Queen Victoria approved her favorite blend of black teas in 1876--enjoyed ever since by those who appreciate the especially pleasing flavor and aroma. Blend of Keemun and Yunnan.
Frogmore became a favourite place for the Queen for tea. There are numerous references in the Queen's journals of her taking tea regularly at Frogmore, often outdoors under the trees whilst she worked in a tent near the house, or of breakfasting there.
Queen Victoria's favourite tea is recorded as Earl Grey tea, a China black tea infused with Oil of Bergamot, and served with her favourite shortbread biscuits.
Her favourite drink was a wine called Vin Mariani…
Ads for Vin Mariani claimed it would restore strength, energy and vitality. Apparently, Victoria agreed.
Brew in near boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Best served without milk.
After famously sharing the royal scone recipe, Buckingham Palace then moved onto her favourite sponge cake. They said: “The Victoria Sponge was named after Queen Victoria, who regularly ate a slice of sponge cake with her tea, each afternoon!
But she doesn't arrive on an empty stomach. In fact, Elizabeth indulges before her morning bath every morning at 7:30. Once she's up, Queen Elizabeth II enjoys a pot of hot Earl Grey tea, alongside some tea biscuits. Like most U.K. residents, she takes her tea sans sugar, but doesn't mind adding a little milk.
Elizabeth II was known to love a Dubonnet, a French drink by Pernod Ricard which combines fortified wine with herbs and spices – so much so that she gave it a Royal Warrant in November 2021. She preferred a cocktail of two parts Dubonnet to one part gin, garnished with lemon.
Following entrees chilled champagne, a favourite with the ladies, might be served. But it wasn't all alcohol in the Victorian home. Lemonade, root beer, hot tea and, yes, Perrier that had recently being introduced, were all popular beverages.
As noted in Food & Wine magazine, Queen Elizabeth II's preferred mixed drink was a gin & Dubonnet cocktail (it was the favorite of the Queen Mother's as well).
Among the preferred teas of the wealthy were high-quality Ceylon and Assam leaf blends. Milk and sugar were not added to the tea in order to preserve the tea's natural flavor. Slices of lemon were sometimes used, however, because lemons were sold at a high-price point and associated with wealth.
For upper class Victorians, afternoon tea was light meal served between lunch, at noon, and supper, at 8 pm. When you hosted an afternoon tea, it would include sweet treats like cookies, candies and cakes, as well as sandwiches, fruits and nuts.
A Victorian tea menu consisted of finger sandwiches (cucumber sandwiches were a common feature), and assorted sweets such as scones, cakes and other pastries. Beverages included teas and lemonade. To accompany the tea, lemon slices, cream and sugar were placed on the table.
Grant went on to note that the Queen always adds milk to the cup after the tea because it is the "proper" way of doing things. "Since the 18th century, the 'proper' way of brewing tea has been to serve tea before milk, and this is something that the British royals adhere to,” he said.
Those fancy foods may satisfy other members of the royal family tree, but when it came to afternoon tea they were firmly on the list of foods Queen Elizabeth wouldn't eat. Turns out, the queen's preferred afternoon tea was one of her favorite childhood snacks—and she ate it every day since she was a toddler.
Breakfast tended to be a large meal and would have included ham, eggs, bacon, bread and fish. This was followed by a light lunch and afternoon tea. The evening meal was the main meal of the day and had many different courses. Wealthy Victorian families would often throw large dinner parties.
The modern breakfast
In the early years of the Victorian era breakfast would have consisted, if you could afford it, of cold meats, cheese and beer. In time this was replaced by porridge, fish, eggs and bacon - the "full English".
The meal varied from house to house and for tea at a nearby farm, 'there were fried ham and eggs, cakes and scones and stewed plums and cream, jam and jelly and junket. '... Even for the very poor, tea with bread provided the evening's nourishment... High tea was not exclusively a working-class meal.
The Queen preferred grilled fish or chicken, served simply with vegetables. She generally skipped starches like potatoes, grains, or rice during her evening meal. What is this?
The former royal chef Darren McGrady has previously reported that the British sovereign was a fan of gin - especially a dry martini - but that her favourite tipple of all is this simple, two-ingredient cocktail: the gin and Dubonnet.
Favourite afternoon treat 'by far'
Little less known was her love of chocolate biscuit cake, typically returning to nibble on it until the entire cake was finished, according to Chef Darren McGrady, her former personal chef. He told Hello!
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.
Tea and biscuits
A piece in Hello! revealed that her all-time favorite biscuits were Chocolate Bath Olivers which are crunchy cookies enrobed in chocolate.
OVERVIEW. This beautiful black tea was said to be one of Princess Diana's favourite teas, the Emperor Rose Congou is a blend of black teas from India and China layered 5 times with Rose Petals.
The Buckingham Palace Garden Party Tea from English Tea Store is flavoury, medium bodied tea with delicate Earl Grey and Jasmine notes. Perfect as a light afternoon tea. Every May, the Queen holds a garden party at Buckingham Palace, a lovely English springtime tradition.