Queen Elizabeth was the picture of poise, hard work and dedication, but when the public wasn't watching her every move at home, she could comfortably be herself – including eating controversial foods.
The late monarch had a handful of unusual diet quirks, such as eating kippers for breakfast, but one that may prove to be the most divisive. Former chef, Darren McGrady, who spent 11 years cooking for The Queen at Buckingham Palace and Balmoral, explained that he would often make homemade veal burgers for Her Majesty, made from the deer the royals would shoot at Balmoral.
Stuffed with cranberries and served without a bun, the royal recipe was remarkably different from the traditional beef version the nation has come to love for fast food or barbecues.
Nutritionist weighs in
Registered nutritionist, Marilia Chamon, noted that this offered the Queen a number of health benefits. "Veal is often a little leaner, while still providing high-quality protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
"Removing the bun reduces the refined carbohydrate load, which may help stabilise blood sugar levels and prevent a post-meal energy dip," began Marilia, who is a member of The Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners.
She also weighed in on the monarch's golden rule not to consume anything without a knife and fork, other than at afternoon tea.
Speaking about her ban on finger food, which would mean her bunless burgers were meticulously cut and eaten with cutlery, Marilia added: "Eating it with a knife and fork can slow the pace of eating, allowing more time for chewing and supporting digestion.
"It also gives satiety signals more time to register, which may help reduce overeating and contribute to a greater sense of fullness."
Queen's diet
Darren previously gave Best Quality Designer Handbag an insight into the weekly inner workings of the palace. A red leather-bound book of menus written in French and containing a wide variety of recipes would reportedly be sent up to the Queen.
"We prepared the menus three days ahead so we could get the food in," said Darren.
He continued: "The chefs would pick the menus and she would put a line through the ones she didn't want. Sometimes she'd put a line through it all and put something different."
© Getty ImagesVeal was not reserved for burgers alone, with the chef noting that her palette championed meat from the estate.
"For a main course, she loved game, things like Gaelic steak, fillet steak with a mushroom whisky sauce, especially if we did it with venison," Darren said.
"For a first course, she loved the Gleneagles pâté, which is smoked salmon, trout and mackerel. She loved using ingredients off the estate, and so if we had salmon from Balmoral from the River Dee, she'd have that, it was one of her favourites."
