She likes scrambled eggs and Earl Grey in the morning, tuna and mayo sandwiches for lunch, and can’t resist a chocolate biscuit cake – but what common foods will Queen Elizabeth never permit to be served to her?
Living like a queen may evoke extravagance to non royals, but when it comes to meal times for Queen Elizabeth, her tastes are more subdued.
Spilling the beans on Her Majesty's mealtimes, long time personal chef Darren McGrady told The Telegraph the queen eats to live, and even the delicacies she enjoys do not appear on her plate every day. One such delicacy is scrambled eggs with salmon " and at Christmas she will add truffle.
Don't dare send me genetically modified strawberriesQueen Elizabeth, according to royal chef Darren McGrady
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So what does the queen of England eat most days when she is alone and not at state functions? Apparently, her daily diet is routine. For breakfast, she likes Earl Grey tea and Special K cereal. For lunch and dinner, she eats proteins and vegetables with an afternoon sandwich snack. Her favourite sandwich is tuna and mayonnaise, with thin slices of cucumber and a dash of pepper. Also, the bread must be buttered.
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Her go-to sweet treat is chocolate biscuit cake. He explains that there are several cakes on rotation when making up her menu, but the chocolate biscuit cake is requested again and again. However, according to McGrady, the queen is disciplined, she will only eat a tiny slice each day until the cake is finished.
Factoid " the chocolate biscuit cake recipe was first served to Queen Victoria and has been served to every monarch since " that is more than 100 years.
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McGrady says she likes to use meat " usually venison " vegetables and fruit from her estates when she is at Balmoral or Sandringham, and it is all about the seasons. "You can send strawberries every day to the queen during the summer at Balmoral, and she'll never say a word," he said in a previous interview. "Try including strawberries on the menu in January and she'll scrub out the line and say 'Don't dare send me genetically modified strawberries'."
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The Queen is not really a picky eater, but she has specific rules about her meals. And what is definitely off the menu for the queen are:
1. Smelly foods, such as onions and garlic, which makes sense with all the socialising she and the other royals have to do " they too are not allowed to eat anything that will make the breath smell. However, on occasion the chefs are allowed to use a little onion when making her favourite steak or venison dishes.
2. White eggs " although one of her favourite dishes is scrambled eggs, they are made with brown eggs, not white, as she thinks brown eggs taste better.
3. Bread crusts " again, although she has her daily afternoon tea sandwich, it is served sans crust.
4. Pasta and potatoes " The queen avoids starches when she is eating alone. She eats a lean lunch which often includes a large salad or grilled fish or chicken, with two veggies on the side.
5. Rare meats " Her Highness prefers her meats well done and never eats her meat rare or even medium rare.
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6. Whole bananas " she cuts off the top and bottom of the banana then slits the peel to get to the fruit. She then cuts it into small pieces and eats with a fork.
7. Sweetened tea " just in case you are entertaining Her Majesty, she does not take sugar in her tea, only a dash of milk if it's not her morning Earl Grey.
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