What Eton students eat as Prince George starts at £65,000-a-year school
George, Prince of Wales, is following in his famous father’s footsteps by officially enrolling at Eton College in Berkshire, having arrived for the new school year today (8 September).
The elite boarding school has taught 20 British prime ministers and various members of the royal family, including William, Prince of Wales; his younger brother Harry, Duke of Sussex; and their uncle, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer.
Situated close to the 13-year-old’s family home in Windsor, Eton College costs around £65,000 a year.
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It sees students taking all of their meals on campus. Often, specialist chefs even consider their food preferences on so-called ‘Boys’ Choice’ days.
Expert weighs in on Prince George’s enrolment
Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of the Good Schools Guide, said that Eton College is a no-brainer when it comes to educating the future King of England.
She told Hello! Magazine that Eton ‘very much delivers on the global stage’, remarking that he will probably be ‘rubbing shoulders with the children of the great and the good from all around the world’.
"He's going to be head of the Church of England one day. Chapel is less of a central feature at a lot of schools than it used to be, but it's still a central part of Eton. William was confirmed at Eton and I would expect George to go down the same path,” she continued.
"For me, it was always the obvious choice. It would have been my top pick as an educational consultant."
But what will George eat and drink during his time at the institution? Read on to find out.
Eton College main kitchen
According to the official Eton College blog, the school’s working College Kitchen is the second oldest in England.
“College Kitchens and College Hall have therefore been operating for the purpose of placing meals on tables in the same spaces for over 500 years,” the site continued.
The main kitchen, in operation since the 1440s, was previously upgraded by Ratte Brothers Catering Equipment Limited over a six-month period.
According to the business’s portfolio, four Banquet ovens, three double Frima Bratt pans and walk-in cold and freezer rooms were installed.
As a turnkey project, the interior was also ‘reconfigured to create an open-plan space’, as per the company.
The medieval College Kitchen is located adjacent to College Hall.
In-House and Out-House dining
The school contains 25 Boarding Houses, each accommodating around 55 students.
Almost half of these have in-house dining facilities, including Farrer House and Baldwin’s Bec.
According to Bonas MacFarlane, London’s leading provider of tutors, in-house dining fosters ‘a close-knit community, as boys share meals together, enhancing camaraderie and a sense of belonging’.
It’s understood that the menu at these houses may be ‘more limited’ compared to the central facility, Bekynton, which 11 of the houses rely on.
What diners at Bekynton eat
Established in the 1970s, the hall provides breakfast, lunch and supper for around 650 students, Housemasters, Dames, and other masters seven days per week.
Bekynton also houses the Masters Common Room, which has its own 70-cover dining room, bar and private dining rooms.
The hall is also used as a base to cater for all of the college’s sports requirements and a significant proportion of the hospitality around the College campus.
Up until 2022, catering company Sodexo used the @2EatEton social media account to share various images of what food was being served in Bekynton.
Offerings included sticky Korean cauliflower, Greek-inspired Lamb Kleftiko served with pitta breads, tzatziki and crunchy lettuce, and classic Sunday dinner items such as roast chicken, stuffing, gravy, bread sauce.
The account also shared a peek of what Eton kids were once served for their early Christmas dinner.
Juicy pigs in blankets, cuts of turkey, mini mince pies, stollen, and individually wrapped gingerbread men were on display.
Snaps of fish tacos, buffalo chicken and blue cheese dip, pasta, and hog roast rolls were also previously shared to the now-dormant account.
Alcohol rules at Eton College
When Prince George is in his final two years of Eton College he will be allowed to visit Rowland’s Tap.
The on-site pub sells food and alcoholic drinks to Sixth Form students who are of drinking age.
A day in the life of an Eton chef
Morning shift
Eton College’s official careers site states that there are around 202 catering staff employed at any one time, with a ‘normal’ morning shift starting at around 7am.
Breakfast for the boarders is first on the agenda for catering assistants and chefs followed by ‘chambers’, AKA a snack at around 11.30am.
According to Hello! Magazine, this may be anything from biscuits to iced buns and burgers.
Lunch is usually served at 1.30pm, with the morning staffers finsihing up for the day around this time.
Evening shift
Kitchen staff working on the evening shift are likely to clock in at 1.30pm and finish up seven hours later at 8.30pm.
“At Eton College, the menu is centralised. It’s already coming from the catering department. We also have a day that on the menu it says ‘Boy’s Choice’,” explained Bertha, a boarding house chef.
Chefs are expected to meet with the students, discover what they want to eat that day, and deliver it later.
As well as day-to-day cooking, culinary experts are expected to cater for ‘special dinners’ and functions, including gala events at Founder’s Day Feasts.
The team are also responsible for taking allergies and intolerances seriously while supporting the wellbeing and nutrition of more than 1,500 students, and sometimes parents and VIP guests.
How much Eton College chefs are paid
According to a recent job posting on the Eton College website, boarding house chefs are expected to work 40 hours over six days for 40.6 weeks of the year.
They are entitled to 5.6 weeks of holiday, which must be used during periods of school holidays. They are also required to work bank holidays that fall within school term periods.
Boarding house chefs are paid around £19.25 per hour, according to the listing.
Front-of-house members working out of Bekynton are likely to receive around £13.45 per hour.
Perks include free use of the sports facilities, enrolling in Eton College’s employee assistance programme, and using the establishment’s exclusive online retail discount platform.
Ella Scott