The now King Charles stood out for his pioneering focus on organic and Mediterranean foods. “He was the most adventurous when it came to diet,” McGrady said. “He introduced organic produce to the royal kitchen before it was fashionable.”

Charles often brought baskets of fruits and vegetables from his own gardens and foraged for wild mushrooms during his time at Sandringham, contributing directly to the meals prepared.

No Special Requests at the Royal Table

Dietary restrictions were not common at the royal table, McGrady revealed. “In my 11 years cooking for the Queen, we never had a vegetarian, gluten-free, or lactose-intolerant guest,” he said.

“If you dined with the Queen, you ate what she ate. If you didn’t like it, you could stop at McDonald’s afterward.”

Though there were no officially banned foods, the Queen did have some aversions. “She disliked garlic and strong onions — she found them antisocial,” McGrady said. “Prince Philip, in contrast, loved garlic and often had it at his own dinner parties.”

The younger royals had more relaxed tastes. “William and Harry liked pizza, chicken nuggets, fries, macaroni and cheese, cottage pie — very kid-friendly foods,” McGrady shared.

McGrady recounted a humorous moment involving Princess Diana and her sons. “One afternoon, Diana came in and said, ‘Cancel lunch. I’m taking them out.’ When I asked where, she said, ‘McDonald’s.’ I told her I could make better burgers, and she replied, ‘I know, Darren, but they want the toys in the Happy Meal.’”

State Dinners: A Royal Production

For formal state dinners, planning was meticulous. The Foreign Office would provide a list of dietary requirements for guests, and McGrady’s team would propose four different menus. “We’d send the options to the Queen, and she’d select one,” he said.

Desserts were another area where the Queen showed consistency. “She loved ice cream and chocolate-based desserts,” McGrady noted. “Bombe glacée — a type of ice cream dish — was often served at the end of meals.”