Royal chef wanted to create food fit for the Queen: Buckingham Palace advertises for £23,000-a-year cook with 'passion for food' Chef will be based at Palace but spend three months at other residences Will cook everything from state banquets to lunch for two 'Good understanding of kitchen French' also required The successful sous chef would help prepare everything from a Royal state banquet to lunch for the Queen at Balmoral She may be known for her surprisingly simple tastes in food but the Queen still needs chefs who can cook to the highest standard. Buckingham Palace is advertising for a sous chef who will help prepare everything from state banquets to lunches for two at the Royal residences. Candidates for the £23,000-a-year position should have experience of working within a five star catering operation and 'have a real passion for food', the advertisement says. The chef will be based at Buckingham Palace but be prepared to travel to the Queen's other residences - including Balmoral - for three months of the year. A 'good understand of kitchen French' is also desired for the role that comes with accommodation and involves a 45 hour week. Candidates must also have a City and Guilds catering qualification or equivalent. 'From state banquets for 200 to lunches for two; and from canape receptions for 800 to staff restaurant meals; our chefs prepare it all to the same exceptional standards,' says the job advert on the Royal website. In this hands-on position you will help to lead and train the junior chefs to deliver quality fresh food to the highest standards, and you will also take charge of the kitchen operation when working from smaller kitchens and when deputising for senior colleagues. Although primarily based at Buckingham Palace, you will also work as part of a team at other Royal residences throughout the UK, spending a total of approximately three months away from London. The successful candidate will also have 'contact with members of the Royal family', the advert states. The sous chef would join a team of Palace cooks, such as Royal Demi Chef De Partie, Shaun Mason (pictured) The chef will also need to 'travel on duty to other kitchens in the UK and abroad as required, ensuring that these kitchens are organised and operated to the same level of expertise and diligence required in the main Royal Kitchen.' Special K, jam sandwiches and chocolate cake are some of The Queen's favourite foods, according to her former personal chef. Darren McGrady, who worked at the Buckingham Palace kitchens for fifteen years, last year revealed that away from the spotlight the 87-year-old British Monarch is a woman of simple tastes. While she feasts on elaborate dishes at state banquets, when at home she enjoys uncomplicated cuisine. The advert states the sous chef role would include state banquets for 200 and canape receptions for 800 Mr McGrady said that she traditionally starts the day with a light breakfast followed by lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, topped off with a generous gin and Dubonnet before bedtime. A typical lunch, served at 1pm, would be fish, such as a grilled Dover sole, placed on a bed of wilted spinach. Then there would be afternoon tea of cakes, scones and sandwiches using de-crusted bread. Honey sponge, ginger cake and the chocolate biscuit recipe that Prince William chose to be served at his wedding reception were the top sweet treats and Mr McGrady would also rustle up his special Chocolate Perfection Pie. Dinner would often be venison or salmon from Balmoral and white peaches from Windsor Castle. Applications for the sous chef post close on October 6.