Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘forbidden’ food she categorically refused to eat

The late Queen Elizabeth II was no stranger to rules and regulations and was just as particular about her eating habits as she was with the day-to-day regimental running of her home, Buckingham Palace. 

During her reign, from 1952 until 2022, the beloved monarch was never seen eating one simple food item, despite other members of her family being big fans of it. 

The humble, cheesy pizza was a no-go when it came to cooking in the palace’s kitchens and was never served in the late Queen’s presence. 

She refused to eat the Italian delicacy, according to her former chef, Darren McGrady. The culinary professional was employed at the palace for 11 years, from 1982 to 1993, after which he transferred to Kensington Palace and cooked for a further four years. 

Reflecting on his time serving the royal, he told Us Weekly: “In the years that I cooked at [Buckingham] palace, the Queen never had pizza. I didn’t start cooking pizza until I moved across to Kensington Palace.”

While at the other royal residence in London, Darren, 63, cooked for Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry, all of whom he claimed were pizza lovers. 

He continued explaining: “I [made] pizza all the time for William. In my second cookbook, The Royal Chef at Home, there’s a chicken tikka masala pizza [recipe] because he loves Indian food. The pizza combined the two.”

The Princess of Wales has also previously addressed her husband’s grandmother’s distaste for the carb-heavy meal during a visit to King Henry’s Walk Garden in the London borough of Islington in 2019. 

Her outing at the time featured a pizza-making session with a group of local schoolchildren, one of them asked Kate if the late Queen had ever tried pizza. She responded: “You know, that’s such a good question. I don’t know. Maybe next time I see her, shall I ask?” 

Controversial cooking 

During her illustrious life as the Queen of England, she also raised eyebrows for her preferences when it came to cooking burgers at the palace. 

While she had a handful of unusual diet quirks, such as eating kippers for breakfast, Darren revealed the one food that was most divisive among royal fans during his employment by the royal family.  

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He shared that he would often make homemade veal burgers for Her Majesty, made from the deer the royals would shoot at Balmoral. The chef would stuff the meat with cranberries and serve it without a bun. 

Registered nutritionist, Marilia Chamon, noted that this offered the Queen a number of health benefits and told HELLO!: “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.”