The changing diet of the British Royals

Before the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, many of the Britain monarchs had hearty appetites, particularly King Edward VII, her great-grandfather who was known as ‘the big eater King’.

King Edward VII enjoyed enormous meals from a young age. It was said during his reign, his Majesty feated on five 5 dishes for breakfast, 10 dishes for lunch and 12 dishes for dinner which was considered the hard work for the royal kitchen of the British royal court.

After the reign of King Edward VIII, his son, King George V and grandson, King George VI who was the father to Queen Elizabeth II, also enjoyed having large meals. The royal kitchen had to work quite hard for many decades.

However, there was a distinct sea change when Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952. Her Majesty did take large meals and ate healthy diets since an early age. She was taught that the royal tradition of large meals caused fat to the body and was bad for her health.

When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, she took great care of her body and was extremely careful about the food she ate. Her diets were always without fat. One of her retinue reported that for lunch there would only be a piece of ham and tomato with no bread because she believes bread will lead to weight gain.

She takes Chinese tea without sugar and milk or biscuits or cakes. She enjoys baked potatoes during the week. Lamb or beef are grilled or baked without fat.

Processed food and canned vegetables are excluded from her diet. Dinner is accompanied by sponge pudding fresh fruit or cheese. She prefers English cheese, such as Wensleydale over richer European cheese a high fat content.

She rarely has sauces with meals, with the exception of steamed fish topped with cheese or coriander sauce. Queen Elizabeth II would prefers white fish, particularly cod or haddock fish over more expensive like halibut or turbot. She also enjoys trout from time to time.

Queen Elizabeth II drinks as little as possible. She never drinks at lunch. She regularly drinks a dry martini before dinner and enjoys a glass of wine to accompany her main meal of the day.

Her most favourite dish is fish. Fish with cheese sauce is served as a regular basis. Classic beef tenderloin is another favourite of Her Majesty. The dish always comes with mushrooms and whisky sauce. Venison steak is another favourite.

Her favourite is chocolate, especially chocolate biscuits and chocolate mousse, but she has them in small quantity. Mango, strawberry, peach, which are grown in Windsor Castle are the favoured Royal fruits.

The dining habits of Queen Elizabeth II have made for a healthy and long life. This year, Her Majesty is 94 years old which she maintains be following the rule, ‘No carbohydrate for dinner’

In addition to her dining habits, Queen Elizabeth II goes riding horse and enjoys brisk walks for exercise. She gets enough sleep for a seven-hour a day. Because of her healthy eating habits, Queen Elizabeth II is regarded as “English rose” that always shines bright and elegant.

This dish below has been prepared by Chef Rewat from Steak of the Day.

‘Queen Elizabeth likes beef tenderloin. We pick the tenderest cuts and use precise seasoning to enhance its freshness. I serve it here with mixed seasonal mushrooms, chopped or mashed for texture.I serve this simple dish with grilled potatoes and suggest you end the meal with one of Her Majesty’s favourite desserts, the chocolate mousse.’