The Queen's diet including seasonal food and chicken lunches revealed by former chef

Home Top

EXCLUSIVE: How Caitlyn Jenner's BFF Candis Cayne went from a gawky boy relentlessly bullied for being too 'girlie' (and having a twin brother who was a high school football star) to a sassy transgender woman
'My parents officially sent me away friends': Cryptic Facebook posts of teenage son found dead alongside his parents and sisters in Minnesota mansion murder-suicide
Is a comet about to destroy Earth? Best-selling author GRAHAM HANCOCK argues that a cosmic explosion will soon strike Earth - triggering epic floods
British Airways Boeing 777 surrounded by fire engines on the runway after 'full emergency' landing at Heathrow airport
US government blocks release of new CIA torture documents detailing alleged torture of 'top Al Qaeda operative' held in Guantanamo Bay
Missouri man, 37, is charged with involuntary manslaughter after a boy, 14, died in a crash while a nine-year-old was behind the wheel driving at 100pmh
Is your toddler a psychopath? Traits such as a lack of emotion or empathy for others can be detected from the age of THREE
America marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with moments of silence and remembrance across the nation
'Today is Pearl Harbor': Never-before-seen 9/11 emails capture White House staff reaction to the horror of the terror attacks
Florida man, 20, arrested for 'plotting a Boston Marathon-style attack on 9/11 memorial'
Stunning rainbow emerges from the World Trade Center on the eve of the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks
Brother of the Mormon high school shooter who gunned down a classmate before killing himself asks police for the rifle back
Man accused of killing his seven-month-old son by throwing him off a bridge into the Connecticut River pleads not guilty to murder charges
'It was almost like they were sharks that could smell blood': Jewel explains how she has fought off sexual harassment from men since she was EIGHT-years-old
Indian girl, 17, 'is raped by up to 27 men after being lured to a hotel on the promise of a job'
South Korean attacker who slashed the face of US ambassador is sentenced to 12 years in jail
A victim's bloodied shoes, bullet-pierced soda cups and chilling trails of blood: Never-before-seen evidence photos from inside the movie theater where James Holmes murdered 12 innocent victims
PICTURED: The suspect who cops were searching for when one mistakenly body-slammed James Blake as it emerges officer involved 'tried to cover up mishap'
NYPD cop who tackled tennis star James Blake is an 'arrogant liar' claims woman that he wrongly arrested in 2013
Hitler was high on heroin and his troops carried out the Blitzkreig on METH: New book reveals the extent to which the Nazis pursued their evil dream on narcotics
Pittsburgh Steelers detail headset problems following opening night loss to New England Patriots saying it is 'always the case' when playing the team
She's his biggest cheerleader! Gisele Bundchen 'wears Tom Brady jersey to watch Patriots crush Steelers' as marriage trouble rumours fade
PIERS MORGAN: Run, Joe, run! Biden and Trump could not be more different but they have one thing in common - what you see is what you get. Which is why the veep is the Democrats' only hope
The shocking moment Hillary Clinton's stage backdrop collapses before campaign speech and sends the American flag crashing into her podium

Darren McGrady was the Queen's personal chef for 11 years
He said the royal menu 'hasn't changed much' in 63 years
Also worked for Diana, William and Harry at Kensington Palace

Published: 06:05 EST, 10 September 2015 | Updated: 08:06 EST, 10 September 2015

466

View
comments

Yesterday, she officially became the UK's longest reigning monarch but while much has changed during the Queen's tenure, one thing has not: her diet.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady, 52, says the menu at Buckingham Palace 'hasn't changed much at all' in the 63 years since she took the throne.

Mr McGrady, who spent more than a decade cooking for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, also revealed that although she likes to eat seasonally and adores butter, she does keep a close eye on her figure.

The Queen toasts President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace

'The royal table hasn't changed much at all in 63 years,' said Mr McGrady. 'One thing about Her Majesty is continuity and the same menus, just allowing new ones to creep in gradually.'

Mr McGrady, who was speaking to US magazine People, added that the royals were 'pioneers of modern day food trends' and 'farm to table' dining.

The Queen 'insists on food in season', he explained, adding that while she is 'happy' to eat strawberries from her garden at Balmoral in the summer, she would 'never' eat them in January.

Darren McGrady cooked for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for 11 years

During his royal career, Mr McGrady cooked for the Queen on a daily basis and did the catering for state banquets, cooking for guests that included former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.

Other duties included travelling with the royal family to Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral as well as on the Royal Yacht Britannia during royal tours around the world.

He said when the Queen is entertaining, she eats meals 'heavy in butter and cream' but when eating alone, she sticks to simple things like grilled chicken with salad to keep her slim figure.

Mr McGrady described the Queen as 'disciplined' and said she has a 'no starch' rule - shunning 'potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner'.

He added that she 'eats to live' and is 'not a foodie'.

After training at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel, Mr McGrady became the most junior of 20 cooks in the Buckingham Palace kitchen, although he had already risen to chef de partie saucier (head sauce chef) at the Savoy.

During his stint at the Palace, he rose to become senior pastry chef but was often responsible for meals at Windsor for a whole weekend.

According to Mr McGrady, daily menus are presented to the Queen with two suggestions for each course.

The Queen then strikes a line through the one she doesn't want, occasionally making her own suggestion to include a visitor's favourite dishes.

Mr McGrady said the Queen eats strawberries 'in season', pictured left, and grilled chicken to keep her slim figure, right

Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Borders Railway in Scotland on the day she became Britain's longest reigning monarch

The Queen shuns starchy food like potatoes, pictured left, but loves cream and butter when entertaining, right

In 1993, Mr McGrady transferred to the Kensington Palace kitchens, where he worked as the private chef to Princess Diana.

For four years, he ran Diana's as well as William and Prince Harry's day to day menus. He also catered private and official lunches and dinner parties.

He said most meals would consist of 'traditional, English food' and said the young princes adored simple fare such as cottage pie and peas – of which Prince William was particularly fond – as well as poached chicken, rice and fish cakes.

'[They ate] everything a normal British child would have,' he told HELLO!. 'The only difference is that they had a chef cooking it for them.'

Their favourite puddings included jam roly-poly 'You don't get much more quintessentially British comfort food than that,' continued the chef.

'Each time, I'd send up six pieces, and each of them would go.'

After the princess' death in 1997, he declined an offer of employment with Prince Charles and moved to the US in 1998 with his wife Wendy and their three children, Kelly, Lexie and Harry.

Mr McGrady has since written a book on his recipes and memories from the palace kitchen entitled Eating Royally.