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

With National Tea Day coinciding with what would have been the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday on Tuesday (April 21), a former royal chef has revealed that the monarch was very particular about her daily cuppa. Darren McGrady – who spent 15 years as the personal chef to both the late Queen and Diana, Princess of Wales – has revealed that afternoon tea was a non-negotiable part of Her Majesty’s daily routine, even when she was hosting lavish events for thousands of subjects.

Speaking on behalf of Heart Bingo Online, Darren revealed that she “would sit down religiously” when it came to afternoon tea, which she had “every day, wherever she was”. “The late Queen had afternoon tea every day, wherever she was. Whether we were at Buckingham Palace and she was on her own, she had Prince William coming to join her, or she was hosting a garden party for 6,000 people, the Queen loved afternoon tea. I would say it’s probably one of her favourite meals. Certainly, when I was there, she would sit down religiously for tea.”

“Hot tea has to be hot,” Mr McGrady said. “The water must be absolutely boiling when poured over the tea, and it has to steep for five minutes. That is the most important part. It’s really, really important that tea is made in a teapot, too.”

But it was not just the beverage that had to be pefect, the former royal chef revealed: “There had to be two types of sandwiches on the menu. There were scones – one day they would be plain scones, the next day they would be fruit scones with raisins. It was really important the way they alternated. So much so, that the chefs at Buckingham Palace would ring Windsor Castle on a Monday morning and ask what flavour scones the Queen had the day before, just to be sure we didn’t serve the same. I’m not sure what would have happened if we did, but we always checked.

“For afternoon tea, there would be small cakes, anything from a mini chocolate eclair to a Queen’s cake, and large cakes too, which we would call a cut of cake, where the Queen could cut a slice of cake. This could be a honey and cream sponge, a fruit cake, or gingerbread. Banana bread, chocolate biscuit cake – one of her favourites – or a chocolate ganache cake. They were served with Earl Grey tea, and that 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 layout of the book dedicated the left-hand page to lunch and afternoon tea, while the entire right-hand page was reserved for dinner.

Regarding the afternoon tea service, he noted that the chefs typically suggested the sandwiches and scones without seeking the Queen’s prior approval, as they were already well-acquainted with her preferences. While the staples remained consistent, the selection of small cakes was changed every day, with chefs often including their own favourite recipes.

If she were hosting a guest, such as Prince William, she would manually update the menu with his favourites – specifically chocolate biscuit cake – and note the number of attendees so the kitchen could prepare accordingly.

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

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