Christmas with the Royal Family is full of timeless traditions, like opening presents on Christmas Eve to playing a game of soccer with the Sandringham estate staff. But along with gag gifts and watching The King’s Christmas speech—and before him, Queen Elizabeth’s broadcast—there’s quite a bit of eating involved. Former royal chef Darren McGrady told Smooth Spins Casino that Christmas Day especially "was very traditional," and if you didn't like the menu, you could go fend for yourself.
Describing a typical routine on December 25, McGrady—who formerly worked at Buckingham Palace, and later for Princess Diana at Kensington Palace—said men and women would receive different breakfasts. "The men would come downstairs and have breakfast, then the ladies would actually have breakfast trays in their room," he said, explaining that the men would get "a full English breakfast" while the women had "a lighter breakfast, so lots of fruit."
After the Royal Family attended church and greeted the members of the public lining their route, they'd come back to Sandringham House and have lunch. McGrady said they'd "start off with some canapés" and skip the salad course to go "straight into the roast turkey."
Queen Elizabeth is seen with King Charles (then Prince Charles) and Queen Camilla (then the Duchess of Cornwall) at a 2020 Christmas celebration.
"We did the same menu year on year, and the same recipes," McGrady shared. Along with turkey, side dishes included "Brussel sprouts, roast parsnips, roast potatoes and mashed potatoes," along with turkey gravy and cranberry sauce.
When asked if any members of the Royal Family had special favorites they asked for each year, the former palace chef replied, "Absolutely not! That goes for every meal that you ate with The [late] Queen." He added, "You’re dining with Her Majesty the monarch, so whatever she chooses, that's what you eat. If you don’t like that, you get a McDonald’s on the way home!"
Although it's common for those with special diets to have a separate dish made for them these days, McGrady said that wouldn't have been tolerated during his time working for the royals. "You wouldn’t ask for a vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free menu or anything like that. When The Queen was there, it was all very traditional."
Queen Elizabeth is pictured at Buckingham Palace in 2012.
After the big holiday lunch, the royals dig into Christmas pudding, which McGrady said was "served on fire" and "carried into the royal dining room by The Queen’s page, usually to a round of applause."
The classic Christmas dessert is actually made by royal chefs a full year in advance, with McGrady sharing that the puddings would sit "in the refrigerator and they would mature and soak all the flavor for Christmas."
And what would the royals wear while they ate their Christmas pudding? A paper crown from inside their Christmas crackers, of course.
