Darren McGrady, Diana’s ex-royal chef, has admitted that he tried to persuade the Queen to choose her favourite bread and butter pudding. He also gave the queen a second option he was sure she would not like.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the royal chef, 59, who spent 15 years in the royal kitchen, explained that he would always run the daily menu with two options past the monarch, and if Diana was visiting, he would make sure her favourite dessert – a cross between bread pudding and creme brûlée – was top on the menu.
The royals’ menu planning doesn’t end there. Graham Tinsley’s ex chef revealed to the queen that food must be X-rayed for security purposes at state banquets.
Royal chef Darren McGrady has revealed how Princess Diana (seen in London in 1989) had a favourite dessert – a cross between bread pudding and creme brûlée – and he would coax the Queen into choosing it for the menu by giving her a second choice he knew she would reject
Hello! Graham spoke to Hello! about events that involve heads of states. He said, “For higher-level banquets we are required to place all our food containers and knives through an Xray machine while motorcycles drive us into the castle.”
But, feeding the royal family can be a more low-key affair. Darren also remembers how he planned ahead for Diana’s visit to the Queen.
As he was reviewing the Netflix movie Spencer (based on Diana’s marriage with Charles), he stated: I always recommended two puddings to the Queen’s menu. One was Diana’s favorite and one she didn’t like, so I assumed that the Queen would select the Bread and Butter Creme souffle.
Graham Tinsley, the Queen’s former chef, revealed that food must be X-rayed to ensure security at state banquets. In 2011, the Queen was seen speaking to Barack Obama, former president of the United States.
Seen: Queen Elizabeth smiles while Nicolas Sarkozy (then president of France) sits next to her as they wait for their food at Windsor Castle’s 2008 state banquet
He continued, “It worked everytime and the Princess got the same thing whenever she visited Queen Elizabeth.” The platter was brought back from the kitchen by the chef. I had to stop them all from eating it and then I put it in the warm and waited.
“I knew that the Princess would make it to the kitchen quickly. The Queen was afraid to give her seconds. “She would sit on the kitchen counter, chat with her friends and enjoy a meal.
Darren McGrady was previously a Royal Chef and revealed that Princess Diana had changed his cooking style to healthier eating. She would request him to make her stuffed bell peppers many times a weeks, often casually in the kitchen.
British chef and author of food, the British-born cook, now living in Texas, spent fifteen years in the Royal Kitchen, where he cooked for many royals including the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Diana, as well as Princes William, Harry, and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Pictured: President Donald Trump toasting Queen Elizabeth II at a Buckingham Palace State Banquet on June 3, 2019
Darren, the Royal Chef revealed that Diana would visit the kitchen after her dinner with Queen Elizabeth to get a second serving of bread and butter pudding. She was ‘too afraid to ask’ for another helping before the monarch.
He recalled, in video, his time working as a mid-nineties assistant for Diana, how, while she would follow her plan menu, Diana would change her mind and make the royal kitchen an ‘easy place to work’.
Remembering cooking for Diana and William and Harry, he said: ‘When I joined Princess Diana, she was patron of 119 different charities, working out at the gym three times a week, looking the best she ever did.
“She’d conquered and faced bulimia. She said to me that she would take care the fats and the carbohydrates at the gym.
“My cooking style changed. No more rich sauces or heavy creams. Healthy eating was possible, with stuffed bell peppers being a favorite dish she had probably two to three times per week.
He also shared his diet preferences, saying that although the Princess didn’t like beef, sometimes she might have lamb to entertain, but most often she ate vegetarian meals, including peppers and stuffed eggs.
Assisting Queen at the preparations for a State Banquet, St George’s Hall Windsor Castle (photo)
In a video with Delish, he recalls how, while Diana always followed her plan, Diana often changed her mind and created a relaxed environment in her royal kitchen.
“She would love to eat fish, such as rainbow trout. All of her food was low in fat and had no butter or creams.
She said that she liked food and there were some misconceptions about her. Juicing was something she loved long before the technology was available. I was never behind the curve and she kept me in line.
Diana created a relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen, which made it more enjoyable to cook. Once she had made me coffee, it was very relaxed to be in her kitchen. At Kensington Palace, it was much more casual.
“She would share many stories with us. Although we did create a menu for Diana, she didn’t stick to it. The Queen is religious so she would have whatever was on her menu at three days before.
However, ‘Princess Diana is not the way! The menu was useless and she would say that she wasn’t feeling the need to cook a meal on the same day.
“William, Harry and Harry were still princes. I needed to trick them when I cooked healthy food.
After the death of Princess Diana, Darren hung his royal apron. However, he says that he will always remember his time at Kensington Palace or Windsor Castle.
Former Chef to the Queen Darren McGrady stated that he was able coaxing the Queen into selecting her favorite bread and butter pudding. The second choice he gave the monarch was one he knew she wouldn’t like.