A longtime sportswoman, Queen Elizabeth frequently dined on venison, wild birds, or other game — often sourced on one of her properties — or salmon fished from the River Dee at Balmoral Castle.
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 ...
It's just a jam sandwich — bread, a bit of butter, and jam, cut into small circles (or similar shapes) for serving. These simple treats were a lifetime favorite of the queen's, with Chef McGrady stating that she enjoyed one every single day since she was five years old.
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.
Queen Elizabeth would eat light meals before bed, usually involving fish and vegetables, getting a balanced dinner and always eating alone. Former chefs to the Queen have also revealed that she liked a fillet steak with mushroom and whisky sauce.
Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight — as the Queen did — are key to having a long and healthy life .
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.
Kellogg's, Quaker Oats, and Weetabix all hold royal warrants. However, she likes her cereal to be served from Tupperware, which she believes keeps it fresh.
Breakfast. Queen Elizabeth prefered to keep it simple when it came to breakfast. 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!
Tuna mayonnaise sandwiches
A former royal chef recently claimed the Queen's favourite sandwich was tuna mayonnaise. He said that the sandwich always had to be generously buttered and topped with thin slices of cucumber, plus a sprinkle of black pepper on top.
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.
Chocolate biscuit cake was the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite cake, and this is the authentic no-bake recipe from former royal chef Darren McGrady.
Though being her favorite, strawberries were by no means the only berries that the late Queen Elizabeth II would bring back to the kitchen at Balmoral. Along with her sister, the late Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II would pick blueberries, raspberries, and fraises du bois.
Starches like pasta or potatoes
As Elizabeth's chef Darren McGrady told The Telegraph, the monarch avoided these ingredients in order to keep fit. McGrady explained, "When she dines on her own, she's very disciplined. No starch is the rule. No potatoes, rice, or pasta for dinner.
After bathing and dressing, the queen would eat her official breakfast which consisted of cold cereal, her favorite was rumored to be Special K. Sometimes toast and marmalade was also on the table. Eggs were a rarity.
You might as well try a cup of the queen's favorite. It's been reported that Her Majesty often enjoyed Twinings of London Earl Gray Black Tea — a classic and all-natural selection that includes notes of citrus and bergamot — with a splash of milk and no sugar.
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.
What did the Queen eat for lunch? The monarch is believed to keep things simple for lunch, often enjoying a plate of fish and vegetables. Darren told House and Garden that a typical lunch would be Dover sole on a bed of wilted spinach.
The Queen favours brown eggs, believing that they taste better. Her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, ate her boiled egg, served in a golden egg cup, with a golden spoon." So there you are - like the majority of British public, the Queen preferred brown eggs for breakfast.
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.
Queen Elizabeth II didn't eat fast food
And if she ever got a craving for it, the chefs would cook up their own versions. She was especially particular about burgers, only eating them without the bun.
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.
Queen Elizabeth II has eaten jam sandwiches every day since she was a toddler, according to her former private chef.
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 always asks for at least two kinds of sandwiches with her afternoon tea. Often she chooses cucumber, smoked salmon, egg with mayonnaise, ham and mustard, or tuna.