We definitely don't know everything about the royal family's personal lives, but we do know an awful lot about what they eat thanks to former royal chef Darren McGrady's candidness. He often speaks to the press about what he would serve the monarch when he worked as her personal chef, and what Queen Elizabeth eats in a day is pretty wild. For example, she has a whopping four cocktails every day.
According to the Daily Mail, the former royal chef says the Queen has stuck to her same diet for pretty much the entire seven decades that she's been on the throne. Her Majesty loves consistency. And that can be kind of boring for the world-class chefs cooking for her. "Sadly, the Queen is not a foodie," chef Darren told The Telegraph. "She eats to live, unlike Prince Philip who loves to eat and would stand and talk food all day.”
Here's what non-foodie Queen Elizabeth eats every day.
The Queen Always Has Four Meals Each Day
According to Independent, the Queen never fails to have her four meals per day — breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Chef Darren said she doesn't always eat everything on her plate at every meal, though. She just eats a bit of what's served throughout the day.
She Orders Off a Menu
Not only do the Queen's corgis have their own dinner menu, but Her Majesty has one as well for her own food. Buckingham Palace is basically a fine dining restaurant. According to * Independent*, twice a week the Queen would be presented with a menu from the head chef and she would pick her favorite items off the list.
Cereal for Breakfast
Royal biographer Katie Nicholl previously revealed that the Queen starts her day with "a simple cup of tea and biscuits, followed by a bowl of cereal." According to The Telegraph, she's especially partial to Special K cereal and sometimes she'll also add fruit to her breakfast.
Her Food Is Stored in Tupperware
In the early 2000s, a reporter faked his way into working as a footman for the Queen and captured an image of her breakfast table. While she does eat off fine china with a gold rim, the monarch's cereal is stored in a plastic Tupperware container. Royals, they're just like us!
She Starts Drinking Before Lunch
The first of the Queen's four daily cocktails comes mid-morning when she drinks a pre-lunch "gin and Dubonnet on the rocks with a slice of lemon," reports Business Insider. Dubonnet is a kind of fortified wine, and the end result is a pretty strong cocktail to be drinking in the morning.
And Keeps Drinking All Day
Her mid-morning gin and Dubonnet is far from the Queen's only drink of the day. Business Insider reported that she also has a glass of wine with her lunch as well as a martini. Then, before bed, she has a glass of Champagne. She's apparently been using this drinking schedule for years.
Lunch Is Pretty Healthy
Perhaps to make up for all the alcohol she consumes before and during lunch, the Queen tends to go pretty healthy for lunch. According to The Telegraph, she'll often have grilled fish with spinach or zucchini. And per the Daily Mail, Chef Darren also often served her grilled chicken with salad for lunch.
Afternoon Tea Is a Meal, Not a Drink
According to the Independent article, the Queen takes her afternoon tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream. The Telegraph also noted that she would also often be served cucumber, smoked salmon, or egg salad sandwiches — always with the crusts cut off. Nothing but the best for the Queen.
She Has Tea No Matter Where She Is in the World
The British take their tea time seriously, and Independent reported that the Queen has hers on British time, no matter where she is in the world. "We'd flown out to Australia and were on the Royal Yacht. It was 5 o’clock in the morning but for the Queen it was 5 in the afternoon so my first job was making scones," her former chef remembered.
Dinner Is Often Game Her Family Catches
For her final big meal, the Queen often takes advantage of the fresh game at her Sandringham or Balmoral properties. According to The Telegraph, if she or her family caught any fish, pheasant, or deer, the cooks would often serve it to the royal family for dinner. Express reported that she's also fond of Gaelic steak, a steak dish where the meat is smothered in a mushroom sauce.
She's a Big Fan of Chocolate
If the Queen wants dessert, she'll probably reach for something chocolatey. Chef Darren told Hello! magazine that the Queen has a sweet tooth. "She is absolutely a chocoholic," he said. "Anything we put on the menu that had chocolate on, she would choose, especially chocolate perfection pie."
That sounds pretty perfect to us.
A Post-Church Roast
On Sundays, the Queen has a special meal prepared for when she gets back from church — a roast. But because she detests rare meat, she's always served a well-done piece, according to The Telegraph. We suppose that it's probably best for her to avoid rare meat rather than risk food poisoning as Britain's reigning monarch.
What She Serves Guests Differs From What She Eats
For guests attending a formal dinner with the Queen, they can expect a much richer meal than what she usually eats. According to the Daily Mail, the chefs would make formal dinners "heavy in butter and cream" so guests would get a taste of luxurious gourmet food in contrast to the Queen's usual grilled fish or chicken.
She's Particular About Seasonal Items
The Queen seems like a very particular person, so we're not surprised that she is strict about eating food only when it's in season. For example, the Daily Mail reported that her former chef said she's all about eating strawberries in the summertime when they grow in her Balmoral garden, but she would "never" eat them in the winter.
There Are Some Foods She Never Eats
Everyone has their food preferences, including the Queen. According to the Daily Mail, the cooks never make her starchy foods like potatoes, pasta, or rice. Independent also reported that she doesn't eat garlic or shellfish — the latter of which she avoids so she doesn't get food poisoning.
