Queen Elizabeth II is the world’s oldest reigning monarch and Britain’s longest-reigning, holding the throne since February 1952; and taking a look at what she eats and drinks can perhaps shed light on her tricks to longevity.

According to The Telegraph, the Queen is not a “foodie.”

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“Sadly, the Queen is not a foodie,” Darren McGrady former chef to the royal kitchens. “She eats to live, unlike Prince Philip who loves to eat and would stand and talk food all day.”

Twice a week, she sits down with a red leather-bound book to make suggestions to royal chef Mark Flanagan’s menu selections.

For instance, fillets of beef and venison from Sandringham and Balmoral are turned into Gaelic steak, served with a sauce of mushroom, cream and whisky. And just like millions of her subjects, she enjoys a Sunday roast after church – but it’s the well-done end slice of a joint which makes its way onto our monarch’s plate. The Queen doesn’t do rare. She relishes the strawberries grown at Balmoral, and the sweet-scented, white peaches that are nurtured in her greenhouses at Windsor Castle.

Additionally, she doesn’t do starches.

“When she dines on her own,” says McGrady, “she’s very disciplined. No starch is the rule. No potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner. Just usually something like grilled sole with vegetables and salad.”

Her breakfasts are fairly simple: Special K and fruit.

“The Queen loved scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a grating of truffle. But she was too frugal to ever order fresh truffles and only really enjoyed them at Christmas when the truffles were sent as a gift,” McGrady shares.


Her favorite adult beverage is gin and Dubonnet, but she likes wine and champagne as well.

Getting to know Queen Elizabeth II