Culinary celebrity Colin Capon has cooked his way around the world serving royalty and presidents - but it's his edible insects that have really set tongues wagging.

As a chef in the Royal Air Force, Mr Capon cooked for Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher at the British Embassy in Washington and was personal chef to King Hussein of Jordan.

He became a favourite at Buckingham Palace and baked the Queen Mother's 80th birthday cake.

However, after 24 years pampering the rich and famous, he decided to cast aside his career in the RAF in 1984. Now he creates authentic dishes for BBC period dramas and blockbuster movies.

Most recently he was commissioned to create edible insects for actor Oliver Reed to munch in the film Gladiator.

Unfortunately, Oliver Reed died before the film was completed. He never had a chance to sample Mr Capon's sugary delicacies which masqueraded as crunchy locusts and cicadas.

Mr Capon, who lives in Seaford, said: "I joined the RAF as a chef at 15 and absolutely loved it. I travelled around the world and was able to meet so many interesting people."

He spent three years at the British Embassy in Washington and cooked for visiting world leaders and politicians including Jimmy Carter. Mr Capon, 56, got to know the favourite dishes of the likes of King Hussein of Jordan at his palace near Ascot and discovered the Prince of Wales was not a fan of anchovies.

His cakes became so sought after he was invited to create a culinary masterpiece for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

At 40 he had reached the peak of his career. He was the British team captain for the Culinary Olympics and won gold medals for his skills. He said: "It was terribly rewarding seeing all these important people enjoying the food I had created but by this point I needed to find a greater challenge."

With the backing of his wife Auriel, a nurse, he gave up his career in the RAF. Now he travels the world giving personal appearances and has forged a career as a chef specialising in period food. He created Regency banquets for the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.

In Clarissa, starring actor Sean Bean, Mr Capon served authentic 18th Century food, including fish heads.

During the filming of the BBC's Ivanhoe, he had to trim the tail off a peacock and spray it grey in order to create an authentic partridge.

Other shows he has worked on include the comedy You Rang, M'Lord?, starring Jeffrey Holland and Sue Pollard.

Mr Capon said: "Even though you have to pay attention to every detail, I get to be so much more creative now. You can spend up to three weeks creating a banquet scene as everything has to be authentic and edible.

"When I see the finished production with characters dressed in authentic clothes, in a period house eating a banquet that I have created, it is all worth it."

Mr Capon, who still cooks for royalty around the world, admitted he harboured a dream of having his own TV show.