Former Royal Chef Says Meals for the Family Better Be Served on Time, and Shares Why King Charles Ditched British Comfort Food
It’s no secret that many members of the royal family have chefs cooking all their meals for them. Well, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes preparing that food? Is there a strict time the royals want their meals served? Are any of them interested in trying new things, or is it always the same?
Now, a former royal chef who cooked for everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Princess Diana to Prince William is answering all those questions and more.
Former royal chef says meals for family members always needed to be served on time
Darren McGrady was a chef at Buckingham Palace for more than a decade cooking for Queen Elizabeth II. He was later transferred to Kensington Palace, where he worked as Princess Diana’s personal chef up until her death in 1997.
Speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo, McGrady told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “I trained at the Savoy Hotel in London, and during that time it was the royal wedding — [then] Prince Charles was getting married to Lady Diana Spencer. My mother, a big fan of the royals, decided we should go and sleep on The Mall to watch the royal wedding.
“There were thousands of people lining the route. While we were waiting for hours, I thought, ‘How cool would it be to be a royal chef and work in the royal kitchens?’ So when I got home, I wrote a letter to the queen, attached my CV, and not long after that, I got a letter back asking me to come in for an interview. Then, there I was rattling pans at Buckingham Palace.”
After he started working for the family, McGrady learned that the royals had fixed meal times and they weren’t flexible on those, recalling: “Meal times were fixed. The [late] queen was very strict and disciplined. Contrary to popular belief, she never called for food at odd hours. They had set meals, and if they wanted something in between, there was always fruit or chocolates in their rooms.
“The queen’s breakfast was at 9 a.m., served in her room. She’d help herself to cereal from a Tupperware container, especially Special K, even though there were 20 chefs available to cook anything. Prince Philip, on the other hand, enjoyed more adventurous breakfasts like deviled kidneys. Lunch was at 1 p.m., and dinner at 8:15 p.m. — 8:30 if the Queen Mother was present.”
King Charles was the most ‘adventurous’ royal when it came to trying different foods
The former royal chef also revealed that King Charles was the most “adventurous” of the royals when it came to testing and trying different foods.
According to McGrady, “Prince Charles, now King Charles, was the most adventurous. He brought organic food into the royal kitchens long before it became mainstream. He’d bring his own hampers (baskets) with home-grown fruits and vegetables, especially at Sandringham.
“He loved Italian cuisine and introduced Mediterranean dishes to the menu, moving away from traditional British comfort food and classic French cuisine. He enjoyed foraging for wild mushrooms, which he would bring to the kitchens for us to use in meals.”
McGrady was also asked about the rumors regarding specific foods and spices that members of the royal family are said to be banned from eating.
“There weren’t banned foods, but the queen didn’t like garlic or strong onions, viewing them as antisocial,” he explained. “So we didn’t use garlic in her meals. Prince Philip, however, loved garlic and would have it at his dinner parties. The idea that the queen didn’t eat seafood while traveling isn’t true — we regularly cooked scallops and shrimp for her.”
