A FORMER pastry chef to the Queen will talk about his life in the palace kitchens at an event in Rawdon this month.

Colin Alderson will reminisces about his travels with the Queen and the meals he has prepared for her at Buckingham Palace, Windsor, Sandringham, Balmoral and on the Royal Yacht.

Colin will take a light-hearted look at his five years in the royal household where he was head pastry chef.

After leaving Scarborough Technical College, with qualifications as a chef, Colin worked in the Yorkshire Dales where his parents had a farm. After a short time in army catering at Catterick, he worked at Bolton Castle in Wensleydale. While at Bolton Castle he applied for a job as Chef to the Royal Household.

A spokesman for Aireborough Civic Society said: “When he was appointed to work at Buckingham Palace, this opened up a whole new world to the young chef from Yorkshire.

“This is a fascinating presentation and the audiences simply won’t want Colin Alderson to stop. Hear about the preparation it takes to get ready for a State Banquet, making 2,000 canapés and 4,000 lobster tartlets and many more intriguing stories of life in the palace kitchens.

“Colin Alderson who was the Queen’s official pastry chef for five years has cooked for many a royal occasion from banquets and parties for hundreds of people, to simple breakfasts for Queen Elizabeth II herself. He has also seen how Christmas happens in the royal household, including Windsor House, Sandringham Palace and on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Colin’s talk - My Life in the Palace Kitchens - will be given at Rawdon Community Library at 7.30 pm on Thursday, January 31.

Admission is free for Aireborough Civic Society members or £4 for non members. Visitors can join on the night and the fee of £10 will cover six talks in 2019.