It was an immutable ritual.
For more than ninety years, no matter where she was in the world, Queen Elizabeth II's afternoons were punctuated by the traditional
tea time
.
A snack between lunch and dinner, prepared for more than a decade by chef Darren McGrady.
A year ago, this former employee of Buckingham Palace revealed on his Youtube channel how to recreate this royal
tea time
, revealing the queen's favorite snack.
And if Leonardo da Vinci once said “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”, Elizabeth II could not agree more.
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Among the raisin scones, the gingerbread, the chocolate biscuits or the York ham sandwiches, a snack was never missing: the
jam pennies
.
A regressive and somewhat surprising snack, since it consists of a simple butter and jam sandwich.
Cut into small round bites reminiscent of the old English penny, the queen's
jam
pennies
were prepared with homemade Scottish strawberry jam, picked from the gardens of Balmoral Castle.
Read alsoThe little story of the “Dubonnet cocktail” that Elizabeth II tasted religiously every day
According to Darren McGrady, Elizabeth II had enjoyed these jam sandwiches since her childhood.
“The Queen was already eating
jam pennies
at daycare when she was just a little girl.
Since then, she has demanded it at each of her afternoon teas.
During her platinum jubilee, she did not hesitate to honor tradition by filming in a humorous scene alongside Paddington Bear.
Over
tea time
, she is seen pulling a jam sandwich from her bag in response to Britain's favorite teddy bear, claiming that she, too, always keeps one on her in case of an 'emergency'.
In video, The sketch of Queen Elizabeth II with Paddington Bear
On the announcement of his disappearance on September 8, thousands of Britons paid tribute to him by depositing jam sandwiches and soft toys bearing the image of Paddington Bear in London's Green Park.
A gesture since prohibited by the management of the Royal Parks.
Royal Jam Pennies Recipe
Ingredients :
2 slices of white bread
Butter
Strawberry jam
Steps :
Spread the butter on a slice of bread
Spread the strawberry jam on the other slice of bread
Assemble the two loaves
Using a round cookie cutter 3cm in diameter, cut out
pennies
.
To be enjoyed with a delicious cup of still-steaming Earl Gray tea.
