A lot may have changed during Her Majesty’s 65-year-reign, but it seems her taste-buds have remained the same!
Darren McGrady, a former royal chef, dished up a rare glimpse into the daily food preferences of Her Majesty to the Telegraph.
The Queen chooses her daily menu from a list of suggestions from the Palace’s head chef, ticking what she’d like to eat that week on a suggested list.
The 90-year-old’s breakfast is served at promptly 9.00am, which includes a modest meal of cereal, such as Cornflakes or Special K, with fruit.
Occasionally, she’ll swap to a boiled egg, or just toast and marmalade, with black English breakfast or Earl Grey tea in a bone china cup and saucer.
“When she dines on her own she’s very disciplined. No starch is the rule.”
In between meals, Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s Gan-Gan is said to enjoy a Gordon’s gin and Dubonnet (a sweet wine-based aperatif) with a slice of lemon and a lot of ice.
A typical lunch, served around 1.00pm, includes fish on a bed of wilted spinach or a side of courgettes which is shortly followed by afternoon tea, a daily fixture at The Palace.
On offer are a selection of cakes, scones and crust-free sandwiches – among her favourites honey and cream sponge, jam pennies and the same chocolate biscuit cake served at Prince William and Duchess Catherine’s 2011 wedding.
The Monarch is said to love a well-done Sunday roast.
“She didn’t always eat everything,” McGrady recalled.
“She’d maybe have one or two tiny sandwiches, and sometimes the scones she’d actually just crumble on the carpet for the dogs to eat.”
Adding, “The Queen is not a foodie. She eats to live, unlike Prince Philip who loves to eat and would stand and talk food all day.”
Does this explain how the British ruler manages to maintain her svelte figure?
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Come dinner time, fillets of beef, venison, pheasant, or salmon, from farms in Sandringham and Balmoral, are served up with a simple side.
“She’s very disciplined,” McGrady admits. “No starch is the rule. No potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner. Just usually something like grilled sole with vegetables and salad.”
This is followed by pudding for dessert with fresh fruit, particularly strawberries from Balmoral, or the white peaches grown in greenhouses at Windsor Castle.
And before nodding off, HRH has a nibble of chocolate – which is her special treat.
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