A former royal chef has revealed how Queen Elizabeth liked Easter lunch with the family to go - and her meat rule is one many are sure to be familiar with.
The Royal Family's Easter celebrations are set to be slightly different this year. While Kate Middleton, Prince William and their three children are not in attendance for the day's festivities, instead taking time off at their Norfolk holiday home of Amner Hall, King Charles III and Queen Camilla led the family to St George’s Chapel in Windsor for their annual Easter service, dressed in their finery as they met with well-wishers gathered outside the church.
However, deviating from tradition, the monarch will not join in for the post-service reception or host the usual family lunch afterwards due to his health. Instead, it is likely that he will sit down for Easter lunch with Queen Camilla. Still, he may want to enforce the late Queen Elizabeth's Easter rule at the table.
The late monarch's meals of choice, like her divisive breakfast that definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea or her favourite sandwich ingredient that costs just 52p, have long drawn interest from royal fans and the latest insight is no less intriguing.
Speaking to OK! Magazine back in 2020, former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked as the Royal chef for 15 years, revealed a list of important rules Queen Elizabeth enforced over Easter, and the one that stands out most is one concerning how the meat must be served – or, more accurately, in what order it must be served.
After explaining the royals traditionally sit down for a four-course roast dinner after the church service, he revealed Queen Elizabeth always got first pick of the meat, choosing which slices she wanted before anyone else.
"We’d go straight into the main course – a traditional roast lamb with seasonal vegetables," he said. "The Queen liked her meat well done, so she’d always have the first two slices."
Alongside the lamb, the roast is served with a compound salad which is, McGrady explained, "Just some lettuce and cucumber with a little mint or some grated carrot and coriander."
The royals also enjoy a selection of cheeses with their lunch, the late monarch's favourite being the fresh Windsor Cheese made specially at Windsor Dairy.
Similarly local delights include the Easter eggs made by Windsor Castle's very own chefs, who decorate their chocolate creations with intricate sugared flowers. McGrady revealed each year the Queen would give up chocolate for lent, so made sure to indulge before the long 40 days without it.
And there's another of the Queen's traditions we're hoping is kept up this year. Before her passing, the former chef revealed that The Queen would make sure even her corgis got a special meal on Easter Sunday, giving them either fresh chicken or beef to tuck into.
McGrady shared, "Two footmen would take them their food. We called them Dog Boy 1 and Dog Boy 2." The dogs were even allowed to sit at the Queen's feet during the day's lunch, no doubt just waiting for some scraps to fall at their feet. We're sure Sarah Ferguson, who inherited the precious animals, will keep the tradition going.
