The Princess of Wales was seen eating cake and chatting with women during an outing to the National Federation of Women's Institute on Thursday, which gave Kate the perfect opportunity to open up about her own baking skills – and she was totally self-deprecating! While Kate tucked into a slice of chocolate chip cookie cake, the Prince of Wales helped himself to a chocolate brownie and a piece of orange and Campari cake before being introduced to the women who made them.
William was quick to shower the brownie (and the baker) with praise, adding: "And I know my brownies", while his wife quipped knowingly: "William is very fussy about it." The reason for the prince's praise? The fact that the brownie didn't contain nuts. "Never put nuts in a brownie," insisted, which prompted Kate to joke: "I had to learn the hard way." The royal couple has previously opened up about their cooking skills and their dietary preferences, but it seems nuts in brownies are a major no-no, even when lovingly added by his wife.
© Getty"Many people are not so keen on nuts because of their harder texture that might contrast too much with the softness of desserts such as brownies, as well as changing the intensity of the chocolate taste of the brownie," Lucia Stansbie, registered nutritional therapist, tells us. That said, if you can stomach them, nuts are a beneficial addition to brownies - even if they don't get the royal seal of approval!
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images"Nuts can be a healthy addition to brownies, as they are a source of healthy fats as well as some proteins, which are greatly lacking in desserts such as brownies," Lucia adds. "Nuts can also be a source of vitamins and minerals, with Brazil nuts being a great source of selenium, pistachios being a source of potassium, and walnuts being rich in omega-3 fatty acids." This is something former royal chef, Darren McGrady, would have known when he made brownies for William and Harry. He used to make them with espresso, which he said "supercharged" the boys and would have gotten him in "big trouble" with their nanny if she found out. Though William might not be a fan of Kate's brownies (unless they are nut-free, of course), he's not the only culinary critic in the Wales household.
© GettyKate critiques William's cooking
The mother-of-three has previously spoken about the meal William made her during the early days of their relationship when they were both students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Chatting with British national treasure Mary Berry while filming A Berry Royal Christmas for the BBC, Kate remembered: "He used to cook all sorts of meals. I think that's when he was trying to impress me, Mary. Things like Bolognese sauce, and things like that."
© Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryHowever, William has previously spoken about his kitchen disasters while trying to woo his future wife. "When I was trying to impress Kate I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners, and what would happen is I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire and she would be sitting in the background trying to help and basically taking control of the whole situation… so I was quite glad she was there at the time," William recalled.
