Royal Chef Says Queen Elizabeth's Food Orders Were Simple

Queen Elizabeth wears a turquoise suit and matching hat and watches a chef serve something with a large metal ladle

(Image credit: POOL/ Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)

published 10 August 2025

The Royal Family's food preferences have been well documented. In particular, Queen Elizabeth II had certain likes and dislikes when it came to food. Now, a former royal chef who worked with the late monarch for more than a decade has reflected on Elizabeth's restraint regarding dessert.

Speaking to Heart Bingo, former royal chef Darren McGrady, who also worked with Princess Diana, explained, "The late Queen could have any food she wanted, but she loved to eat seasonally—and it's the same with Charles now."

McGrady continued, "The Balmoral gardens were incredible, still are today. They produce most of the food to be self-contained for the family for the 8 weeks they're in residence in Balmoral. The late Queen would have whatever was in the garden, whatever was available."

Describing the main item Queen Elizabeth would order again and again, McGrady told the outlet, "She was happy to have strawberries 4 or 5 days a week if they were from the Balmoral gardens and they were in season." He continued, "If any chef dared to put strawberries on the menu in winter, it wouldn't have gone down well. We definitely weren't allowed to do that at all. But during the summer, we could do as many as we wanted. The late Queen and the rest of the Royal Family loved them."

Queen Elizabeth wears a white and turquoise coat, a white hat adorned with embroidery, and white gloves, while eating a scone — "The late Queen could have any food she wanted, but she loved to eat seasonally."

McGrady also prepared food for the Royal Family's guests at Balmoral. During his interview with Heart Bingo, the former royal employee said that when members of the Royal Family were "entertaining at Balmoral" throughout the summer, they could easily invite "14 to 20 guests" for a meal.

"They would start off with a first course, then they would have a main course with a salad alongside in a kidney-shaped dish," the chef revealed. "Then they would have pudding. Some people call it dessert, and it's not dessert. Whether you're having an Eton Mess or a sticky toffee pudding, it's all pudding."

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip sitting on a blanket outside Balmoral Castle with baby Prince Andrew and young Prince Charles and Princess Anne — Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral.

Dessert would consist of fruit, with McGrady sharing that, after meals in Balmoral, the royals would eat "raspberries, blackcurrents, blackberries, redcurrents, and gooseberries—all grown on the estate." While the late Queen could have ordered just about any item, she appears to have been a creature of habit.

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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.