The late Queen Elizabeth's royal pastry chef, who also worked very closely with Princess Diana prior to her death, has revealed that the British royal family has one of the most classic Christmas snacks in a very unique way.
We know that some of them, such as King Charles, are particularly fussy eaters, so it's no surprise to hear that they've put their own spin on mince pies, which are a relatively divisive Christmas classic in the modern day thanks to their bitter taste.
Darren McGrady, who worked as the chef for the royal family between 1982 and 1997, shared a video on YouTube explaining how he used to make mince pies.
How Darren cooked mince pies for the royal family
He explained that he would cook them for around 15 minutes, allowing them to become "golden brown" – however, he doesn't coat the lids of the pies with egg, meaning that they don't quite stick to the casing.
Darren continued that, even though "they smell gorgeous", it's vital to let them cool down once they leave the oven, to prevent any collapse. After they cooled, he explained why he doesn't let the lids stick to the pies.
Once chilled, he would place a chilled swirl of brandy butter inside the case, sitting on top of the spiced mincemeat. "That brandy butter will just melt into the mincemeat. By the time they got into the royal dining room – oh my goodness, they tasted absolutely gorgeous."
He added a final touch
Just before serving them to the family, he added a final touch: a light dusting of powdered sugar. Darren also explained that the kitchen staff had to be especially careful at this final stage, following an incident one Christmas involving the late Prince Philip.
"We had to be careful how much powdered sugar we put on top of the pies," he began. "I remember one Sandringham Christmas, Prince Philip nearly choking because he inhaled the powdered sugar off the top of the mince pie just as he was about to put it into his mouth."
Another royal pastry chef chipped in
In 2018, Kathryn Cuthbertson, who was part of the team making mince pies for the Christmas receptions at the time, shared her secret to success, which was to prepare the mincemeat filling early, at least a week, or even months in advance.
She also recommended having cold hands while you work with the pastry, as this helps to keep it at the right consistency.