Queen Elizabeth adhered to a daily teatime meal; her preference for delicate sandwiches with the crusts cut off was well-publicized. Her favorite version was reported to be smoked salmon with cream cheese. If the old adage is true, one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.
The Queen preferred grilled fish or chicken, served simply with vegetables. She generally skipped starches like potatoes, grains, or rice during her evening meal.
According to Chef Darren McGrady, who served as the personal chef to the royals for 15 years, the queen was very fond of a Sunday roast (via British Heritage). Sunday roast is a long-standing British tradition that is still enjoyed today, whether at home or down at the pub.
Queen Elizabeth's menu preferences
Lunch began with a nip from a gin and Dubonnet cocktail followed by a light protein. The Queen avoided heavy foods during her midday meal and often enjoyed a Dover Sole filet on spinach or grilled chicken with a salad.
The Queen was said to have four meals a day but only eat small portions at each. She began her day with a cup of Earl Grey tea (Fortnum and Mason, and Twinings are thought to have been favoured) and a biscuit followed by a bowl of Special K, poured from an airtight Tupperware container to keep the cereal crunchy.
Darren, who also worked at Kensington Palace for four years, said of the Queen's savoury choices: "For a main course she loved game, things like Gaelic steak, fillet steak with a mushroom whisky sauce, especially if we did it with venison. The former royal chef revealed the Queen loves chocolate!
The way her four drinks are spaced out throughout the day is not really how we would have anticipated it, but maybe—likely—the Queen knows something we don't. Three drinks before the end of lunch . . . and then a break until bedtime: the key to success and longevity and happiness?
The queen has a number of people on staff who cook for her and there aren't any reports that she has ever had to make her meals herself. But she does prepare her own breakfast. For the most important meal of the day, the monarch eats cereal and fetches it herself.
For breakfast she keeps things simple. Royal biographer, Katie Nicholl, has previously said: "HRH typically starts with a simple cup of tea and biscuits, followed by a bowl of cereal." (The Guardian previously reported she likes to keep it in Tupperware to preserve its freshness.)
In England, cookies or crackers are called biscuits. A piece in Hello! revealed that her all-time favorite biscuits were Chocolate Bath Olivers which are crunchy cookies enrobed in chocolate. These treats are kind of a pre-breakfast.
According to the royal chef Darren, "Her favourite dish was bell peppers stuffed with zucchini, mushrooms, rice, garlic topped with Parmesan and mozzarella and finished with a smoked tomato and pepper sauce."
What did the Queen eat for dinner? The monarch's supper tastes were varied and include a combination of meat or fish and vegetables. "For a main course she loved game, things like Gaelic steak, fillet steak with a mushroom whisky sauce, especially if we did it with venison," Darren has revealed.
According to an interview McGrady gave to the DailyMail, the Queen hated garlic and forbade dishes containing the ingredient from being served at any table she was seated at. However, just as some royal family members love shellfish even though Her Majesty avoids it, the Queen's husband was a big fan of garlic.
Starches like pasta or potatoes
As Elizabeth's chef Darren McGrady told The Telegraph, the monarch avoided these ingredients in order to keep fit. McGrady explained, "When she dines on her own, she's very disciplined. No starch is the rule. No potatoes, rice, or pasta for dinner.
chocolate biscuit cake from the British royal kitchen
Chocolate biscuit cake is Queen Elizabeth's favorite cake ~ she would take a small slice every day with her tea, until the cake was finished, and then she'd start on a fresh one!
The Queen "is absolutely a chocoholic" according to former royal chef Darren McGrady. From delighting in her favourite chocolate truffles to tucking into afternoon tea every day, the monarch is no stranger to indulgence. HELLO!
Reports are conflicting, but her former staff have cited her partiality to Darjeeling tea, as well as Assam and Earl Grey, with no sugar. If you're wondering what cereal The Queen ate, her choice was apparently Kellogg's Special K, although she also dabbled with Quaker Oats and Weetabix.
Queen Elizabeth II has eaten jam sandwiches every day since she was a toddler, according to her former private chef. Darren McGrady claims on his YouTube channel that the monarch favours a strawberry preserve made from fruits picked in her Balmoral Castle grounds in Scotland.
Yes, she sure does! Devoted mum-of-three Kate has spoken of her love of cooking several times – indeed, it's quite a hobby for her. In 2012, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told Vanity Fair of the Duchess: "In the evenings she indulges her hobby of cooking William's favourite supper, roast chicken."
The Queen. Very rarely does Her Majesty dine out. If she does, it's for special occasions and events only.
As the monarch of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, you'd expect the Queen's eating habits to be pretty strict, with numerous personal chefs who wine and dine her during every hour of the day. However, it turns out that Queen Elizabeth is just like everyone else and enjoys a takeaway now and again.
Queen Elizabeth II has eaten jam sandwiches every day since she was a toddler, according to her former private chef. Darren McGrady claims on his YouTube channel that the monarch favours a strawberry preserve made from fruits picked in her Balmoral Castle grounds in Scotland.
At lunch, the queen used to have a piece of chocolate and a glass of wine after she was done with her meal. The queen also had dry gin martini and this secret was revealed by her cousin Margaret Rhodes. And finally, the queen had her last drink of the day, a glass of champagne before she went to bed.
In addition to her gin and Dubonnet combo, the Queen also occasionally enjoys a sweet, German wine with her dinner. “Just in the evening,” McGrady said. “She certainly doesn't drink four glasses a day.”
The royals like a drink now and again too, with several of the prestigious family revealing their favourite alcoholic beverages over the years. From a crisp gin and tonic to a classic pint of beer, take a look at what Her Majesty the Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge and more royals sip at home…