The secret step to make the perfect cup of tea revealed by former royal chef | Royal | News

National Tea Day was celebrated by Queen Elizabeth II. With Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday falling on Tuesday (April 21), a former royal chef has revealed the monarch is very particular about her daily cup of coffee. Darren McGrady, who spent 15 years as personal chef to both the late Queen and Diana, Princess of Wales, has revealed that afternoon tea was an undeniable part of Her Majesty’s daily routine, even when hosting lavish events for thousands of subjects.

speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo OnlineDarren revealed that he would “sit down religiously” when it came to afternoon tea, which he drinks “every day, wherever it is”. “The late Queen used to have afternoon tea every day, no matter where she was. Whether we were at Buckingham Palace and she was on her own, whether she was bringing Prince William to join her or she was hosting a garden party for 6,000 people, the Queen loved afternoon tea. I would say it was probably one of her favorite meals. Certainly, when I was there, she would religiously sit down for tea.”

“Hot tea needs to be hot,” Mr. McGrady said. “When water is poured on the tea, it must be boiling and it must be brewed for about five minutes. This is the most important part. It is also really important that the tea is brewed in the teapot.”

But the former royal chef explained that it wasn’t just the drink that had to be perfect: “There had to be two types of sandwiches on the menu. There were scones – plain scones one day, raisin berry scones the next. The way they changed was really important. So much so that the chefs at Buckingham Palace would call Windsor Castle on a Monday morning to make sure which type of scone the Queen had had the day before. I don’t know what would have happened if we didn’t provide the same service, but we always checked.”

“For afternoon tea, there would be small cakes – everything from a mini chocolate cake to the Queen’s cake – as well as large cakes, what we call cake cuts, where the Queen could cut a slice of cake. This could be a honey and cream sponge, fruitcake or gingerbread. Banana bread, chocolate biscuit cake – one of her favourites – or chocolate ganache cake. These were served with Earl Gray tea and this was afternoon tea for the Queen every day.”

Mr McGrady added that the late Queen used a red leather-bound book known as the Menu Royale to manage her daily meals. According to the chef, the left-hand page of the book was devoted to lunch and afternoon tea, and the entire right page was devoted to dinner.

Regarding the afternoon tea service, he pointed out that chefs often recommend sandwiches and scones without the Queen’s prior approval, as they already know the Queen’s preferences very well. While the core ingredients remain consistent, the selection of cupcakes changes daily, with chefs often adding their own favorite recipes.

If she was going to host a guest like Prince William, she would manually update the menu with her favorites (especially the chocolate biscuit cake) and note the number of attendees so the kitchen could prepare accordingly.

Mr. McGrady also revealed that sandwich fillings often vary by location. For example, at Balmoral, fresh salmon caught on site was used.

Finally speaking about the late Queen’s tastes, Mr McGrady said: “The one thing you can say about the late Queen is that she was very frugal. That was one of the things that really surprised me; when I moved from the Savoy to Buckingham Palace I thought it would be smoked salmon, foie gras, caviar every day, but no. The Queen was very frugal and it was just plain, plain food. That comes from the early years of her growth during the war.”