When it came to enjoying her daily afternoon tea, the late Queen Elizabeth had one particular favourite sandwich that she always tucked into – and it’s a surprisingly simple one
The late Queen Elizabeth was a creature of habit, especially when it came to enjoying her afternoon tea. The former monarch never missed afternoon tea, no matter what she was doing or where she was in the world.
Her duties took her all over the globe, and she had a host of talented private chefs ready to cater for her every day, but when it came to her preferred sandwich—an insider has revealed—there was one surprisingly simple choice that she always opted for since childhood.
Generally, the late monarch and the rest of the Royal Family enjoy their afternoon tea between 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm. This regal spread tends to feature a range of savoury snacks and delicious sweet treats, including her favourite chocolate biscuit cake.
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Former royal chef Darren McGrady worked for the Royal Family for 15 years, receiving his formal training at the Savoy Hotel in London. He previously revealed the Queen’s favourite sandwich.
In one YouTube video to mark the return of garden parties at Buckingham Palace, McGrady revealed that one of The Queen’s favourite afternoon treats was jam pennies.
He said, “The Queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl. She’s had them for afternoon tea ever since. It’s 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.”
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According to another former royal chef, Owen Hodgson, the Queen was also fond of a simple tuna mayonnaise sandwich. She reportedly liked her sarnie well buttered and served with thin slices of cucumber and a sprinkle of pepper.
While the late monarch enjoyed a few other treats with her afternoon tea, the whole affair would certainly not have been complete without some scones.
She also followed the traditional Cornish method when eating her scones, spreading the jam on first before adding a dollop of cream.
McGrady previously said: “She’d always have afternoon tea wherever she was in the world. 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 added: “When I started as a young chef at Buckingham Palace, it was fascinating to see how important afternoon tea was to the Queen.” He revealed that she enjoyed a “full afternoon tea of sandwiches and pastries”.
“In terms of scones – one day plain and one day with raisins folded through,” he said. “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.”