British canapes for royal wedding guests

Guests at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding will be treated to canapes made from the best of British produce.

Buckingham Palace chef Mark Flanagan and his 21-string team are in charge of feeding the 600 guest invited to the April 29 nuptials and while he is keeping the menu a secret, he is fully aware the food must live up to expectations.

He said: "At any large event we are always conscious of trying to make sure we uphold people's expectations when they come to Buckingham Palace. For a lot of people it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. From the kitchen side of things, we try to encourage everybody to make sure no guest goes away saying, 'Wasn't it amazing ... but the food wasn't up to par.' That's not what we'd like.

"Any canape event is all about fine detail at the last minute. So there's lots we would like to do earlier but we really can't do until we see the guests coming into the room."

The reception - which is being hosted by William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth - will take place at Buckingham Place following a service at Westminster Abbey and the rooms being used will be the white drawing room, music room, blue drawing room, state dining room and the picture gallery, where the wedding cake will be displayed.

Details of Prince Charles' evening reception for 300 remain top secret.