Royal chef reveals the snack Queen Elizabeth has eaten since she was five years old

A former royal chef has dished on the foods Queen Elizabeth most likes to eat — including the snack she has enjoyed every since she was five years old.

A former royal chef has revealed the Queen’s favourite sandwich – and she’s been having it for more than nine decades.

Her Majesty the Queen’s love for afternoon tea has long been talked about by numerous former staff members of the Royal family, many of whom have also confirmed what the monarch likes to eat.

Although over the decades the 96-year-old has had multiple opportunities to develop a more exotic palette, Queen Elizabeth II seems to have remained loyal to British flavours.

When it comes to a midday treat, she is particularly fond of scones and chocolate cake, according to royal chefs, The Sun reports.

Alongside the sweeter dishes, the Queen has also been said to enjoy an array of sandwiches, one of which has been a firm favourite on the menu for more than 90 years, according to The Mirror.

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Queen Elizabeth II enjoys a cup of tea during a royal visit to Northern Ireland in 1977. Picture: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Former royal chef, Darren McGrady, worked for the Royals for close to two decades, having received his formal training at the Savoy Hotel in London.

After serving the family for 15 years, Mr McGrady has since turned to social media to share some of the insights he had learnt on the way by posting several videos to YouTube.

“The Queen was served jam pennies (jam sandwiches) in the nursery as a little girl, she’s had them for afternoon tea ever since,” he said.

“Simple, just bread and jam with a little butter – usually strawberry jam.

“We’d make the jam at Balmoral Castle with the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens.”

Another savoury sandwich that the Queen is known to enjoy a bite of is a simple tuna mayo – a staple for many Brits.

Owen Hodgson, a former royal chef, told The Telegraph the Queen’s favourite sandwich was tuna mayonnaise.

According to him, there are also specific requirements when preparing this simple dish – her sandwich has to be well buttered and served with thin slices of cucumber, finished with a sprinkle of pepper on top.

The Queen takes cream tea at Buckingham Palace with Paddington Bear in a film shown at the BBC Platinum Party at the Palace on June 4, 2022. Picture: Buckingham Palace / AFP

Although the monarch also enjoys a few other treats with her afternoon tea, the midday meal would certainly not be complete without some scones – and this is observed in the traditional Cornish way.

“She’d always have afternoon tea wherever she was in the world,” Mr McGrady said.

“We’d flown out to Australia and were on the Royal Yacht.

“It was five o’clock in the morning but for the Queen it was five in the afternoon so my first job was making scones.”

In another interview, he also revealed: “When I started as a young chef at Buckingham Palace, it was fascinating to see how important afternoon tea was to the Queen.”

“In terms of scones – one day plain and one day with raisins folded through.

“Also, tiny pastries like raspberry tartlets and a cut cake, honey and cream sponge, fruit cake, banana bread, or her favourite chocolate biscuit cake.

“It would all be ‘washed down with a delightful steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission