Royal chef reveals Queen Elizabeth II's 'less traditional' supper she ate every Good Friday
Millions of Britons will mark Good Friday by tucking into a fish dish for their evening meal - and the Royal Family are no exception.
While it is not known what King Charles and Queen Camilla's meal will be, the late Queen was known to enjoy a rather unusual dish of choice for the age-old ritual, believed to have been started by the first Christians to remember Jesus's sacrifice.
According to Darren McGrady, the Queen Elizabeth's personal chef from 1982 until 1993, she ate a fish supper on Good Friday but with the traditional haddock or cod swapped for hake.
Similar to cod and haddock but softer and with a more mild flavour, hake is usually used in curries and soups rather than in fish and chips.
Darren had revealed in a YouTube video how the Queen liked her fish and chips cooked - and it wasn't only her choice of fish which departed from the usual ingredients.
Queen Elizabeth (pictured on Easter Sunday in 2019) is said to have enjoyed a hake fish supper on Good Friday instead of a traditional haddock or cod
Instead of deep-frying the fish in batter, the Queen preferred her hake oven-cooked with a panko crusting
On Easter Sunday, after attending the church service at St George's Chapel, the Royal Family typically enjoy a roast leg of lamb served with redcurrant jelly
Darren said: 'The Queen wouldn't really eat the fish fried in all that crispy rich batter - a little bit too much for her. She preferred a more refined fish and chips.
'The chips were all cut the same length - every one the same length, perfect rectangles.'
So, instead of deep-frying the hake in batter, it was dunked in flour, egg yolk and butter before it was rubbed with panko crusting and popped into the oven at 200C for ten minutes.
While most Brits might enjoy their fish and chips with a healthy dollop of tartare sauce and a side of mushy peas the Queen's choice of condiment was a little more off-menu.
She enjoyed homemade tarragon hollandaise sauce made of egg yolks, lemon, tarragon, clarified butter with salt and pepper as well.
Presentation of the dish was also crucial. The perfectly asymmetrical chips had to be stacked into a square.
Then the hollandaise sauce was drizzled around the side of the plate before a flower was placed on top of the fish for decoration.
Answering the question of whether the Queen did eat fish and chips, Darren said: 'Sort of I guess.
During Lent the Queen would give up chocolate so that by Easter Sunday she was more than happy to indulge in an Easter egg or two
According to Darren McGrady, the late Queen's personal chef from 1982 till 1993, she enjoyed hollandaise sauce over tartare sauce or mushy peas
Hake is similar to cod and haddock but is softer and has a more mild flavour
'I love the combination of flavours in this dish and we'd serve this a lot when the Queen had guests for lunch.'
As well as a fish supper, the Royal Family also enjoyed homemade hot cross buns on Good Friday, which were served with afternoon tea.
On Easter Sunday, after attending the church service at St George's Chapel the Royal Family typically enjoy a roast leg of lamb served with redcurrant jelly.
Darren also revealed that, like everyone at Easter, the late Queen indulged in an Easter egg.
Speaking to Time magazine, he described the Queen as a 'chocoholic', who especially enjoyed dark chocolate.
During Lent she would give up the sweet treat so that by Easter Sunday the Queen was more than happy to indulge in an Easter egg or two.
Afternoon tea is accompanied by a 'huge selection' of hand-decorated chocolate eggs so all the members of the family can enjoy the festive snack.
This year, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King and Queen will lead members of the Royal Family at this year's Easter Sunday church service.
Last year's Easter celebration was a more lowkey affair for the royals following King Charles's and The Princess of Wales's cancer diagnoses
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children did not attend last year's service as Kate continued her treatment. Pictured: Kate with Prince Louis in 2023
Last year's Easter celebration was a more lowkey affair for the royals following King Charles's and The Princess of Wales's cancer diagnoses.
Instead of a line-up of glamorous royals - such as Zara and Mike Tindall, Kate and Prince William with their children, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Sarah Chatto - the occasion was 'smaller than usual' in order to limit the number of people Charles came into contact with.
The King was accompanied by Queen Camilla as well as The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their son, James, Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
Despite still receiving treatment for cancer, the King appeared to be in a cheery mood at last year's service as he waved and smiled at well-wishers as he arrived in his maroon state Bentley limousine for the service being held at St George's Chapel.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children did not attend last year's service as Kate continued her treatment.
The Daily Mirror at the time reported that an aide said: 'The family just want to go away for Easter, spend time together, the five of them, close off from the world and move on.'
In January this year, Kate revealed that her cancer was in remission.
