Overview

• The Queen’s breakfast was served at 9 am in her private rooms and typically consisted of cereal from a Tupperware container despite a full kitchen staff
• Lunch was always at 1 pm and dinner at 8:15 pm, shifting to 8:30 pm only when the Queen Mother joined
• On ordinary days the household ate simple comfort foods like cottage pie while ingredients such as lobster, caviar and foie gras were saved for state banquets
• Individual tastes shaped each royal’s menu, with the Queen favouring indigenous produce, Prince Philip opting for deviled kidneys at breakfast and King Charles championing organic and Mediterranean dishes
• The Queen excluded garlic and strong onions from her meals as antisocial and the kitchen did not cater to vegetarian, gluten-free or lactose-free diets during McGrady’s tenure