How To Eat Eggs Like Queen Elizabeth

Though Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died in September 2022, her influence (as well as the public's interest in her very long life) is still apparent today. She holds the record as the second-longest reigning head of state in the world, and part of her longevity can be attributed to the excellent diet she followed. This obviously included a great start at breakfast. And while she often ate cereal and yogurt or kippers and smoked haddock (yes, for breakfast), occasionally she would ask for scrambled eggs. But not just any scrambled eggs, oh no. Her rendition of this dish contained two unexpected but readily available ingredients, so you can enjoy your eggs the Queen's way, too.

You see, Queen Elizabeth liked her scrambled eggs served with nutmeg and lemon zest. To replicate this at home, scramble your eggs over low heat, and then just before they set, add a pinch of nutmeg and about a teaspoon of zested lemon peel. Turn off the stove and let the eggs fully set up with the residual heat from the pan. Then, to get the full Queen Elizabeth experience, top with black pepper and chives.

As a royal, Queen Elizabeth obviously could have eaten anything her heart desired, but she definitely had her favorites; starting with seasonal produce. She was a huge fan of eating local, including fruit from the royal estate of Windsor and the family-owned Balmoral Castle, as well as game that was hunted on their estates — her "guilty pleasure" was, after all, a not-so-relatable venison burger. She really loved fish, particularly salmon, and she would often accompany her protein with steamed veggies.

If you wanted to indulge like the Queen — hey, she was still human, after all — her number one favorite food was dark chocolate. Her kitchen staff would present her with a menu of items to pick from (steering clear of pointed-edge sandwiches), and anything that used chocolate she would instruct them to make. This included chocolate cake, which she would have a small piece of every day. Her favorite alcoholic drink was a Dubonnet and gin, with twice as much Dubonnet as gin so as not to imbibe too much alcohol in one drink, though she had to give up alcohol altogether in her later years.