Queen Elizabeth II was an amazing lady. She lived to the age of 96, and she reigned as monarch for 70 years, which was the longest of any British monarch. She was healthy and active up until close to her death, so it’s very interesting to learn about what she ate, and how she ate it. I enjoy watching YouTube videos by Darren McGrady, who is a former royal chef for the Queen, and then for Princess Diana when William and Harry were young. He’s also written some recipe books, including recipes he used to cook for the Queen. I think it’s so interesting to look at her lifestyle and the way she ate. So, today I want to talk about some things that we can learn from the Queen, about food, about eating and a healthy diet, and then dining, and how things worked around her.
Darren McGrady says that every week the royal menus would be sent up, and the queen would look at them, and add any notes or make changes, and then approve those, and they would cook that for her, for any family with her, and banquets, etc. Apparently, if there was a new recipe being added to the repertoire then she liked to see it to make sure she approved of the actual recipe, but things that were repeated from the past that was fine.
One of the Queen’s favourite meals that he used to make for her was steak with a creamy mushroom sauce. He would put a piece of fillet in a pan, and he would cook it well done – she didn’t like her steak cooked any less than that. Then he would add some cream and mushrooms at the end and pour that over the steak.
In general, the queen liked to eat very simple food; food that was not too rich. At banquets, they would have things like lobster and other rich foods, but when it was a private meal, the queen would like something much simpler. Sometimes she would have soup and salad, or a piece of fish with some vegetables.
Apparently, she liked to eat what was in season. The palaces, but especially Balmoral in Scotland, had huge vegetable gardens and places where they grew fruit, and the royal family even hunted their own venison. So, it’s very healthy because it’s in season – the things that you would get from those vegetable and fruit gardens – things like wonderful strawberries and rhubarb. The meat was wild caught, as wild caught as you get, and then it was cooked fresh from the garden, so it had the highest nutrition possible. That was a very healthy diet for Queen Elizabeth. When she was at Balmoral in the summer, she would often request strawberry desserts, such as a layered strawberries and cream dessert – anything to use up those delicious fresh strawberries. So, she had simple food, local food, and food that was fresh and in season.
Then Queen Elizabeth was, I think, a very disciplined lady. She was so devoted to her duties as queen, and she was disciplined in every area of her life. She loved to go horse riding, and would walk for miles when she was at Balmoral Castle. When she had a treat, she would always have the tiniest little part of that, and not allow herself to have more. Darren McGrady says that if she was having a chocolate cake for tea, they sent up the cake, and there would be the tiniest little sliver cut out of the cake, and then the cake would be sent back to the kitchens. Then the following day she would request the cake again, or it would be sent up for tea and she would have another tiny little sliver, and send it back.
So, she enjoyed her treats but she always had a very moderate amount. I think that’s a good example to follow. We can enjoy out of the ordinary treats, enjoy sugar, but only a little bit. Also, often for dessert she would have fruit, like strawberries, peaches, or desserts made from those. So, again, it wasn’t very rich, but more of a simple dessert.
Queen Elizabeth also enjoyed classic recipes and dishes like roast beef – a typical British dish, as well as fish and chips, and then things like afternoon tea. All her menus reflected the traditions of British cuisine. As I mentioned, she had a balanced approach to food. She had restraint. She enjoyed classic British desserts; fruitcake, British mince pies, which is a minced fruit Christmas pie. She enjoyed these traditional dishes.
For breakfast, the Queen often had a light meal, something like cereal. She enjoyed cornflakes with a little milk, or toast with marmalade. There’s a classic video on YouTube, if you haven’t seen it, of Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear having tea, and Paddington Bear brings out a marmalade sandwich out of his hat. And then Queen Elizabeth brings a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag. It’s very sweet, and it’s a very nice video if you want to have a look. So, she would have toast with a spoonful of marmalade or jam – seville orange marmalade was her favourite. And then, as a true British monarch, she always started her day with a cup of tea – Earl Grey tea; English breakfast tea.
Her lunch was also a light meal, and was often served in private. She would have sandwiches with fillings like cucumber, egg and cress, or ham. She liked to have grilled fish, particularly sole or mackerel, with vegetables or salad. Occasionally she would have just a light salad for lunch.
Then, afternoon tea was an important part of her routine; a part that she loved. As I mentioned before, there was the chocolate cake. Sometimes there was a variety of cake or pastry that was sent up. There were scones with clotted cream and jam – strawberry jam, raspberry jam – those were favorites of hers. Thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches with no crusts were a favorite of hers too. There were smoked salmon sandwiches, or egg and cress, or pastries – delicate pastries like shortbread. There was also fruitcake.
And then for dinner, she would sometimes have events on, and then everything was more formal, either with family members or with guests. Often there would be roast meat, something traditional like beef, chicken, lamb, or venison, which would often be from the Balmoral grounds. They would have seasonal vegetables such as broccoli, peas, carrots, and boiled potatoes – she loved those. Rather than heavy mashed potatoes, she liked small potatoes boiled and salted. She loved seafood such as salmon and bass.
And then for snacks she liked dark chocolate. She often had some after a meal. Sometimes she had a biscuit, which is like a cookie, after her tea. She wasn’t big for indulging in desserts, but as I’ve mentioned, she did have fruit cake, chocolate cake, and sometimes ice cream, or a fruity dessert made by the chefs. As she got older, her meals became lighter and healthier, and her preference for lean proteins like fish and chicken, and vegetables were incorporated in her diet. She didn’t enjoy spices or strong garlic flavors.
For elaborate meals and celebrations, she would order the kitchen to make something like beef wellington, foie gras pate, which was a favorite, or rich sauces with venison.
Interestingly, when eating with the Queen, no one starts until the Queen does, and you follow the Queen’s lead. When the queen is finished, everybody else is finished. If she puts down her knife and fork slightly to the right, then she’s done, and then everybody else must be done and the royal staff will clear the plates. Sometimes though, if the queen noticed others that were still eating, she’d push a bit of food around on her plate before indicating that she’s done, so that they could finish their meal.
So, we see her eating food for nourishment, rather than just rich food for pleasure, but also having a balanced perspective, and enjoying fruit and the sweetness of fruit, and enjoying the occasional dessert or treat. She enjoyed her food, although it was simple, and made sure that it was fresh and nourishing, in season, and all the other things that help with good health.
She also was an amazing stateswoman, and a lady, and had an amazing way she carried herself, and a respect for tradition and ceremony. Her meals as rituals were never rushed. They followed well established customs, and the informal dinners and ceremonial events would mark significant occasions. She always conducted herself with grace and politeness, and she had mindful eating. She never drew attention to herself. She ate intentionally, she had good manners, and she didn’t eat more than she needed. She didn’t eat fast. She was also present at the table with those she was with, and focused more on the people than on the food.
She was very good at menu planning, as I mentioned Darren McGrady saying. With her chefs, she was very selective about what she ate, and what she served to guests at different occasions. She was very thoughtful in her hospitality. She chose healthy things, and she chose things that were practical and could be efficient. She loved to be hospitable; to host guests, and to dine with others.
She also adapted amazingly over her many years to different food trends; to different international dishes that swept the world like Italian food and Indian food. Often she would come back from a trip abroad, having eaten something in a different country that she really liked, and then she would ask her chefs to learn how to prepare it. Then she would add that to the repertoire, and perhaps serve it at banquets and dinners.
She was also good at engaging conversation to make people feel at ease and to feel valued. She was a skilled conversationalist, and she used her dining interactions to strengthen relationships, to break down social barriers with diplomacy; treating all her guests with equal respect.
Here are some signature dishes that the Queen served at state banquets. Beef Wellington is a British dish which has a beef tenderloin wrapped in ham and mustard, and then puff pastry, and served with vegetables and a rich sauce. Then there was roast venison, and even sometimes roast pheasant. Game meat was often served at these events, symbolizing the British tradition of hunting. Also, stuffed salmon was a favorite dish. There were traditional British soups like pea soup and lobster bisque.
The desserts were quite spectacular, and they were often as much about the visual beauty of the dish as they were about the taste. The Queen’s preferences, as I’ve said, leaned towards lighter fruit based desserts, but there were definitely occasional indulgences in chocolates or pastry. They had fruit sorbets and puddings. Sorbets made from seasonal fruits like strawberries, peaches, or citrus, were often served as a palate cleanser. British trifles with all the layers, and Victoria sponge cake were popular. Chocolate desserts like chocolate mousse, soufflés, or gateaux were often served at banquets. Plum pudding, a British Christmas tradition, often appeared. The royal wedding cakes were a spectacle in themselves. Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding cake was a multi-tiered fruitcake – fruitcake with icing and many different layers. All of this was served in a formal setting on a grand scale, with elaborate silverware, crystal glassware, and beautiful fine china.
So, Queen Elizabeth was the picture of elegance and beauty, tradition and taste. Although she enjoyed her simple food, she could also put on a wonderful banquet as an elegant hostess. So, when I remember Queen Elizabeth, I always remember the hospitality, the elegance, the intentionality of her eating, the moderation, her enjoyment of all things grown and hunted, and her meticulous way of planning the menus, and just her general excellence when it came to food for herself and for others. Although, I must say it’s definitely a win to have chefs or a personal chef doing it all for you.
Thank you so much for listening. I’ll see you next time.
photos of the queen – attribution
CPOA(Phot) Thomas Tam McDonald (Royal Navy), OGL 3 <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3>, via Wikimedia Commons
Joel Rouse/ Ministry of Defence, OGL 3 <http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3>, via Wikimedia Commons
