely raw ingredients. Raw food is sometimes promoted for its ability to increase your nutritional intake. According to Healthline, some vitamins and minerals are lost through cooking, making eating raw foods a more efficient way to get them.
If you want to eat more raw foods like Middleton, this Latin-inspired dish is a relatively easy way to do it. Some of the best types of fish for ceviche are shrimp, scallops, and salmon. According to What's Cooking America, the fish gets marinated in citrus juices that prompt it to take on a firmer texture. Additional raw ingredients — like tomatoes, avocados, cucumber, green onions, bell pepper, and jalapeños — are usually added to the mix. Spices like salt and pepper, as well as tender herbs like cilantro and parsley, are used to boost the fresh and vibrant flavors. This colorful combination is so good, it's easy to see why Middleton loves it so much.
5. Macaroni and cheese
Since Kate Middleton is a mother of three, she's not always having meals alone. That means she may sometimes eat food that her children enjoy. One of those foods is cheesy pasta — for example, macaroni and cheese. According to Express, she seems to enjoy sharing the meal with her kids because it means the family is spending quality time together. When making cheesy pasta, Middleton said that the kids work together to whip up the dish along with side dishes like salads. This is impressive as George, Charlotte, and Louis are all less than ten years old.
It's not entirely hard to imagine the youngsters making this dish for their mom. The most difficult part of making boxed macaroni and cheese is probably cooking the noodles. But making baked mac and cheese from scratch requires a few more steps. One has to cook the noodles, make a cheese sauce, layer ingredients into a pan, then bake the entire thing. If they're doing something a little more labor-intensive than stovetop macaroni, we bet their parents — or their royal chefs — are assisting the children.
6. Roast chicken
Roast chicken has become one of the dishes most talked about in discussions of the British royal family's diet. That's because brothers Harry and William appear to share a love of the dish. This passion for roasted chicken has worked its way into both of their relationships. Both couples seem to enjoy cooking and eating roast chicken together. Harry proposed to Meghan Markle over a roast chicken dinner that the couple was making together. It's also well known that Kate makes this home-cooked dish for her husband William, as well. So, it's fair to assume that the meaning behind this dish makes it one of her most loved.
When you hear the term "roast chicken" it might call to mind the concept of a British Sunday roast. This classic consists of roasted protein, gravy, potatoes, and maybe Yorkshire pudding. According to a poll conducted by YouGov, chicken is a popular choice for Brits to center this meal around. Perhaps Middleton enjoys this sentimental poultry in this traditional spread as well.
7. Curry
When Kate Middleton cooks, she likes to make curry. We know this because of an outing that Middleton and William took in 2019, per People. The couple visited a Muslim community center in London where they discussed an upcoming trip to Pakistan and expressed excitement about sampling the food there. Middleton said she was eager to try the authentic dishes because she already likes cooking curry at home for her family.
The Princess of Wales said everyone in the family eats the dish, but the group has different levels of spice tolerance. The children like their curry to be less spicy, she said. However, her daughter Charlotte seems to enjoy the heat more than her brothers. In 2021, Vogue reported that William said Middleton's penchant for spicy foods was stronger than his. Of course, everyone's love for heat varies, but there are fortunately many ways to find your favorite spicy notes. If you're interested in testing your love of spicy curry, there are lots of types of curry from around the world to experiment with in your own kitchen.
8. Lamb
Another protein that Kate Middleton has expressed her love for is lamb. We know she likes this food because it was part of her wedding meal in 2011. The main dish on the menu was lamb with vegetables and a mysterious condiment called "sauce Windsor," reports Marie-Claire. On another occasion, Middleton complimented a lamb dish she sampled at a 2016 Taste of British Columbia Food Festival (via Hello Magazine). Celebrity chef Vikram Vij served the Prince and Princess of Wales a meal of marinated lamb popsicles served in fenugreek cream curry, which the royal couple said they enjoyed.
It's not surprising that Middleton likes lamb. According to the BBC, this type of protein is much more popular in the United Kingdom than in the United States. If you're an American unfamiliar with preparing lamb, don't worry, it's pretty straightforward. Cooking a leg of lamb is an excellent place to start. Sprinkle it with your favorite herbs then dry roast it for a delightfully flavorful and tender dish.
9. Sticky toffee pudding
Sticky toffee pudding is Kate Middleton's favorite dessert. She chooses the dish as her dessert at the British restaurant Old Boot Inn, which is located in Berkshire. The eatery's chef, Rody Warot, tells People, "Her favorite [dishes] are the pate on toasted brioche or the roast figs on parma ham with spicy apple chutney, followed by the tiger prawn and wild mushroom linguine. And for the [dessert], her favorite is sticky toffee pudding. It's moist and spongy."
This beloved treat of Middleton's is often described as quintessentially British. Per BBC Travel, sticky toffee pudding is often associated with the English region of Cumbria, where it may have originated. But this treat is so delicious that it's eaten all over the United Kingdom. It consists of a date and sugar sponge cake, which is drenched in a sticky sauce made from dark toffee. You'll find that it's usually served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This helps to balance out the richness of the syrup-coated cake.
10. Chutney
Chutney is another food that Kate Middleton not only likes to eat but also knows how to make herself. The Princess of Wales once gifted the late Queen Elizabeth II a package of the Middleton family chutney — a type of condiment that one might use like a jam — for their first Christmas together. According to Town and Country Magazine, Middleton reportedly made it herself, using her grandmother's recipe for marrow chutney. Marrow is a type of squash and can make a delightful base for chutney when paired with ingredients like apples, ginger, and spices.
Thanks to Pippa Middleton — Kate Middleton's sister — we now know exactly what goes into this recipe. Pippa published a cookbook in 2012 that included instructions for making it. Per People, the famous marrow chutney recipe requires ingredients like onions and raisins. If the concept of chutney is as fascinating to you as it is to the Middleton family, you can experiment with different kinds. Chutneys can be sweet, savory, or vegetal-tasting if you use plenty of fresh herbs.
11. Olives
According to CNN, some foods are just naturally polarizing. One such food is olives. But for Kate Middleton, olives are simply delicious. These small fruits are thought of as bitter by some, but delicious by others. Middleton is part of the pro-olive group. According to Hello Magazine, the Princess of Wales enjoyed eating olives as a child. Today, this habit has rubbed off on her daughter Charlotte. The seven-year-old enjoys snacking on olives as much as Middleton did when she was growing up.
Olive enjoyers are not afraid to eat several of these fruits straight out of the jar. They are small and salty, making them easy to snack on. But if you want to eat olives as part of your meal, you can easily fit them into your next salad. Recipes for salade niçoise, Italian pasta salad, and Fattoush salad all use varieties of olives as an ingredient. These add an extra layer of flavor and a satisfying salty taste.
12. Risotto
We also know that Kate Middleton likes to eat risotto. The Princess of Wales was spotted with her husband enjoying the dish in 2016. Per People, the couple ate risotto during a date night at the Crown Inn Pub, a restaurant located not far from their home in Norfolk, England. The dinner took place on February 12 — just days away from Valentine's Day — making the occasion all the more romantic. The risotto that Middleton ate was reportedly made with wild mushrooms.
Even the most passionate Italian food lovers may have never attempted to create this classic dish, making risotto a great learning opportunity for aspiring home cooks. At a glance, risotto appears to be another delicious pasta — full of butter, cheese, and carbohydrates. But risotto is made from rice. Specifically, the dish calls for short-grain rice like arborio. The secret to making a perfectly creamy risotto requires toasting the rice then stirring and adding water in small, repetitive amounts until the texture is just right. It's a little more complicated than spaghetti and meatballs, which is no doubt why food lovers like Middleton order this dish while dining out.
13. Goji Berries
Goji berries are one of the many nutritious snacks that Kate Middleton has been said to enjoy. The Duchess of Cambridge likes to keep some of these in her health-boosting produce arsenal that's full of various fruits and vegetables (via MyLondon). According to Healthline, Goji berries are native Asian plants that are also referred to as "wolfberries." These small, red fruits are unusual in that they usually are sold in dried or powdered forms.
Per Cooking Chew, their flavor has been compared to cranberries or tart cherries. If you like the somewhat sour or bitter flavor of these fruits, you can follow Middleton's lead and have a few of these by themselves as a snack. They can also be easily incorporated into various recipes. The fruits can be used to make smoothies, baked goods, trail mix, or even soup.
Goji berries are thought of as beneficial to your health for a wide range of reasons. These fruits contain helpful vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, iron, fiber, and Vitamin C. And, according to WebMD, they are believed to possibly help improve your sleep and immune system, as these antioxidant-rich fruits contain melatonin.