Surprising ‘banned’ ingredients in Royal Family kitchens – and why garlic was off the menu

Former royal chef Darren McGrady – who cooked for the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and Prince William – has revealed which ingredients were often ‘banned’ from the kitchen for certain family members

They may dine on golden platters with silver cutlery, but when it comes to what actually went into the food at Buckingham Palace, there were some surprising red lines set by senior members of the Royal Family.

According to a former royal chef who spent over a decade cooking for the late Queen Elizabeth II and her family, Her Majesty had very particular culinary preferences – and strong-smelling ingredients didn’t make the cut.

“The Queen didn’t like garlic or strong onions, viewing them as antisocial,” former royal chef Darren McGrady told Heart Bingo. “So we didn’t use garlic in her meals.” It wasn’t a hard-and-fast royal law, but it might as well have been. That meant classics like garlic bread or spiced curries were off the menu — at least for the Queen.

READ MORE: Prince Harry and King Charles’ feud takes fresh turn in ‘passport fury’

But not everyone agreed with her tastes. “Prince Philip, however, loved garlic and would have it at his dinner parties,” the chef added, hinting at a more flavourful divide in royal dinner preferences.

The Queen may have ruled over an empire, but her taste buds were famously down-to-earth. “She was very frugal, likely due to her wartime upbringing,” the chef said.

Lobster, foie gras and caviar were reserved for state banquets only. On regular days, the monarch was more than happy with comfort food. “We cooked meals like cottage pie.”

Breakfast was also surprisingly basic. “The Queen’s breakfast was at 9am, served in her room. She’d help herself to cereal from a Tupperware container – especially Special K – even though there were 20 chefs available to cook anything,” the chef recalled.

That same restraint didn’t apply to her sweet tooth.

“She loved dark chocolate, especially anything over 60 percent cocoa. Any dessert with chocolate on the menu was sure to be chosen,” the chef shared.

Her birthday cake was a rich chocolate ganache recipe passed down from Queen Victoria’s chef. Prince William, it seems, inherited the craving.

“When I worked for the Queen, William loved dark chocolate and asked for chocolate ice cream.”

While the Queen avoided garlic, she didn’t shy away from other ingredients people wrongly assume were forbidden.

“The idea that the Queen didn’t eat seafood while traveling isn’t true – we regularly cooked scallops and shrimp for her,” the chef said.

Other royals had their own tastes. “Prince Charles, now King Charles, was the most adventurous. He brought organic food into the royal kitchens long before it became mainstream,” the chef recalled.

He also introduced Mediterranean and Italian fare, even foraging wild mushrooms at Sandringham for the chefs to cook.

But when it came to guests, there were no custom orders.

“During my 11 years with the Queen, we didn’t have a single vegetarian, gluten-free, or lactose-intolerant guest,” the chef said. “If you dined with the Queen, you ate what the Queen ate. If you didn’t like it, you’d stop for a McDonald’s on the way home.”

And yes, even royals sometimes did stop for fast food. Princess Diana once cancelled lunch plans for young William and Harry, saying: “I’m taking them out.”

When asked where, she replied: “McDonald’s.” The chef protested: “I can do burgers better than McDonald’s,” to which Diana quipped, “I know that Darren, but they want the toys in the Happy Meal.”