As Charles ate airline food heading to Australia, I ate like a king in his own stately home

Cumnock, Scotland: Few things in the world raise the hairs on my neck like the sound of bagpipes. And, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t even have Scottish blood.

So arriving, as I did, on a chilly evening at the steps of one of the majestic Georgian stately homes in Scotland to the tune of a piper playing from the rooftop, it hit me right in the feels, to borrow a rather overused idiom.

Dumfries House was designed by renowned 18th-century architect brothers John, Robert and James Adam and built between 1754 and 1759.Credit: Nacho Rivera

It’s dusk at Dumfries House, near Cumnock in East Ayrshire, about 60 kilometres south of Glasgow. Built for William Crichton-Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Dumfries, in 1759, the mansion is home to one of the most treasured interiors of the Scottish Enlightenment. It was saved some years back thanks to a personal intervention by Charles, the then Prince of Wales and now king, who guaranteed a £20 million loan (nearly $40 million today) which was raised by his charitable trust.

As part of a consortium they raised £45 million needed to stop its sale. He fell in love with the home and all of its grand contents, and opened it to the public the following year.

I haven’t come to view the astonishing collection of the finest mid-Georgian, English Rococo and Neoclassical-style furniture from Thomas Chippendale’s fashionable London workshop. Nor am I here in particular to view the magnificent art acquired by the 3rd Earl of Bute, who was prime minister of Great Britain in 1762 under King George III.

I’m here for a dinner fit for a King. Yes, while he was heading to Australia eating commercial airline food, I’ve come for the mother of all 18th-century feasts. A new private dining experience like no other, which allows members of the public the opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal, authentic to the 1700s and served by a traditional butler, in the royal chamber.

Guests can step back in time at a Dumfries House dinner.Credit: FPA London

Today we are the guinea pigs. But rest assured, nothing quite that gamey is on the menu.

When the King visits here, he takes most of his evening meals in the Pink Dining Room, said to be his favourite place in the house. It was here two years ago that he was told his mother, Elizabeth II, was ill.

We have our first glass of champagne in the tapestry room, which was specifically designed to house four Flemish tapestries from the early 18th century. After a strict talking-to about where not to stand, what not to touch and what cannot, under any circumstances, be photographed, we are ushered into the room named after the pink-tinted Rococo plasterwork on its walls and ceiling, inspired by the Roman ruins of Palmyra in Syria.

The 18 candles of the 35 kilogram, 1760 Murano glass chandelier provide a soft light, but the subtle pink hue of the walls can still be appreciated. It was painstakingly reassembled after being found in the basement in more than 100 pieces nearly 20 years ago.

Diners can now enjoy one of King Charles’ favourite spots. Dumfries House belongs to the King’s Foundation. Credit: FPA London

Our menu is based on 300-year-old recipes such as poached salmon, fish soup and manchet bread for starters, followed by roast venison and beef, parmentier potatoes and a juniper sauce. For dessert or as the Britons would call it – pudding – there’s lemon and pistachio syllabub, bread and butter pudding or apple and almond trifle.

On the table is silverware on loan from the Royal Collection. Some of the plates are more than 200 years old. It’s all a bit overwhelming.

Evan Samson, the head of the front-of-house team at Dumfries House, tells me it’s authentic to the 1700s, with traditional butler service – including the meal being served “family-style”. The menu, he says, was researched and prepared by executive chef Tom Scoble. It reflects the culinary fashions typical of country houses in that age.

The writer (back right) among the dinner guests.Credit: FPA London

“There’s a lot documented on 18th-century dining and what would have been in style, also what would have been available,” says Samson. “I think what we try and balance is thinking of the time of year to make sure we’re authentic, we’re locally sourced. We didn’t want to lose that fact.

“I wish I could be a fly on the wall at one of those dinners from the 18th century to see exactly how everything went on. And so many people come to the house, and it just provokes your imagination to go around and to imagine them having drinks in the drawing room and having dinner in the pink dining room and moving through to the drawing room for coffee.”

But here’s a warning, it’s £375 ($740) a head. Proceeds from the dining experiences will be used to support the work of the charitable Kings’ Foundation, which provides practical education courses for more than 15,000 students every year. It trains the next generation of skilled craftsmen and women in heritage techniques essential to many traditional UK industries, including fashion and textiles.

It’s all very over the top. But it’s a magical evening. If you find yourself this way, and have the spare cash, you must try it. Why should it only be Charles and Camilla who eat like kings and queens?

The writer was a guest of The Kings Foundation and Dumfries House.

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