The world is mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, as the longest reigning British monarch died at the age of 96 on September 8. Condolences are pouring in from world leaders and common masses alike. People are sharing their memories of meeting the Queen, who had celebrated her platinum jubilee in June this year, after completing 70 years on the throne.
There are also anecdotes from the late Queen's life that are resurfacing now. People are finding interest in reading stories about Queen Elizabeth's food habits and preferences on the internet. Among these came up a recipe shared by historian Michael Beschloss on Twitter. It is said that the iconic scones recipe was revealed by the monarch herself in 1960.
He shared a picture of a letter that Queen Elizabeth had written to the then US President Dwight D Eisenhower, dated January 24, 1960 after hosting him at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Queen died at the same estate house in Aberdeenshire on Thursday. Take a look:
In the letter, available in the UK's National Archives, the Queen said, "Dear Mr. President, seeing a picture of you in today's newspaper standing in front of a barbecue grill reminded me that I had never sent you the recipe for the drop scones, which I promised you at Balmoral. I now hasten to do so, and I do hope you will find them successful."
Michael also tweeted a picture of the recipe for the Queen's drop scones from 1960, which was said to be enough for 16 people. Also known as Scottish pancakes, the recipe uses ingredients like flour, caster sugar, milk, eggs, cream of tartar, and butter.
In her letter to the US President, the Queen further added personal notes, and explained certain tips and tricks around the recipe. "Though the quantities are for 16 people, when there are fewer, I generally put in less flour and milk but use the other ingredients as stated," she wrote. She also suggested using golden syrup or treacle instead of sugar, saying that could "be very good too". "I think the mixture needs a great deal of beating and shouldn't stand for too long before cooking," she added in her letter to the president.
Many Twitter users as well as food and history enthusiasts were delighted with this piece of history from the Queen's life, and expressed the desire to try the recipe themselves as a tribute to the British monarch. Take a look at the reactions:
Earlier, Queen Elizabeth's personal favourite sandwich recipe for afternoon tea had also gone viral on social media. It was shared by none other than the former royal chef Darren McGrady, who revealed that it has been the Queen’s absolute favourite ever since she was a little girl. Read more about it here.
