King Charles III put turkey back on the menu after a break with festive tradition at Highrove last Christmas (Picture: Getty/REX)

King Charles III’s Highgrove estate put turkey back on the Christmas menu — with no mention of the veganism on display last year.  

The monarch returned to more traditional fare after conjuring up a range of imaginative plant-based dishes the previous festive season.  

This year diners chose from ham hock terrine, one of three starters, and mains including the ballotine of turkey, which was wrapped in bacon with orange, cranberry and chestnut stuffing and roast vegetables.  

The word ‘vegan’ and the (Vg) abbreviation, which were used last time round, did not appear on the 2023 lunch menu.

Instead, the neatly laid out list offered starters also including butternut squash soup and beetroot cured salmon, with the remaining mains being the pan-fried cod and beetroot Wellington, which came with chestnut stuffing, roasted root vegetables and vegetarian gravy.

King Charles in the gardens of his Highgrove estate, which hosts tours and supplies gift products (Picture: PA)

Desserts included the Highgrove Christmas Pudding, which came with brandy sauce and candied orange, chocolate mousse and mulled wine poached pear. Last year, three vegan dishes came with the relevant symbol; a starter of celeriac and truffle soup, a main of pan-fried roots and chestnut cake and a confit pineapple pudding.  

Turkey was not on the menu for paying guests who dined at the estate, the King and Queen Camilla’s private residence in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

At the time, The Prince’s Foundation said the menu offered ‘sustainable dishes characteristic of the Cotswolds’ and drew on ‘the rich larder offered by Highgrove Gardens and many brilliant local farmers and producers’. 

The year before, Highgrove’s Christmas menu included a ballotine of turkey, served with meat from the leg and a cranberry sausage roll.

The King and Queen’s Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire welcomes guests for dinners and gala evenings (Picture: REX, Shutterstock)

Maisie Stedman, a spokesperson for the Vegan Society, said: ‘King Charles has long been an advocate for environmental issues and it would have been great to see more environmentally conscious options on the Christmas menu at Highgrove estate.

‘A vegan diet has been proven to be the most sustainable of all diets, with animal farming accounting for nearly 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector.

‘It would have been fantastic to see a menu that reflected this, with a greater number of clearly labelled plant-based choices.

‘Opting for vegan dishes doesn’t mean compromising on experience or taste, but it is the best choice for both the environment and animals, and we hope to see this taken into consideration on future menus.’ 

While Highgrove’s chefs have not commented on the latest festive offering, the menu was being offered to diners in the Orchard Room at a time when a craze for all things vegan appears to be ebbing.  

Preparations for King Charles III’s 75th birthday party at Highgrove Gardens in Tetbury (Picture: Chris Jackson/PA Wire)

In December last year, Pret A Manager closed half of its vegetarian and vegan-only stores on the grounds that many customers don’t consider themselves ‘full-time veggies’. 

Nestle followed suit by pulling two of its plant-based brands from stores in the UK due to a lack of demand.

The food and beverage giant said that ‘establishing and scaling’ the products would take ‘a longer period of time than originally anticipated’. 

Meat alternatives on the shelves of Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose shrunk by 10% between September and March 2023, according to research by the Grocer.  

While Highgrove’s chefs prepare the dishes, the estate is closely tied to the King’s beliefs and vision, with a picture of the crown appearing above this year’s menu. His Majesty goes two days each week without meat, and one without dairy.

The more traditional offering appears to have been a hit, with bookings sold out at the estate, where the last seatings were on Friday. 

Another change is the price of two courses, which rose from £37.50 last year to £39.50 this festive season. 

Metro.co.uk has approached Highgrove for comment.

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The festive menu at Highgrove has no sign of the veganism that was offered up last year.