Turkey has been removed from the Christmas lunch menu at King Charles's Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, with visitors offered cheaper chicken instead. The annual festive lunch in the Orchard Room restaurant, which raises money for charity, now features crispy skin chicken supreme as one of the main options.
What's on the menu this year
Diners can choose from crispy skin chicken supreme, slow braised beef, or a Christmas vegetable wellington as their main dish. Starters include cured chalk stream trout or roast parsnip velouté, while desserts range from Highgrove Christmas pudding with brandy sauce to orange compote. A third course costs an extra £10.
Brussels sprouts have also disappeared from the menu entirely this year. The traditional turkey dinner, popularised by Queen Victoria and enjoyed by Henry VIII, has been a seasonal fixture for centuries, but it is no longer offered at Highgrove.
Prices rise despite cheaper ingredients
Although chicken is more economical to produce than turkey, the cost of a two-course dinner has risen by £5 from last year to £65. This is 56% more expensive than 2024, when two courses cost £41.50 and the menu included roast ballotine of turkey wrapped in streaky smoked bacon with crispy roast potatoes, root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and gravy.
The royal connection to turkey dates back to Henry VIII, one of the first English monarchs to eat it at Christmas. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in 1843, in which Ebenezer Scrooge sends a turkey to the Cratchit family, also helped cement its place as the ideal festive feast.
Booking details and festive extras
Highgrove said: "Gather family and friends to celebrate the festive season with lunch at Highgrove and enjoy a sumptuous two- or three-course set menu inspired by the flavours of Christmas."
Booking runs from November 25 to December 20, with diners given two hours for their meal. They must pre-book if they want three courses, as this cannot be decided on the day. The Highgrove Christmas Shop at The Coronation Pavilion will also be open for late presents, including homeware, food and drink, and artwork by the King.
