Shiver me timbers! G7 leaders to listen to sea shanties on a Cornwall beach with Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson’s plan to woo some of the most powerful world leaders at the G7 summit will be aided by a group of musical Cornish seamen on Saturday night.
World leaders will be treated to a beach BBQ after the second day of the G7 summit in Cornwall, before settling down to listen to a group of men singing sea shanties.
Downing Street said the world leaders will sit around fire pits on the beach, while being served roasted marshmallows and buttered rum as they watch the Cornish sea shanty group.
The BBQ will be cooked by Hidden Hut chef Simon Stallard, with scallops, crab claws and mackerel to start and seared Moorland sirloin, lobsters, scorched leek and Cornish potato chips for the main course.
There is a long and storied history of sea shanties in Cornwall, with the songs used hundreds of years ago to keep seamen in rhythm on ships.
Sea shanties still make up a part of the cultural landscape for the region, with Falmouth hosting the International Sea Shanty Festival each year.
The musical genre re-gained popularity last year, after videos of Scottish postman Nathan Evans singing ancient sea shanties went viral on TikTok.
The online trend spawned countless memes, imitations and remixes as the country was plunged into a lockdown over winter.
The three-day G7 summit will take place at the luxurious Carbis Bay resort in Cornwall starting on Friday.
Leaders will have a reception with Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family on Friday night, before having dinner cooked by chef Emily Scott from Watergate Bay Hotel.
They will be served spiced melon, gazpacho, coconut, high note herbs to start and turbot roasted on the bone with Cornish new potatoes and wild garlic pesto with greens from the local Padstow kitchen gardens for the main course.