Donald Trump state banquet: The hidden messages weaved into the menu

To start, a Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad. Curiously enough, Hampshire is known as the UK’s “capital of watercress farming” — is there a train station bearing this legend? There should be — while panna cotta nods obviously to Italy, and to broad influence of Italian cooking on British diets. The shortbread, meanwhile, is a neat reference to Scotland. A smart choice, this, given Trump’s well-reported fondness for the country. Interestingly, Parmesan shortbread is a foodstuff most commonly associated with Nigella Lawson, herself something of a British national treasure. Moreover, the dish feels light and modern; this is not a dodgy game pie or something doused in blood sauce. In this way, it feels like a reflection of the direction King Charles is taking the monarchy; he is not a king tethered to traditions he sees as out of date.