One of the best things about traveling? Road snacks. Usually, I make sure I have the largest Diet Coke I can find as my top travel companion (alongside my husband) and also enjoy a good Nacho Cheese chip or beef jerky — the latter especially if we’re traveling over a meal window, but can’t make an official stop. Bringing food with you just makes sense, especially if you want the travel to go well. And it seems like Queen Elizabeth II agrees.
Of course, our snack preferences are much different. Personally, I’m all about the salty snack. But it seems like Queen Elizabeth has more of a sweet tooth. Since she’s been known for eating somewhat blandly, that’s a bit of a surprise.
Bland isn’t meant to be an insult. It’s just that the Queen has been known to eat more for purpose than enjoyment. She doesn’t eat pasta, potatoes, or other starchy foods. She also avoids garlic and onions, which is understandable. However, those are two key spices to help flavor food, and there are plenty of pizzas across the globe that’d suffer without it.
The news of her sweet tooth comes from a valid source. Insider chatted with Darren McGrady, the former personal chef of the Queen. McGrady is always quick to dish about what it’s like to cook for the royals.
McGrady stated that the Queen couldn’t get enough of the chocolate biscuit cake they often made. So much that she took a slice with her on the way out the door.
If you’ve wondered if you could ever relate to Queen Elizabeth II before, I think this pretty much tells you that — yes. Yes, you can.
“Now the chocolate biscuit…is the only cake that goes back again and again and again every day until it’s all gone,” McGrady said. “She’ll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up, she wants to finish the whole of that cake.”
omg my grandmother does the SAME THING 😂 <3s choc 🍫 *HAS to have choc EVERY nite before bed*
— China Doll (@jem31_) August 19, 2019
According to Insider, McGrady worked personally with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip when he got his start. In 1993, he moved on to work with Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry.
That means he’s a wonderful source as to what goes on behind closed doors. If Queen Elizabeth II didn’t like a meal, McGrady would know it.
According to Darren McGrady,former private chef to the royal family, Queen Elizabeth,the Queen Mother always tended to be late for dinner.While at Balmoral, the Queen Mother would be told that dinner was 15 minutes earlier than everyone else so she would arrive on time! (SunPost) pic.twitter.com/X4OzGlOAQj
— The Crown Chronicles (@crownchronicles) March 17, 2019
Insider has chatted with McGrady before. In 2017, he revealed that Princess Diana let Harry and William eat like regular kids, even though they were anything but.
In fact, supposedly their nanny was more strict about what the boys ate. “The nanny always insisted they had their protein, roast chicken, and cabbage because cabbage was good for you,” McGrady said.
McGrady has also talked about Princess Diana’s diet. Often, he cooked her the low-fat version of extravagant dishes.
“She wanted to eat healthy,” he said. “She looked the best she ever did.”
Since Princess Diana notoriously battled bulimia, her striving for health was even more of a big deal. “She never ate red meat,” McGrady added. “She loved fish, stuffed bell peppers.”
What's your water intake on a daily basis? My goal 2 of these suckers. Princess Diana said that water was her best diet element. It flushes pic.twitter.com/F8TXE8YU4W
— Tanya Brown (@tanyabrown1) November 18, 2016
So, what is chocolate biscuit cake? And is it something you can only find in the United Kingdom?
You can make your own at home, but it is heavily tied to the royals. According to Rock Recipes, it was officially the groom’s cake for Prince William, who’s also a fan.
The fact that it’s fairly easy to make makes it even more of a hit. It’s a no-bake cake, meaning that it’s great for beginners.
Feeling down? Make a chocolate biscuit cake pic.twitter.com/p7rs8TfOBB
— aine (@ainevixen_) August 17, 2019
Rock Recipes tried to make their version more authentic by using ingredients that are more common to the United Kingdom — namely, Lyle’s golden syrup and McVities digestive biscuits. If golden syrup is too hard to find, they say that dark corn syrup will do the trick.
5yo and I are making this chocolate biscuit cake. We’ve swapped the raisins for marshmallows and the almonds for maltesers. We are geniuses. pic.twitter.com/Yj6QZsJYXN
— Laura Pearson (@LauraPAuthor) March 10, 2019
The most time-consuming part of the recipe is in regards to cooling the cake. Hopefully, Queen Elizabeth let it cool properly before sneaking a piece.
If you’re looking for an easy no-bake project this weekend, creating your own chocolate biscuit cake might make you feel like a queen.
