In an interview with Us Weekly (opens in new tab), former royal chef Darren McGrady (opens in new tab) opened up about the Queen's eating habits and revealed that she never asked him to make pizza for her. “In the years that I cooked at [Buckingham] palace, the queen never had pizza," McGrady said.
For Queen Elizabeth, pizza was off the menu
In an interview with Us Weekly, chef Darren McGrady said that Queen Elizabeth never once requested pizza (via Us Magazine).
Yes, the late Queen Elizabeth II really did get the occasional takeaway! According to The Sun, the former monarch was rather partial to fish and chips and sometimes treated herself to dinner from the local chippy when staying at Balmoral. A footman was reportedly sent to pick up her meal from nearby town Ballater.
O'Grady spoke about how Queen Elizabeth was never a fan of McDonald's or KFC but did in fact have a hankering for one kind of fast food in particular. The food? Hamburgers. Yes, Her Majesty was similar to the majority of the population in the sense that she loved a hamburger just as much as the next person.
The Queen preferred grilled fish or chicken, served simply with vegetables. She generally skipped starches like potatoes, grains, or rice during her evening meal.
According to the royal chef Darren, "Her favourite dish was bell peppers stuffed with zucchini, mushrooms, rice, garlic topped with Parmesan and mozzarella and finished with a smoked tomato and pepper sauce."
Yes, in some royally good food news, it seems bread, jam and a smidge of butter is the afternoon snack that has been keeping Queen Elizabeth satisfied for the past 91 years. The Mirror spotted this juicy morsel in a YouTube video about the Buckingham Palace gardens, hosted by former royal chef, Darren McGrady.
The queen really does weigh her guests
The tradition of weighing guests at the start of the three-day festivities dates back to the reign of Edward VII, who was king from 1901 to 1910. Edward decided that weight gain during their stay was indicative of how much his guests had enjoyed themselves.
According to the royal's former personal chef Darren McGrady, she loves eating her tried-and-true “jam penny” every day, which has been a staple in her diet for many years. The sandwich is simply made up of three ingredients: bread, jam and butter.
A British Big Mac good enough for the Queen
Per Insider, Banbury Gateway Shopping Park is part of the Crown Estate, which means its McDonald's location was technically owned by the Queen herself.
Queen Elizabeth II Owned Two McDonald's Location
The Slough McDonald's property was sold by the Crown Estate for 177 million euros in 2016. The McDonald's at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park was purchased in 2015. So technically, Queen Elizabeth II owned two McDonald's location for a year.
A bowl of Special K with some assorted fruits was apparently her go-to meal to get the day started the right way. On special occasions, she allegedly treated herself to some scrambled eggs and smoked salmon if she felt like it!
The Queen still receives documents in the boxes that were made for her upon her Coronation. These have been periodically refurbished to keep them in good condition. The company Barrow and Gale Ltd are the manufacturer of the red despatch boxes to The Queen and to Her Majesty's Government.
Next time you're tempted to marry a royal, remember these facts. In some respects, it makes sense that the royal family must follow intense rules.
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 ...
Queen Elizabeth was a ruler, a royal, and, one of the most famous women in the entire world, but she was also a Brit to the core, evidenced by her lifelong love of fish and chips.
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. The queen is also fond of smoked haddock as a breakfast dish."
Every day for more than 90 years, Queen Elizabeth II ate her favorite snack: jam sandwiches, also known as jam pennies.
How many meals does the Queen eat in a day? McGrady says the Queen has four meals a day - but only eats small portions at each. In a series of YouTube Q&A videos, he says that during his time as her personal chef between 1982 and 1993, the Queen would eat breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner.
Does the Queen wash her own dishes? The washing liquid was reportedly released after formal royal butler Paul Burrell revealed in 2020 that the Queen 'often does her own washing up and likes it'.
WATCH: The Queen's daily diet
According to the monarch's former royal chef Graham Newbould, during his time working for Her Majesty, she never ate sandwiches shaped with points. The Queen is instead served small 'jam penny' sandwiches at afternoon tea.
JUST like most of her subjects, the Queen enjoys nothing better than tucking into her dinner off a tray in front of the TV. The revelation about the 93-year-old's evening ritual emerged during filming of Secrets Of The Royal Kitchen, a behind the scenes look at life at Windsor.
Out of the assortment of sandwiches, Queen Elizabeth's favourite is one that is known as 'Jam Pennies'. These jam and butter sandwiches have been the Queen's favourite since she was a little kid and was served these regularly in her fancy nursery. How can you make the sandwiches on your own?
Former royal chef Darren McGrady just recreated one of Queen Elizabeth's favorite meals in a video. McGrady demonstrated how to make Gaelic steaks, and revealed that Her Majesty prefers well-done meat. “The Queen was never one for surprises in the kitchen,” he added.
Freddie's regular treat at Richoux was their Welsh Rarebit. Freddie did like his cheese on toast done with a touch of luxury.