What exactly is a Royal Warrant? According to the Royal Warrant Holders Association, it’s, “a mark of recognition of those who have supplied goods or services to the Households of HM The Queen or HRH The Prince of Wales for at least five years, and who have an ongoing trading arrangement”. Only two royals, the Queen and Prince Charles, can grant companies with a Royal Warrant and currently, more than 100 food and drink companies hold one.
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Cadbury started life back in 1824, when grocer John Cadbury opened a shop in Birmingham, which sold items including drinking powder and cocoa, which he prepared himself. Fast forward to today and the chocolate’s iconic purple packaging is ubiquitous all over the country, and the world. It’s no wonder the chocolate giant has made it into Buckingham Palace – in fact, Cadbury reportedly makes a special bar of the Queen’s favourite dark chocolate at Christmas, to a top-secret recipe.
It's no surprise the royals like to enjoy the finer things in life, and one of their chosen Champagne brands is Bollinger. This family-run Champagne house has been around for nearly 200 years, and it’s held a Royal Warrant since 1884, when it was awarded by Queen Victoria. Just a year later, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII also awarded Bollinger the Prince of Wales Warrant. It was reportedly his favourite Champagne, which he called “my Bolly darling”.
We can’t quite imagine Her Majesty tucking into a plate of beans on toast, but if she did, you can bet they’d be Heinz. The beloved brand, which makes tomato ketchup, baked beans, tinned soups and pasta, condiments, plus HP Sauce and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, started life in the US in 1869, before its products began appearing in Britain in the late 1800s. It gained its Royal Warrant in the 1950s and has held onto it ever since.
The Queen used to enjoy a dry martini in the evenings, made with Martini extra dry vermouth, but has reportedly cut down due to health reasons. However, despite not drinking as much now, the Martini brand has been a long-standing favourite in the Royal household. The company was founded in Turin in 1863, and granted a Royal Warrant in 1962, which it’s held ever since. Martini is now part of Bacardi, having been sold to the drinks giant in 1993.
From French Fancies to Angel Slices, Mr Kipling makes some of Britain’s best-loved cakes, and it seems the Royal Household can’t resist a slice of the action. The company started in 1967 and became the country’s number one cake brand just over a decade later. In 2012, it rolled out special-edition Great British Fancies to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, then started selling Princely Pies and Wedding Whirls when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in 2018. Premier Foods (the company that owns Mr Kipling) was granted a Royal Warrant for cakes and culinary products in 2008.
Salt is a cooking staple, and only the best will do for the royals. Their brand of choice? Essex-born-and-bred salt manufacturer Maldon, which has been producing artisan salt in the seaside town of Maldon for 140 years. The company acquired its Royal Warrant back in 2012 and has held onto it ever since. You’ll find a box of Maldon salt flakes in kitchens all over the world – it’s loved by basically everyone – so it’s no surprise the royals gave it their seal of approval too.
McIlhenny Company, the American firm that makes Tabasco, was given the royal seal of approval in 2009. Yet the royal family’s enjoyment of the spicy sauce goes back much further. The Queen Mother was a big fan: she allegedly had her staff searching the streets of London for the stuff during the Second World War, when Tabasco was in short supply due to rationing. The original recipe, featuring three simple ingredients: red peppers, vinegar and salt, has been used by the McIlhenny family for nearly 150 years.
One of the largest food companies on the planet, Nestlé, makes a number of well-loved brands including Smarties, KitKat and Nescafé. The company, which started life as a condensed milk producer in 1866, soon went international and began making chocolate, coffee and convenience foods during the 20th century. Today, Nestlé products can be found in a whopping 97% of British households – and one of them is Buckingham Palace.
The official royal link with Scotch whisky goes back 200 years, with Glenlivet being the first firm to gain a Royal Warrant in 1822. Monarchs have a long history with whisky – King William IV enjoyed Glenury Royal, while Queen Victoria was also a fan of a dram or two. Yet Johnnie Walker was the preferred tipple of King George V, who granted it the official stamp of approval in 1934. Today it’s the most widely distributed Scotch brand in the world, sold in more than 180 countries.
Ambrosia is the food of the Greek gods, and the royal household. Owned by Royal Warrant holder Premier Foods, Ambrosia is best known for its custard and rice pudding. It’s been making these signature products out of its Devon creamery for more than 50 years, which you can now buy in tins, snack pots and sharing pots. It also sells classic British desserts like semolina and tapioca. A tin of rice pudding is comfort food for many people: maybe the Queen likes to indulge occasionally as well?
The royal family certainly enjoys a glass of fizz, with nine Champagne houses currently holding the official seal of approval. The list includes Moët & Chandon, which was awarded the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria back in 1884. British rulers aren’t the only ones that favour Moët: it also had a connection with the French monarchy and supplied the Court of Versailles during Louis XV’s reign.
Do you start the day with a cup of coffee, or tea? Prince Charles might be partial to both, as he awarded Taylors of Harrogate a Royal Warrant in 2015. Taylors blends Yorkshire Tea, as well as a range of single-origin and blended coffees. The family-run, Yorkshire-based brand has been around for more than 130 years.
Cathedral City is one of the UK’s most recognisable cheese brands, and is also the cheese of choice for Her Majesty. It’s the only Cheddar maker to hold a Royal Warrant. The company, which is owned by Saputo, has been making its trademark Cheddar in Davidstow, Cornwall, for more than 50 years. Its range runs from mild all the way through to vintage. Which do you think would be the Queen's favourite?
We know the Queen enjoys a shortbread biscuit from time to time, but what about when the royal kitchens are running low on flour? Luckily, they’ve probably always got a box of Walkers shortbread in. The Scottish company, which dates back to 1898, was appointed by Her Majesty and the Queen Mother as a supplier of oatcakes in 2002, with the Royal Warrant being extended to include shortbread in 2017.
Apparently, the Queen has a sweet tooth, which goes some way to explain why Tate & Lyle has a Royal Warrant. In 1921, Britain’s two biggest sugar producers, Henry Tate & Sons and Abraham Lyle & Sons, joined forces. One made sugar cubes, the other golden syrup. It was Lyle’s Golden Syrup – which holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest packaging – that first caught a royal eye. King George V was partial to the sticky-sweet syrup and granted it a Royal Warrant all the way back in 1922.
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It doesn’t look like sugar will ever be in short supply at Buckingham Palace, with not one, but two sugar companies holding a Royal Warrant. Silver Spoon’s history is a little more recent, starting out in 1972. It processes the UK’s beet sugar crop and works with 3,500 growers across East Anglia and the East Midlands, which accounts for around 50% of the UK sugar market.
When you think about British condiments, one of the first things that might come to mind is Colman’s mustard. Granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria back in 1866, the punchy yellow mustard has been worthy of a place in the royal household ever since. Founded in Norwich in 1814, Colman’s isn’t just known for its mustard, and produces sauces like horseradish, mint sauce and gravy as well – all of which we can imagine having a place in the royal pantry. The brand is now owned by Unilever.
When she’s not sipping tea, or enjoying a dry martini, you might find the Queen drinking Robinsons Lemon Barley Water. According to Robinsons, her Majesty has been known to enjoy the drink and awarded the company with her mark of approval back in 1955. Robinsons has held onto its Royal Warrant ever since, although the brand is now owned by drinks conglomerate Britvic.
Like Ryvita, we’re also imagining the Queen tucking into crunchy rye breads topped with cream cheese and cucumber for a casual lunch. Who knows whether this has ever happened, but Jordans and Ryvita Company does have a Royal Warrant as a manufacturer of crispbreads. The company has been going for nearly 100 years and also sells Crackerbreads, Thins and Rye Cakes.
What time is ‘Pimm’s o’clock’ in the royal household? Invented in the 1840s, Pimm’s No.1 Cup is still an iconic British tipple served at garden parties, picnics, barbecues, sporting events and of course, Wimbledon. The secret recipe of gin infused with herbal botanicals, caramelised orange and warm spices is best served in a jug with friends, mixed with lemonade and served with fruit. The Queen apparently likes her Pimm’s with seven types of garnish: sliced oranges, cherries, lemons, strawberries, cucumber, mint and borage.
Chocolate biscuit cake has been a royal family staple for decades – it’s the Queen’s favourite afternoon snack and was even served at Prince William and Kate’s wedding in 2011. The biscuits used to make it? None other than McVitie’s Rich Tea. Yet McVitie’s, now owned by United Biscuits, has a long legacy of supplying goods to the British monarchy. In fact, the biscuit brand gained its Royal Warrant back in the 19th century.
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Twinings was given the royal stamp of approval by Queen Victoria back in 1837, and the tea brand has held onto it ever since. Although the company has remained tight-lipped about which blend is preferred by the current Queen – and there are more than 500 varieties on offer – a former royal chef let it slip that she favours Earl Grey, which she apparently takes with a splash of milk and no sugar.
Prince Charles once claimed he was “virtually brought up on Weetabix”, which is perhaps no wonder given it’s the nation’s top-selling cereal brand. We wonder how many of the sizeable breakfast biscuits he used to eat? Founded in 1932, the Royal Warrant-holding company sources all its wheat from within a 50-mile radius of its factory in Northamptonshire.
The Queen takes her scones with jam and cream (she puts the jam on first) and often enjoys marmalade on toast for breakfast. It’s likely those preserves are supplied by Tiptree, which is made by Wilkin & Sons. The company has held a Royal Warrant since 1911, when it was awarded by George V. The jam maker, which has been producing its products in Essex since the early 1700s, often marks significant events in the royal calendar with special product launches, such as extra large jars of marmalade for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
It’s no secret Her Majesty sometimes enjoys the finer things in life, plus, she’s also said to be a bit of a chocoholic. So when she’s after something extra special, she probably reaches for a box of Prestat chocolates. Established in 1902, the luxury British chocolatier sells a range of high-end truffles and gained its Royal Warrant from the Queen in 1975, before earning a second seal of approval by the Queen Mother in 1999.
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, one of the Queen’s favourite dishes is Morecambe Bay potted shrimp on toast, which are cooked in a “secret spicy butter”. And Prince Phillip was known for his love of spicy food. They may be some of the reasons behind Schwartz’s Royal Warrant. The company, which was established in Canada in 1889 by William Schwartz, the son of a German immigrant, is one of the world’s biggest producers of herbs, spices, seasonings and flavourings.
Another company owned by Premier Foods – and therefore possibly making it into the royal family’s food cupboards – is Loyd Grossman. With almost four million British households buying its pasta sauces in 2020, it seems it’s among the nation’s favourite brands too. As well as pasta sauces, Loyd Grossman makes Indian and Thai cooking sauces, risotto kits and pasta sachets.
Love it or hate it, one of the more recent Royal Warrants was granted to Marmite. That must be the ultimate seal of approval for team ‘love it’. The yeast extract spread is a by-product of the beer brewing industry that can be used to top toast, or in recipes from sweet to savoury. Marmite joined the ranks in 2016, along with Knorr, another of Unilever’s food brands. Stork, Colman’s and Hellmann’s all held onto Royal Warrants.
“Which will it be, Your Majesty? The Coco Pops or the Frosties?” We can’t imagine it either, but perhaps Her Majesty keeps a variety pack at bay for when her great-grandchildren come to stay. Variety packs aside, the Queen allegedly prefers a bowl of Special K along with some fresh fruit to start her day. Cereal manufacturer Kellogg's has been supplying the royals with their breakfasts for decades now, and even released a special cereal, Queen Flakes, to celebrate the monarch’s record reign in 2015.
Now discover what the Queen eats, and other royal food favourites