Michelle has her lunch party

While her husband had put leaders of the G-8 nations through a tight schedule at Camp David, the US First Lady Michelle Obama treated their spouses to a sumptuous lunch prepared with produce from her kitchen garden at the White House.

The lunch menu included: gazpacho, Maryland rockfish with local asparagus, grapefruit, Virginia berries, greens from the White House Garden and caramelised olive oil.

The lunch was prepared by Chef Jose Andres.

Before the lunch, Michelle wearing a deep purple dress with a floral brooch, led the tour group into the East Room and pointed out the window. The tour was guided by White House Curator Bill Allman.

Among the all women spouses club, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's husband, Professor Joachim Sauer, was conspicuous by his absence. Allman also led the group to a portrait of Martha Washington and one of former president George Washington.

All of the guests appeared interested and moved in to look closely at the George Washington portrait when Allman pointed out that a word was misspelled on the leg of a table in the portrait.