Turns out Queen Elizabeth II was ahead of the food trends long before the rest of us caught on.
The late monarch was a devoted fan of a simple dessert that looks remarkably like the Japanese cheesecake dessert that has taken over TikTok — and she was eating it more than 30 years ago.
Her former personal chef Darren McGrady, who spent 15 years cooking inside Buckingham Palace, spilled the details in a YouTube video that has stopped royal fans in their tracks.
The viral trend involves stuffing Lotus Biscoff cookies into Greek yoghurt and leaving it to set in the fridge.
“When I saw the latest viral dessert on social media I thought, ‘That’s not new! The Queen was eating that over 30 years ago,'” McGrady said in the video.
At Buckingham Palace, the dessert was known as ginger nut cream, and as the name suggests, ginger nut biscuits were the Queen’s biscuit of choice over Biscoff.
Darren recommended using ginger nut biscuits to ensure it’s “the authentic dish that the Queen used to have”.
McGrady says he would soften the biscuits in a whiskey and water mix before layering them with whipped cream, yoghurt and sugar and then finishing with piped cream on top.
He couldn’t resist a cheeky nod to the Queen’s fondness for a tipple while explaining the whiskey step.
“This is probably one of my easiest recipes to prepare, but was always served at the Royal table,” he added.
Royal fans flooded the comments section of McGrady’s video, delighted by the revelation.
“I definitely think the Queen was ahead of the trend,” one wrote. “I mean, Princess Diana was eating overnight oats before it was popular.”
“God bless the queen. She was a visionary,” another fan wrote.
“This looks so appetising, Darren. The Queen certainly had excellent taste in food. Rest in peace, Your Majesty,” added another.
Given the Queen’s stamp of approval, it’s safe to say this one is worth trying at home.
Keep reading for the full recipe below.
How to make the Queen’s favourite ginger nut cheesecake
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 250g packs ginger nut biscuits
2 cups greek yogurt
2 cups heavy cream (lightly whipped)
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1/2 cup whiskey (optional)
2 cups hot water
Method
Step 1: In a large bowl whisk the Greek yogurt and sugar into the cream. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the whiskey to the hot water.
Step 3: Spoon a layer of cream mix into the base of a serving dish.
Step 4: Dip the ginger nuts into the whiskey water and working quickly spoon a little cream on top. Dip another ginger nut into the whisky water and sandwich the two together. Place upright into the dish. Repeat the process until the bowl is full. Refrigerate.
Step 5: Spoon or pipe the remaining mix over the cookies and garnish before serving with crushed ginger nuts.
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