Royal Chef Says Queen Elizabeth Ate One of Her Childhood "Comfort Foods"—Known as "Nursery Foods"—Throughout Her Entire Life and "Even at 97"

"She and Princess Margaret were eating them in the nursery when they were young."

Queen Elizabeth wears a pink jacket featuring white buttons, and a white hat with pink detailing
(Image credit: Indigo/Getty Images)
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As monarch, Queen Elizabeth II could order any food item she desired. But according to her former royal chef, the late royal was a creature of habit, and usually opted for seasonal offerings. Now, it's been revealed that the former Queen enjoyed one particular "comfort food," and continued to eat the item well into her nineties.

When asked about Queen Elizabeth's favorite comfort food, former royal chef Darren McGrady told Heart Bingo, "They didn't call them comfort foods, they were nursery foods. Foods that were served in the nursery, things they had growing up."

McGrady continued, "One of the late Queen's favorite sandwiches at afternoon tea were Jam Pennies. They were just bread and butter with jam, cut into circles the size of an old English penny. Even at 97, she was still eating them every now and again."

As for how the Royal Family's take on comfort foods got their unusual name, McGrady told the outlet, "They were nursery foods, they dated back to when she and Princess Margaret were eating them in the nursery when they were young."

Queen Elizabeth wears a white and turquoise coat, a white hat adorned with embroidery, and white gloves, while eating a scone

Queen Elizabeth had one favorite "nursery food."

(Image credit: Sharon Smith-Pool/Getty Images)

During the same interview, McGrady—who also worked with Princess Diana—discussed Queen Elizabeth's preferences when it came to food. "The Queen traditionally had British food, especially if it was local food, and also French cuisine," the former royal chef noted. "Menus were written in French for The Queen."

Some of the former monarch's family members were a little more adventurous, according to McGrady. "[King] Charles loved Italian food, he loved all the risottos and things like that," the royal chef explained. "He loved the simple, clean Mediterranean diet. He loved wild mushrooms, he loved to go foraging for them at Balmoral. He would come back and we would freeze enough to last through the year."

Queen Elizabeth wearing a lavender coat and sitting next to Prince Charles laughing

Queen Elizabeth and King Charles enjoyed very different meals.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

McGrady also admitted that the kitchen staff liked to "experiment quite a lot," but "The Queen tended to stick to the same foods." He elaborated, "It was difficult to try and get new things on the menu. If I had said would you like to try kangaroo, I think she would have thrown the menu book at me."

Amy Mackelden
Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.