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.
Simple cooked meat and vegetables lead the way, with space for pheasant or venison should the Queen wish. Of course, Queen Elizabeth loved a Sunday roast just as much as anyone else. Along with chocolate, the Queen enjoyed some strawberries or peaches for dessert.
And, according to McGrady, while the Queen eats the same breakfast pretty much every day (Earl Grey tea and a bowl of Special K cereal) and opts for simple dishes like grilled chicken or grilled fish (alongside a gin cocktail or the occasional chocolate) for the rest of the day, it's the “jam penny” sandwich that she's ...
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 recipe for Queen Elizabeth's afternoon tea snack was simple: Butter two slices of soft, white bread and slather one in strawberry jam—preferably handmade from Scottish strawberries grown in the gardens of Balmoral Castle, the Queen's summer home in Scotland.
Does the Queen ever cook for herself? McGrady says that while Prince Philip was an “amazing chef” and regularly enjoyed cooking on the grill and having family BBQs on the Balmoral estate, and the younger royals like William, Kate, Meghan and Harry, all enjoy cooking, the Queen herself stays out of the kitchen.
Jam pennies
From the age of 5, Elizabeth was served these in her nursery and they apparently remained a favourite for 90 years. Essentially, these are just jam sandwiches – but we think we'll call them “pennies” from now on too. Alternatively, you could try these little shortbread versions instead?
What was Queen Elizabeth's favorite food? As a young girl, Princess Elizabeth's favorite food was jam pennies–tiny, crustless sandwiches made with white bread, strawberry jam, and butter. The affinity for these little finger sandwiches extended into her adult life and throughout her reign.
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!
Apparently, she heads to bed at 10.30pm each evening in order to get a good night's sleep. The bling is stunning, obviously. Regular exercise is also said to help with sleep and Kate leads an active lifestyle, often talking about how she loves to get outdoors – it's thought that she runs or walks every day.
Her Majesty favoured brown eggs
Dinner at Buckingham Palace revealed: "Kippers, in a number of uncomplicated variations, have remained a favourite with the Queen ever since – for breakfast, as a savoury or a late-night supper.
Queen Elizabeth II may not be too partial to potatoes or pasta, but she does enjoy a piece of cheese.
It is this terrain that also grew the Queen's favorite fruit, one of which she loved to pick herself: Wild strawberries.
Chef Darren McGrady's vegetarian stuffed bell peppers may have been Princess Diana's all-time favorite recipe, as she came into the kitchen to request it for lunch at least a few times a week, he told Delish.
Although a fan of seafood, there was one ingredient the Queen, as well as Prince Philip, hated: oysters. In his book Dinner at Buckingham Palace, former royal servant Charles Oliver wrote: “Inevitably there are one or two things the Queen and her husband do not like, and the hosts are duly warned in advance.
Although roast chicken is William's favourite, the royal family have been said to enjoy a variety of cuisines including Italian pasta dishes, pizza and steak. William himself confessed that although he is “not very good” at cooking, he is happy to grill up a steak preferring it medium-rare.
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!
Below we look at ten of the Queen's favourite songs. Among them is “Sing”, which was co-written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and performed by Barlow and the Commonwealth Band featuring the Military Wives. There are also two hymns on the list: “The Lord is My Shepherd” and “Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven”.
Her Majesty's go-to dessert is a rich, mint and chocolatey delight known as a Bombe Glacée Royale. Her Majesty is such a huge fan that a fruity version was even served at her wedding in 1947.
Cheddar cheese
McCarthy's, Deeside Deli LTD., and Selfridges & Co. Limited. But it's Dairy Crest Limited who can claim not just the warrant, but also Elizabeth's favorite cheese of all: Cathedral City Cheddar (via Food Network).
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.
Fond of corgis since she was a small child, Elizabeth II owned more than 30 corgis from her accession in 1952 until her death in 2022. She owned at least one corgi throughout the years 1933 to 2018.
The Queen's favorite was strawberry jam, preferably the one made with strawberries from the gardens of Balmoral Castle. Although a royal, she was pretty frugal, most likely because she grew up during the war.
The Queen enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea that included finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off; her favourite fillings included choices like smoked salmon and cream cheese or egg mayonnaise. She also had scones with jam and cream – with the jam on first.
"The Queen loved afternoon tea, I would say it's probably one of her favourite meals. Certainly when I was there, she would sit down religiously for tea." McGrady also went on to share the menu for Queen Elizabeth's daily afternoon tea: there were always two types of sandwiches, scones, a small cake, and Earl Grey tea.