Although royalty and no stranger to hosting and attending lavish banquets, the Queen was by no means a foodie, says her former private chef. She preferred to eat simple meals and to eat the same things day after day.
Here's what the Queen's diet looked like
For example, she would start her days with a few biscuits and Earl Gray tea with only a splash of milk and no sugar.
Her breakfast was mostly a bowl of Special K cereals with fresh fruits, but she sometimes swapped the cereal for scrambled eggs or opted for toast and marmalade.
For lunch, it was grilled fish or chicken, with very little starch, only salads, and vegetables. A similar affair would repeat for dinner as well. She also liked game very much.
Despite this strict regiment, the Queen had a penchant for chocolate, her choice being dark, bitter chocolate, which she would have almost daily, in small amounts, of course.
Also, any dessert with chocolate was a go with the Queen — her favorites were chocolate perfection pie and chocolate biscuit cake.
The Queen liked to sip on a glass of wine while eating her meals. It is well known that Dubonnet cocktail was her favorite cocktail, while she allegedly drank champagne at the end of each day.
Credits: IG: theresidentmixologist
You don't need to be a professional chef to make the Queen's favorite jam pennies
Still, this simple, unassuming snack was her favorite since childhood. It only requires three ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and can be made in a matter of minutes.
The snack in question, jam pennies, is a crustless jam and butter sandwich cut into circles the size of an old English penny.
The Queen's favorite was strawberry jam, preferably the one made with strawberries from the gardens of Balmoral Castle. Although a royal, she was pretty frugal, most likely because she grew up during the war.
Credits: IG: instantpoteats
She would have jam pennies for afternoon tea, along with an assortment of other cakes, pastries, and sandwiches.
As her former chef McGrady recalls, she would have afternoon tea every day, no matter where in the world she was that day, and it was most likely her favorite meal.
Here's how to make the Queen's jam pennies
Step 1 - Gather your ingredients
You only need three ingredients: soft, white bread, strawberry jam, and butter.
Step 2 - Assemble the sandwich
Butter two slices of bread with butter, then spread one buttered side of bread with jam and sandwich together.
Step 3 - Cut into circles
Cut out as many circles as possible using a small pastry or a cookie cutter (we recommend one that's 2.5 cm/1" in diameter).
Credits: IG: my_foodie_baby
P.s. You can munch on the cut-offs later or set them aside for bread pudding.
Step 4 - Repeat
Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as you'd like, depending on how many jam pennies you'd like.
Step 5 - Arrange the jam pennies
Arrange the jam pennies on a large plate or a platter, alone or with other afternoon tea treats.
Step 6 - Serve
Serve jam pennies the way the Queen would have, with Earl Grey tea. And if you'd like to enjoy it as she did, remember to take your tea with only a splash of milk and no sugar.
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