Charles jokes as he and Camilla sample best of Cuban produce

The Prince of Wales found himself at a “rum do” when he was put to work grinding sugar cane for its juice.

Charles quipped “cheap labour” after he agreed to operate a small hand mill which crushed the cane during the final day of his historic visit to Cuba – but soon found it hard going.

He laughed as he struggled to wind the handle and said “that’s a long piece of sugar cane” as it slowly moved into the jaws of the machine.

After his efforts had produced around half a pint of sugary liquid, the heir to the throne asked: “Can you put rum in it?” and was soon sipping his efforts with an added shot of the famous Caribbean drink.

The heir to the throne joked before trying the impromptu cocktail, saying “I’ve come to a rum do.”

The Duchess of Cornwall had joined her husband’s visit to the paladar, or private restaurant in Havana, where some of Cuba’s best produce, from traditional dishes given a modern twist to Cuban comfort food, was on display.

Before the trip, Camilla had said she was not sure about Cuban food and the event was set up following her comments.

She nibbled on goats cheese flavoured with ginger and said: “I’ve never had cheese with ginger – very good.”

The duchess later promised to send her food writer son Tom Parker Bowles to Cuba to write about the country’s cuisine.

Before leaving, Charles and Camilla were given a lesson in how to make a mojito from Diana Figueroa, who runs the bar at the restaurant Jibaro.

“Am I doing it the right way?” Charles asked as he muddled the mint, rum, lime juice and simple syrup.

“It gets up my nose,” joked Charles.

Then, as he lifted his glass to have a taste, he turned to the watching media and said: “Aren’t you all envious?”

Camilla was so taken with the cocktail she asked for the recipe.

Ms Figueroa said of the couple’s mojito-making skills: “They were good students. They did everything I said. They muddled the mint really well. It was really nice. They were so happy. They said they had not tried mojito since they had been in Cuba.

As Charles and Camilla left the Habanera restaurant, which staged the event, the prince said to Lis Cuesta Peraza, the wife of Cuba’s president who had joined them: “Will you give my fondest regards to your husband, and say how grateful we are for his generosity and hospitality? We will never forget it.”

Afterwards Ariel Causa, a director of Alamesa, a company which promotes the Cuban restaurant industry, said the couple had the chance to experience Cuban cuisine, adding: “The prince was very interested in the black bean croquettes. He actually took a bag to go.”

He added: “They were exposed to the multicultural character and evolution of our cuisine. That fills me with joy.”