The Queen's love of afternoon tea has been spoken about a number of times by former members of royal staff - with many of them confirming what the monarch likes to eat. Despite the opportunities she has had to develop a more exotic or eccentric palette, Her Majesty has remained constitutionally British in her taste.
When it comes to the cakes and treats that the monarch would typically choose to go alongside her tea, royal chefs have confirmed that she enjoys everything from scones to chocolate biscuit cake. As well as the sweeter items, The Queen will enjoy an array of sandwiches - one of which has been a firm fixture on the royal menu for over 90 years.
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The tradition of taking Afternoon Tea is just about as quintessentially English as you can get.
It is traditionally enjoyed between 3.30pm and 5pm and is usually served with a selection of sandwiches, scones and small patisserie.
Former royal chef, Darren McGrady, worked for the Royal Family for 15 years, having received his formal training at the Savoy Hotel in London.
McGrady has drawn back the curtain on what life was like working for one of the most famous women in the world by posting several videos to YouTube.
In one video to mark the return of garden parties at Buckingham Palace, McGrady revealed that one of The Queen's favourite afternoon treats is jam pennies.
He said: "The Queen was served jam pennies in the nursery as a little girl, she’s had them for afternoon tea ever since."
He continued: "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."
Another sandwich that The Queen is known to be fond of is a simple tuna mayo. Former royal chef, Owen Hodgson, told The Telegraph that the Queen’s favourite sandwich was tuna mayonnaise. She reportedly likes her sandwich well buttered and served with thin slices of cucumber, and a sprinkle of pepper.
While Her Majesty also enjoys a few other treats with her afternoon tea, the meal would certainly not be complete without some scones.
Those of you in Cornwall can rejoice as it would seem Her Majesty follows the traditional Cornish method when eating her scones by spreading the jam on first, before adding a dollop of cream.
McGrady previously said: “She’d always have afternoon tea wherever she was in the world. We’d flown out to Australia and were on the Royal Yacht. It was five o’clock in the morning but for the Queen it was five in the afternoon so my first job was making scones.”
McGrady previously said in another interview: "When I started as a young chef at Buckingham Palace, it was fascinating to see how important afternoon tea was to the Queen." He revealed that the Queen enjoys a "full afternoon tea of sandwiches and pastries."
He says: "In terms of scones - one day plain and one day with raisins folded through. Also, tiny pastries like raspberry tartlets and a cut cake, honey and cream sponge, fruit cake, banana bread, or her favourite chocolate biscuit cake.
"It would all be 'washed down with a delightful steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea."
