A delighted Queen Camilla accepted at her Surry Hills restaurant this morning the “most prestigious order” ever awarded by Australian food rescue charity OzHarvest – an order for a spoon.
A small silver crown brooch on the end of a small spoon was presented to the Queen as she sat down to lunch at OzHarvest’s Refettorio restaurant with regulars who came for a free vegetarian lunch made from rescued food.
When OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn opened the box to reveal the brooch on the table and present his “most prestigious order,” everyone in the small dining room let out a loud ooh and aah.
Sign up for The Nightly newsletter.
Get your digital first look at the newspaper, handpicked daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing, you agree to our Conditions AND Privacy Policy.
“I will wear it with pride,” the Queen said with a smile.
Kahn says the spoon represents the power of random acts of kindness. It is a symbol of the 20-year-old food rescue campaign, which aims to solve hunger by saving good food that would otherwise be wasted.
Explaining her philosophy to the Queen, Kahn told the fire she had a choice: “You can run away, she said, or you can write an angry letter to the media. Or you can grab a bucket. If there is no bucket, someone could grab a jug of water. If that doesn’t help, take a teaspoon.
“And yes, I know that a teaspoon is little and the fire is huge, but there are millions of us and each of us has a teaspoon,” Kahn said.
When the Queen asked what would be for lunch, Kahn replied that the menu consisted of perfectly good food that had passed its sell-by date and would otherwise go to waste. It consisted of crispy potato hash made from rescued potatoes with preserved peponata donated by New South Wales farmers.
After being greeted by His Excellency Simeon Beckett SC, barrister and husband of Australia’s Governor-General Sam Mostyn, the Queen put on a yellow OzHarvest apron and entered the tiny kitchen, smaller than those in most Australian homes.
Queen Camilla helps prepare meals at Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney. Loan: Swimming pool/Getty Images
Before lunch, the Queen tried to help chef Jez Berwick select nasturtium petals and other flowers to decorate the meals.
When Berwick told her they were preparing 500 meals a week, delivering lunch to 100 people suffering from food insecurity every day, the Queen seemed stunned.
“Every day?” Her Majesty asked.
“Every day,” Berwick confirmed.
Dressed in a blue gown designed by English designer Fiona Clare, the Queen spoke to two of Australia’s most famous chefs supporting OzHarvest – Peter Gilmore, founder of Quay and Bennelong restaurants, and Matt Moran, owner of 13 restaurants in Sydney, including Aria and Chiswick Gardens.
Queen Camilla in the diner. Loan: Swimming pool/Getty Images
She met with OzHarvest’s chairman, Lawrence Goldstone, and its CEO, James Goth, and warmly welcomed volunteers.
Traveling alone without King Charles on Tuesday morning, she visited OzHarvest, Australia’s largest food rescue operation, for the second time. After her first visit in 2015, the Queen became patron of UKHarvest.
When she left, Crown Street was packed with royal fans and police cars. She stopped to talk to a few people, asking them about themselves. “She’s beautiful,” they shouted in unison as she walked away.
However, her eye was caught by Caesar, a pet parrot belonging to Pierre Gawroński, a frequent visitor to the restaurant. Gawronski – known as the eccentric bird-man of Surry Hills – and the queen took turns trying to greet the parrot.
Finally, Caesar took up the challenge and said hello. And with these words the queen said goodbye.