Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t care about calories, according to her former chef Darren McGrady

In a YouTube video published by Delish, Darren explained: “One of the things I soon learned working for the queen, was that all of the dishes were rich in cream and butter and fat. Calories didn’t really matter. We could use as much cream and butter in the dishes as we wanted to and it just made them taste amazing. It really was traditional French cuisine.”

The Queen particularly loves a dish known as Gaelic steak, which is often made with beef tenderloin steaks, although the royal prefers to use venison that is typically hunted on her own lands at Sandringham or Balmoral.

Darren, 58, explained the dish is made by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper and serving it over potato and parsnip mash, topped with a cream-based sauce that includes mushrooms and onions and garnished with baby carrots.

The chef also spoke about the Queen’s dessert habits, and claimed she doesn’t overindulge, especially when it comes to sweet treats.

He added: “The queen is such a disciplinarian. It amazed me that we would send a great big chocolate cake up for her to have a meal or afternoon tea and she would just take the tiniest slice.”

Once she finished her slice, the cake would head back to the kitchen until she was ready for more.

Darren noted: “If she wanted more, she would wait until the next day when that cake came up again.”