A PRESTON chef who cooked for the Queen 20 years ago is waiting for the call from Buckingham Palace to cook a second royal treat as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Peter Stead was working as chief civilian chef at the Fulwood Barracks, Preston, when he was asked to prepare a no-expenses-spared feast for Her Majesty in 1979.

So Peter, who works in the catering and hospitality department at Preston College, pulled out all the stops and used local ingredients for the meal and a further buffet for more than 2,500 people. Lucky youngsters from Preston College stood in as waiters.

Now the Queen is set to visit Preston again, on Monday, August 5, and Peter -- who left school at 14 to work at the former Stott's Bakery in Rippon Street, Preston -- is waiting to hear whether his cooking skills will be needed a second time.

Peter, 53, of Fulwood Heights, said: "The Queen came to town in 1979 present the colours to the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and we prepared the food which included Morecambe Bay shrimps and a veal main course.

"The meal itself was quite a big job, then we prepared the buffet. It was the first time I have cooked and not had any financial constraints. It cost a lot of money -- at least a few thousand pounds."