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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former royal chef reveals what 'unfussy' dishes Princess Diana would request for her sons Princes William and Harry
A former royal chef has revealed the 'unfussy' dishes that Princess Diana would request for her sons William and Harry during their childhood. According to her former chef, the late mother of Prince William and Prince Harry opted for 'nursery foods' and 'comfort foods' for her young sons and their favourite meal was one most British families can relate to. In a video shared to his YouTube channel, ex royal cook Darren McGrady, born in Nottinghamshire, said the simple hearty meal Diana, who sadly passed away in 1997, requested for the boys was one of their favourite dishes - Spaghetti Bolognese. McGrady said that although 'they were royal princes, they still had children's palettes' so 'Spaggy Bol' was always a hit with the boys. Food consultant and former MasterChef contestant, Renae Smith, told Hello that Diana's favoured dishes for herself and her children reflected her 'unfussy, considered approach to food'. Darren explained that he would make the dish in the traditional way, adding onion, celery, carrot, beef bouillon cubes and ground beef. He served the sauce with either spaghetti or rice, and shared a helpful tip for thickening the sauce: adding a small amount of flour. 'When she [Diana] was entertaining, especially if she had the boys home, William and Harry, I had to change the menu to make it nursery friendly so that the boys would like it - comfort food that they would like, but a dish to two that she would like too,' McGrady revealed. The chef revealed that he watched the boys grow up over the 11 years he worked at Kensington Palace, even seeing them play hide and seek in the kitchen over the years. He said: 'I used to puree vegetables for them as babies and hold Harry as a baby in the kitchen at Windsor castle as they got older making all their favourite nursery foods and comfort foods. 'They used to play hide and seek, Harry would hide in a cabinet and William would come in hunting for him, ''Have you seen Harry, have you seen Harry'', and sometimes they would help never went too well.' While the princes enjoyed their favourite meal a lot in the palace, Diana used to opt for something a little more sophisticated. The chef revealed he cooked sole florentine for Diana, however he revealed the Princess once changed the menu completely when a friend joined her for lunch, opting for Darren's tomato mousse followed by lobster thermidor with a pear flan for dessert. Reminiscing about his time in the palace with Prince William and Prince Harry as boisterous children, McGrady said: 'One time at Christmas the boys had been given pump action water guns, they came running into the kitchen firing them and everybody got soaked we weren't prepared. 'We decided we were going to get them back, a few days later we went into nearby King's Lynn and found some pump action water guns and raced back to the palace. 'But walking across the lawn a policeman saw us, he said ''what are you doing? Take those guns back to your room'' and and my friend Arthur said ''oh we're going to shoot William and Harry''. In a video shared to his YouTube channel, ex royal cook Darren McGrady said the simple hearty meal Diana, who sadly passed away in 1997, requested for the boys was one of their favorite dishes Spaghetti Bolognese Darren McGrady's Spaghetti Bolognese Serves 4 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves , minced 2 sticks of celery, finely diced 1 large carrot, grated 1 onion , finely chopped 1 lb / 500g beef mince / ground beef 2 beef bouillon cubes or 1 TBS better than bouillon or 2 TBS powdered beef bouillon 800g or 28 oz can crushed tomato (or fine diced tomatoes) 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 TBS flour Salt and pepper Method: Heat the oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic, cook for 3 -5 minutes or until light golden and softened. Turn up the heat to high and add the beef. Cook, breaking it up as your go, until browned. Add the flour and stir. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and bouillon. Bring to a simmer then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes with a lid on stirring occasionally, adding a little water if the sauce gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta or over rice. And garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. 'So we never get did get to shoot William and Harry with the water guns but I always kept in the kitchen, just in case they came in, a little container squeeze bottle with some water in, so if they came in and attacked me again with water guns I was ready.' It comes after McGrady revealed Princess Diana's favourite breakfast almost 30 years after her tragic death - and it's a 'super healthy' one loved by influencers. According to her former chef, Diana began eating the nutritious meal of overnight oats after discovering on a trip to Switzerland in the 1990s. In another video shared to his YouTube channel, the ex royal cook said the simple hearty breakfast was what the princess ate 'everyday' or on 'most mornings' at Kensington Palace. He added that it was 'healthy and packed with protein and nutrients' - much of the reason why modern-day celebrities and influencers have gone crazy for it. A-listers such as Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham have all championed the meal in recent years. Overnight oats is a no-cook dish that requires preparing oatmeal by soaking it in liquids such as milk or juice, and other ingredients such as fruits, nut butters and nuts overnight in the refrigerator. Nutritionists have labelled it one of the healthiest breakfasts to exist due to properties such as lessening the risk of diabetes, reducing cholesterol and the risk of obesity. In a caption accompanying the clip, Darren shared his special recipe which included blueberries and fresh walnuts. He began by explaining that Princess Diana was 'looking the best she ever did' during the days he cooked overnight oats and other meals for her. 'She was now eating healthy - her go-to breakfast was something called overnight oats' said Darren. He added: 'Now today overnight oats is popular. Everybody is eating them but they date back to 2012. 'That's when you couldn't go on social media without seeing a recipe for overnight oats. But Princess Diana was eating overnight oats almost 20 years earlier in 1993.' The top chef revealed that Diana stumbled upon the dish in Switzerland, where she was introduced to the intriguing breakfast for the first time. 'They were actually called bircher muesli and they were invented by a Swiss nutritionist who thought they were really, really good and all the ingredients were super, super healthy' he continued. Overnight oats was reportedly invented by Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner around the 20th century so his patients could enjoy a healthy and easy meal. Darren joked that the late princess stole the recipe and returned to Britain where she asked the expert chef to make them for breakfast 'everyday'. Princess Diana's favourite breakfast has been revealed almost 30 years after her tragic death - and it's a 'super healthy' one loved by influencers (The royal pictured leaving the gym in London in 1995) He added that while oatmeal could be enjoyed hot, eating them cold placed the dish on 'another level' and made them taste 'amazing'. Next he talked viewers through his personal recipe, one seemingly similar to what he cooked for the late royal princess herself. 'Start off by steeping the oats - that means adding a liquid to them. I use rolled oats. 'Don't use the quick oats or anything like that' he warned. 'The rolled oats in my opinion are the best'. Darren showed the camera a silver bowl of uncooked oats, and afterwards poured a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice inside it. 'Cover them [the oats] with plastic and then put them in the refrigerator and leave them overnight... overnight oats.' He produced the results of nightly soaked oats which appeared to have swelled up with each grain now clinging to each other. The expert chef stirred the contents together and then reached for his next ingredient - a pot of yoghurt. He opted for the dairy snack due to its high protein content, and then for a sweet kick he added a drop of honey. 'With the raw honey just do that to taste,' continued Darren. 'If you like it really, really sweet then obviously put a little bit more in but not too much'. Finally he added half a honey crisp apple, the juice of one lemon, one cup of fresh blueberries and a 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts. 'So there are many different things you can add into the dish now' he explained. 'Los of different fruits, all the berries and the strawberries... chia seeds are really popular now too. 'This is the classic traditional dish that Princess Diana had for breakfast every morning. 'I have to admit when I was making this for Princess Diana every morning at Kensington Palace it was so good, I actually used to double the recipe so that the chef got it too' he joked. He presented the concoction in a medium-sized tumbler with a silver panel which was now overflowing with creamy oats. A few blueberries and chopped walnuts made for the perfect garnish to his completed recipe. 'Well there you go! It's so much cheaper than buying it ready made at the store' he concluded.
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Former royal chef reveals the 'secret' drink members of The Firm take on their travels - and the recipe for Queen Elizabeth II's favourite dessert
The late Queen Elizabeth II 's ex-chef has revealed her eating habits - including the 'secret' drink she refused to travel without and her favourite chocolate dessert. According to her former chef, the monarch - who died in September 2022 - and the rest of the Royal Family were fond of a 'secret' palace drink that was bottled up so they could bring it on their travels around the world. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, former royal chef Darren McGrady, revealed the beverage was a Lemon Refresher that palace chefs brewed every month and stored in recycled tonic water bottles in the fridge. Darren, who spent 11 years working for the Queen Elizabeth, revealed the drink was not only 'loved' but 'needed' by members of the royal household as one ingredient was a 'natural purgative'. H explained: 'Epsom salts are a natural purgative, they help keep you on the throne, and so when members of the royal family needed a little help they reach for this delicious homemade refreshing lemon refresher.' The chef revealed that the drink was non-alcoholic and similar to a lemonade but 'a bit more tart.' It included citric acid, tartaric acid, lemon juice and zest, Epsom salts, and boiling water. After stirring all the ingredients together, the chef revealed it has to be refrigerated before being served chilled and diluted in water. Lemon Refresher (Makes about 1 qt - to dilute) 4 cups sugar 2 TBS Epsom salts 1 tsp citric acid 3 tsp tartaric acid 6 lemons, juice and zest 5 cups boiling water Extra water for diluting Method: Place the sugar, Epsom salts, citric acid, tartaric acid, lemon juice, and zest in a bowl and whisk them together. Bring the 5 cups water to a boil and pour it over the lemon mix, whisking until combined. Refrigerate until cold and decant into screw-top bottles. Keep refrigerated. To serve, dilute 1/4 cup of the lemon refresher with 2 cups of water over ice or to taste. Darren revealed a similar lemon beverage was first created by the Egyptians thousands of years ago, and it was made 'popular by the French street vendors in the 1600s before finding its way to the USA in the 1800s'. He added: 'The royal family would travel all over the world and take this Lemon Refresher with them to Sandringham, Windsor, Balmoral, Holyrood Palace and even on the royal yacht Britannia too.' In another video, the chef revealed that the late Queen loved a certain 'rich chocolate dessert' which she first tried during a trip to Australia. During a visit to Government House in Melbourne, she was served Chocolate Marquise at a dinner party and loved it so much that she asked the chef for the recipe so she could bring it back to the Royal Britannia chefs to make for her - something Darren claimed she 'never does'. He explained: 'She wanted the chefs in the kitchen to make this and put it on the menu so she could serve it to her guests too. 'Chocolate Marquise is really, a rich, chocolatey, fluffy, velvety, creamy mousse, then it's frozen, but it doesn't freeze solid, it freezes quite soft. 'So for us in the kitchen, when I was cooking for the Queen it was fantastic because we could make them up, put them in the freezer and if the Queen had a surprise guest and she wanted to serve a pudding then we could just go in the freezer, bring out the Chocolate Marquise and it sliced perfect. 'So with a little fruit or a little coffee creme anglaise to garnish we had the perfect dessert, ready for Her Majesty.' For the dessert, Darren used 60 per cent dark chocolate, as he claimed the Queen 'loved dark chocolate, the darker the better'. He then added unsalted butter, sugar, cocoa powder, egg yolks, brandy, and double cream to the tasty mixture. He said: 'Then I'm going to pour this into a one pound loaf tin and I've lined it with plastic wrap, that's cling film across the pond, so it'll just be easier when it comes out.' It comes after the palace's fromer chef revealed Princess Diana's favourite breakfast - and it's a 'super healthy' one loved by influencers. According to the former chef, the late mother of Prince William and Prince Harry began eating the nutritious meal of overnight oats after discovering on a trip to Switzerland in the 1990s. In another video shared to his YouTube channel, Darren said the simple hearty breakfast was what the princess ate 'everyday' or on 'most mornings' at Kensington Palace. He added that it was 'healthy and packed with protein and nutrients' - much of the reason why modern-day celebrities and influencers have gone crazy for it. A-listers such as Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Victoria Beckham have all championed the meal in recent years. Chocolate Marquise Serves 8 1 1/4 cups (200g) dark chocolate (60% cocoa is best) 1/2 cup (100g) unsalted butter 1/2 cup (100g) sugar 2 TBS cocoa powder 3 egg yolks 2 TBS brandy 1 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy/double cream Method: 1 1lb loaf tin, lined with plastic wrap/cling film Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolks, brandy and cocoa powder. Cream until combined. Melt the chocolate in a separate bowl, set aside. Whip the cream to soft peaks, set aside. Whisk the butter cocoa mix into the melted chocolate and carefully fold in the cream until combined. Spoon into prepared loaf tin (or individual lined ramekins) and freeze overnight. This dessert will keep in the freezer for three months. Overnight oats is a no-cook dish that requires preparing oatmeal by soaking it in liquids such as milk or juice, and other ingredients such as fruits, nut butters and nuts overnight in the refrigerator. Nutritionists have labelled it one of the healthiest breakfasts to exist due to properties such as lessening the risk of diabetes, reducing cholesterol, and the risk of obesity. In a caption accompanying the clip, Darren shared his special recipe that included blueberries and fresh walnuts. He began by explaining that Princess Diana was 'looking the best she ever did' during the days he cooked overnight oats and other meals for her. 'She was now eating healthy - her go-to breakfast was something called overnight oats,' said Darren. He added: 'Now, today overnight oats is popular. Everybody is eating them but they date back to 2012. 'That's when you couldn't go on social media without seeing a recipe for overnight oats. But Princess Diana was eating overnight oats almost 20 years earlier in 1993.' The top chef revealed that Diana stumbled upon the dish in Switzerland, where she was introduced to the intriguing breakfast for the first time. 'They were actually called bircher muesli and they were invented by a Swiss nutritionist who thought they were really, really good and all the ingredients were super, super healthy' he continued. Overnight oats was reportedly invented by Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner around the 20th century so his patients could enjoy a healthy and easy meal. Darren joked that the late princess stole the recipe and returned to Britain where she asked the expert chef to make them for breakfast 'everyday'. He added that while oatmeal could be enjoyed hot, eating them cold placed the dish on 'another level' and made them taste 'amazing'. Next he talked viewers through his personal recipe, one seemingly similar to what he cooked for the late royal princess herself. 'Start off by steeping the oats - that means adding a liquid to them. I use rolled oats. 'Don't use the quick oats or anything like that' he warned. 'The rolled oats in my opinion are the best'. Darren showed the camera a silver bowl of uncooked oats, and afterwards poured a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice inside it. 'Cover them [the oats] with plastic and then put them in the refrigerator and leave them overnight... overnight oats.' He produced the results of nightly soaked oats which appeared to have swelled up with each grain now clinging to each other. The expert chef stirred the contents together and then reached for his next ingredient - a pot of yoghurt. He opted for the dairy snack due to its high protein content, and then for a sweet kick he added a drop of honey. 'With the raw honey just do that to taste,' continued Darren. 'If you like it really, really sweet then obviously put a little bit more in but not too much'. Finally he added half a honey crisp apple, the juice of one lemon, one cup of fresh blueberries and a 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts. 'So there are many different things you can add into the dish now' he explained. 'Los of different fruits, all the berries and the strawberries... chia seeds are really popular now too. 'This is the classic traditional dish that Princess Diana had for breakfast every morning. 'I have to admit when I was making this for Princess Diana every morning at Kensington Palace it was so good, I actually used to double the recipe so that the chef got it too' he joked. He presented the concoction in a medium-sized tumbler with a silver panel which was now overflowing with creamy oats. A few blueberries and chopped walnuts made for the perfect garnish to his completed recipe. 'Well there you go! It's so much cheaper than buying it ready made at the store' he concluded. Darren McGrady's OVERNIGHT OATS Serves 2: 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 cup Greek yogurt 1 TBS raw honey 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional) 1/2 honey crisp apple 1 lemon, juice only 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup toasted walnuts Add the orange juice to the oats, stir and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Stir in the Greek yogurt, honey (to taste) and lemon juice. Grate the apple and add to the oats and fold in. Add half of the blueberries and stir. Spoon into a serving dish and decorate with the remaining blueberries and walnuts.
