Queen’s favourite sandwich she’s had ‘for every afternoon tea’ since she was a girl

Darren McGrady reveals the Queen's favourite cakes

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With the yearly Buckingham Palace garden parties back on the agenda, royal fans will be packing up a picnic to enjoy on the Queen’s grounds. And for those who missed out on a golden garden party ticket, they will be celebrating on the streets in a couple of weeks for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where plates and plates of food will be passed between neighbours and shared with old and new friends alike. One food that will be in abundance is sandwiches – but what does the Queen like to eat for afternoon tea? Former Royal chef Darren McGrady shared the Monarch’s three favourite sandwich fillings. 

Darren, who served the Queen for 15 years – cooking for Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry to name a specific few – shared his guide to making the Queen’s favourite afternoon tea sandwiches. 

In a YouTube video, he said: “With 6,000 people at each garden party that’s a lot of food, and fortunately, the royal chefs only have to cater for the royal tea tent.” 

He went on to explain how the royal chefs prepare a “selection of different sandwiches” for the royals. 

“The Queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl, she’s had them for afternoon tea ever since,” Darren added. 

“Lay the tomatoes on the top, sandwich, then again remove the crusts and cut into two bite sandwiches,” he said.

Another dish the Queen is said to enjoy is the classic strawberries and cream. 

In addition to thick double cream, the monarch enjoys a sprinkling of sugar on the fruit too. 

To round of an afternoon tea, Pimms is also said to be served. 

“Simple, just bread and jam with a little butter – usually strawberry jam. 

“We’d make the jam at Balmoral Castle with the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens.” 

The two pieces of bread were then sandwiched together, and instead of cutting them into squares or triangles, he used a circle cutter to stamp out circle holes in the middle of the bread. 

“They were called pennies after the size of the old English penny,” Darren revealed. 

Another sandwich the royals enjoyed at the garden parties was cucumber sandwiches. 

Darren explained how to make them the royal way: “Peel [the flesh] with a potato peeler, down to the seeds and then turned over, and do the same again on the other side. 

“Cream cheese with a hint of fresh spearmint folded in spread thinly on both sides and then a layer of the cucumber.”

The crusts were taken off and then “cut it into tiny two bite sandwiches”. 

Another sandwich the Queen is said to enjoy is the classic cheese and tomato sandwich. 

“Cut the tomato into four, carefully remove the seeds – they get stuck in your teeth, you can’t have that when you’re meeting the Queen,” Darren remarked. 

“And then carefully remove the skin – this part is optional. 

“Butter the bread – salted butter – both slices, then grated cheese, I’m using Sage Derby, it’s one of Britain’s oldest cheese. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CrT57PEKzOY

“Lay the tomatoes on the top, sandwich, then again remove the crusts and cut into two bite sandwiches,” he said.

Another dish the Queen is said to enjoy is the classic strawberries and cream. 

In addition to thick double cream, the monarch enjoys a sprinkling of sugar on the fruit too. 

To round of an afternoon tea, Pimms is also said to be served. 

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