Kenneth Glad
Former royal kitchen staff have described a private menu much simpler than palace life might suggest. One small afternoon snack has become the clearest example.
Queen Elizabeth II was served “jam pennies” as a young girl and kept eating them with afternoon tea all her life.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady describes them, according to the Daily Express, as small round sandwiches made with bread, butter and usually strawberry jam. At Balmoral, the royal family’s Scottish estate, McGrady said the jam was made with strawberries grown in the estate’s gardens.
The sandwiches were cut into circles. The British newspaper writes that pointed shapes were avoided because of a superstition about bad luck for the monarchy.
The name came from their size. The rounds were said to resemble an old English penny.
Her meals were plain
Queen Elizabeth attended state dinners and official receptions throughout her reign.
Away from public events, however, former staff often described her food choices as controlled and familiar.
In 2019, Woman’s Day published a first-person trial in which journalist Elissa Sanci followed the Queen’s reported diet for a week.
The menu included plain tea, cereal with fruit, grilled chicken, fish, vegetables, cucumber sandwiches and jam pennies.
The writer struggled with the lack of pasta, sauces, garlic and sweetened drinks.
One sandwich was missing
Sanci made cucumber sandwiches, removing the crusts and avoiding rectangular cuts in line with reported palace habits.
She disliked them. Later, she made jam pennies with butter and raspberry jam and found them far better.
McGrady told The Telegraph in 2015 that the Queen was “no foodie,” and she “eats to live,” rather than lives to eat.
Separately, former royal chef Owen Hodgson said she enjoyed tuna mayonnaise sandwiches with cucumber and pepper.
That tuna mayonnaise sandwich was not mentioned in Sanci’s trial, though.
The week was difficult
The reporter said the meals quickly became repetitive. The plain tea was especially difficult for her, and plates built around lean meat and vegetables left her missing stronger flavors, sauces and starchier foods.
By the end of the trial, the menu felt less like a royal novelty and more like a strict eating plan.
Sanci also wrote that it brought back memories of past restrictive habits, including the pressure to measure food choices by discipline rather than enjoyment.
For Queen Elizabeth, the reported foods may have offered comfort, predictability and routine.
For Queen Elizabeth, the reported foods may have offered comfort, predictability and routine. For Sanci, the week showed that a menu suited to one person’s tastes can feel restrictive to someone else.
Sources: The Daily Express, Woman’s Day, The Telegraph
