We all have our particular favourites when it comes to dining. For example this writer is fond of lamb dishes; always look out for shellfish options at restaurants and counts bread and butter pudding as (probably) the best thing created since sliced bread. Conversely, aubergines and overly green dishes are given a wide berth

It is the same for everybody, and now, as it transpires, the likes and dislikes of some of the most powerful and influential people in the world have slipped out and now the world knows their dining secrets. As it turns out, there is little culinary common ground between myself and Queen Elizabeth II.

“Whilst politics can divide people, good food always brings them back together.”

Members of the Le Club des Chefs des Chefs met in London recently and during their soiree some they spilled some beans on the dining habits of their clientele. Founded in 1977, the group cook for the prime ministers and heads of state of the world.

“The only dietary requirement was no shellfish,” said Rosaleen McBride about the Queen. Serving up gourmet food to the Irish presidents since the 1980’s, McBride was tasked with cooking for the Queen during her historic state visit three years ago and used her contacts in this privileged gastro-club to find out what should be served and what should be omitted from the menu.

No shellfish for the Queen but what about the Duke of Edinburgh? Apparently, he prefers beer at lunchtime rather than wine.

The group is vital to those who prepare luxurious banquets and cater for state occasions. As the military strategist and diplomat Charles Maurice de Tallerand-Perigord once told Napoleon: “Give me a good chef and I shall give you good treaties.” The idea is clear: a bad meal could not only cost them their jobs, but they could also sour relations and negotiations as well.

“We have a chef language, so instead of their people telling us what to do, all I have to do is call up the chef in that country and say ‘hey, tell me more!’”, says Cristeta, who is the personal chef for Barack Obama.

But whilst a fondness for foie gras and an aversion to cheese and artichokes gets discussed, it turns out that the late President Mandela loved his home comforts.

“The thing about Mr Mandela,” begins Hilton Little, the personal chef to the president of South Africa, “was that he liked his home comforts.”

“He liked his stews and oxtail like his mother used to make. Every time he said I’d cooked something like his mother would have, I knew my job was safe for another year!”