Wanted: one sous chef for the Queen THE conditions stated in the job ad might not be that hot with a salary of 23,000 pounds ($35,000) a year for 45 hours a week in the kitchen but there are perks: cooking dinner for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. The ad on the official palace website says the applicant should if possible have a "good understanding of kitchen French." It leaves no doubt too that the cuisine must be haute. "The post-holder has contact with members of the Royal family, their guests, all levels of household staff and employees at the private residences," the ad says. From state banquets for 200 to lunches for two; and from canap receptions for 800 to staff restaurant meals; our chefs prepare it all to the same exceptional standards. The job is primarily based at Buckingham Palace, the main residence of the 87-year-old monarch, but the successful applicant will also spend about three months a year away from the British capital at other royal residences. Accommodation is provided, the ad says, although it does not specify whether that would be at the palace itself. Candidates should have "substantial" experience from a five-star culinary establishment, previous experience of fine dining and a "good knowledge of classical French cuisine." They must also be "proficient in all four sections of the kitchen: larder, veg, sauce and pastry." A previous royal chef revealed last year the job doesn't just involve state banquets, though. Darren McGrady, who worked at Buckingham Palace for 15 years, said that in private the Queen likes the breakfast cereal Special K, jam sandwiches and chocolate cake, while her favourite lunch was Dover sole. In the evening the Queen is famously partial to a "zaza," a cocktail of one part gin and two parts Dubonnet, well-shaken.