This Indulgent Sandwich Was One of Queen Elizabeth’s Favorites

Queen Elizabeth had pretty well-known likes and dislikes when it came to food. Perhaps most famously (at least for me) was her aversion to garlic, which she forbade from meals at the palace. Who knows, maybe she wanted to make sure her breath was fresh as she carried out her royal duties.

But there are a lot of foods that Queen Elizabeth loved to eat, like scrambled eggs and scones with jam. Queen Elizabeth’s favorite sandwich, though, wasn’t something she ate every day. It was a special treat that she requested when she wanted something fancy.

What sandwich did the queen love?

You’d think Queen Elizabeth would prefer a dainty cucumber sandwich to nibble on with a cup of tea. But her actual favorite sandwich was a real treat.

According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, the Queen loved a croque monsieur! This simple but indulgent sandwich is a mainstay at cafés around France. It’s typically served alongside a small mixed green salad topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. 

What is a croque monsieur?

“Indulgent” is certainly the best way to describe this sandwich. I would also argue that “hangover cure” is another way, although, of course, I’m only speaking for myself here, and not Queen Elizabeth.

This is essentially a fancy grilled ham and cheese sandwich. You layer bechamel sauce onto bread, add layers of ham and gruyere cheese, and then bake it to perfection. The pièce de résistance is topping the sandwich off with more bechamel sauce and shredded cheese, then broiling it until it’s nice, bubbly and golden brown. (In French, the “croque” in croque monsieur means “to bite” or “to crunch,” which makes sense.)

There’s also a version of this sandwich called a croque madame, which has all of the same ingredients plus a fried egg. Like I said, it’s decadent.