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Privacy NoticeThroughout her monumental 70 year reign, Queen Elizabeth II had the opportunity to enjoy the finest food, prepared by some of the world’s top chefs. But ddespite having ample opportunities to develop a taste for exotic or quirky foods, the Queen stayed true to her British roots when it came to what she wanted to eat – with one traditional – albeit surprising – English delight reportedly being enjoyed most days for over nine decades. The late Queen’s fondness for the tradition of Afternoon Tea has been mentioned several times by ex-royal staff members, with many confirming what the monarch preferred to eat. The meal, as quintessentially English as it gets, is traditionally enjoyed between 3.30pm and 5pm, typically served with a selection of sandwiches, scones, and petite pastries.
The Queen’s favourite sandwich was revealed by a former royal chef
(Image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Darren McGrady, a former royal chef who worked for the Royal Family for 15 years after receiving his formal training at London’s Savoy Hotel, has given us a glimpse into what it was like working for one of the world’s most famous women by posting several videos on YouTube. In a delightful video celebrating the return of garden parties at Buckingham Palace, Darren shared that one of the Queen’s most cherished afternoon snacks was jam pennies. Speaking in the video he made before the monarch’s passing, Darren said: “The Queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl, she’s had them for afternoon tea ever since.” Elaborating on the treat, he added: “Simple, just bread and jam with a little butter – usually strawberry jam. We’d make the jam at Balmoral Castle with the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens.” Sign up to OK’s royal newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free
Darren demonstrated how he would prepare jam pennies for the late Queen
(Image: Darren McGrady/YouTube)
Another of the Queen’s preferred light bites was said to be a classic tuna mayo sandwich. Owen Hodgson, another ex-royal chef, revealed the monarch would enjoy hers on well-buttered bread with thin cucumber slices and a dash of pepper. Scones also play a starring role in the Queen’s tea-time tradition, and it appears she sides with Cornwall when it comes to the jam first then cream debate on scones. McGrady has previously mentioned: “She’d always have afternoon tea wherever she was in the world. We’d flown out to Australia and were on the Royal Yacht. It was five o’clock in the morning but for the Queen it was five in the afternoon so my first job was making scones.” Elsewhere on the menu, Darren previously revealed: “Also, tiny pastries like raspberry tartlets and a cut cake, honey and cream sponge, fruit cake, banana bread, or her favourite chocolate biscuit cake. It would all be ‘washed down with a delightful steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea.”
The late Queen favoured simple dishes, it has been claimed
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
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