Recipes Inspired by the Royal Family’s Favorite Foods
Updated: Nov. 17, 2022
If you think dining with the royals is all caviar and stuffed pheasant, think again. While they do fancy it up for special state occasions, their everyday meals aren't that different from yours. (Well, except for the personal chef part.)
If you were a member of the royal family and had every amenity at your disposal, what would you ask your personal chef to cook up 24/7? Well, pack up the good china and put away the sterling silver—these best-loved dishes may not be what you expect. We’ve gathered a collection of recipes inspired by the royal family’s favorites so you, too, can dine like a queen.
The Queen’s Favorite Dessert
The next time you pop ’round to the palace for a cuppa tea with the Queen, you’ll likely be treated to a slice of her favorite chocolate biscuit cake. A crunchy confection made with crumbled tea biscuits (an English cookie) and dark chocolate frosting, she even takes the leftovers on her travels, according to her former chef, Darren McGrady.
Looking for a decadent dark chocolate cake for your next tea party? This ganache-topped chocolate cake is fit for a queen.
Dinner for Princess Diana
This popular royal stuck to a healthy, mainly vegetarian diet, although she was known to sneak her boys out to McDonald’s now and then. She preferred fresh, homemade meals using ingredients grown on their Scottish estate, such as vegetables and wild mushrooms. Diana was even known to serve two versions of a dessert—one for guests, and a low-fat version for herself.
Prince William’s Favorite Dinner
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, takes after his mom and sticks mainly to a healthy diet of vegetables and lean meats. Although he’s had the opportunity to eat food from around the world, he’s happiest dining on a simple roast chicken. Prince William studiously avoids anything spicy, so leave the curry or stuffed jalapenos at home next time you stop in at Kensington Palace.
Kate’s Go-To Dessert
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, aka Catherine or Kate, is a big fan of spicy food, unlike her husband. She enjoys cooking, and at this time the couple has no official chef. She’s even been known to do her own grocery shopping. With her slim figure, it doesn’t look like she eats much at all, but when she indulges, there’s one dessert she can’t resist: gooey, rich sticky toffee pudding. Also, don’t forget to check out this watermelon salad that Kate Middleton made popular.
Prince Harry’s Comfort Food
Although Prince Harry is the most adventurous of the royals, when it comes to favorite foods his tastes stick pretty close to home. Growing up he dined on fish cakes and poached chicken, and he’s always had a soft spot for traditional cottage pie. Often confused with shepherd’s pie, which contains lamb, cottage pie is an English meat pie made with ground beef.
Meghan’s Most Wanted
Rumor has it that when Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle they were making lemon-pepper chicken. And although she’s very health conscious, she is a self-confessed french fry fanatic. But the comfort food that Meghan turns to when her royal lifestyle gets overwhelming? Turkey meat loaf. The delicious aroma of sauteed onions and carrots takes her back to her childhood in California.
Cooking with Prince George and Princess Charlotte
While it’s a bit early to determine the food favorites of the youngest royals, they do like getting their hands messy in the kitchen with their mum. And what do they like to make? Homemade pizza dough.
