Chef reveals how Queen loved famous Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps on toast

Darren McGrady, who worked for the Queen and Princess Diana in the 1990s, told his social media followers in an online interview in 2020 that the Queen loved eating the shrimps on toast.

And in a Q&A session to celebrate reaching 25,000 followers on his YouTube channel, and also reported in the Daily Mail, the British-born chef revealed the Queen didn't like garlic and they couldn't cook with it.

But he added that she enjoyed Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps on toast.

He said: "The Queen doesn't like garlic, we could never use it at Buckingham Palace.

"There's foods the Queen does love though and it's all the produce off their estate, especially Balmoral Castle."

Later in the video he says the Queen loved Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps - which she often ate on toast.

"They're little brown shrimp harvested from Morecambe and they're cooked and marinated in this secret spicy butter," he said.

"The Queen would have it with warm toast and when you spread it the butter melts and you have this beautiful shrimp as well. You need to look them up to try them."

Darren, who trained at the Savoy in London, has also cooked for five US presidents.

He has given a number of interviews reflecting on his time with the royal family.

Darren hung up his royal apron in 1997 after Princess Diana died, but says his time at Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle looms large in his memory.

How are Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps made?

Locally caught shrimps are boiled in butter with a secret combination of spices until they are tender.

They are then sealed with butter and packed into pots.

How to eat them

This delicacy can be either eaten warmed through, where the butter starts to melt, or at room temperature. They are traditionally enjoyed with crusty bread or hot toast.

Where you can buy them

Edmondson’s on Yorkshire Street, Morecambe; The Shrimp Shop, Poulton Square, Morecambe; The Port of Lancaster Smokehouse, Booths and Morrisons supermarkets.