The INSIDER Summary:
- Queen Elizabeth II is a huge fan of dark chocolate.
- She prefers dark chocolate that's 60 percent or higher.
- Her favorite chocolates are Bendicks Bittermints — which contain 95 percent cacao dark choclate fondant with a mint filling.
Queen Elizabeth II is something of a chocoholic. She will give the green light to pretty much “anything we put on the menu that had chocolate,” says former royal chef Darren McGrady. But you won’t find her snacking on any old candy bar that comes her way. The Queen is quite particular.
For one thing, she likes her chocolate a little on the bitter side. “She likes chocolate, but only dark chocolate,” says McGrady. “She’s not a big fan of milk or white chocolate.” Sounds like along with these other foods Queen Elizabeth will never eat, U.K. classic Cadbury Dairy Milk won’t be earning a royal warrant anytime soon. But lucky for Her Majesty, dark chocolate has this major heart benefit.
Not that just any slab of dark chocolate will do. Queen Elizabeth II says the darker the better—she prefers dark chocolate that’s 60 percent or higher, says McGrady. So at 45 percent cacao, a Hershey’s Special Dark bar might not make the cut.
One type she does love? Bendicks Bittermints. “That’s her favorite for snacking,” says McGrady. With a look at the ingredients, it’s no surprise. The sweets are a 95 percent cacao dark chocolate fondant (how’s that for bitter!) filled with an intensely strong mint middle. So think of a York Peppermint Pattie, only better. Bendicks even earned itself a Royal Warrant in 1962.
Want to try one? You’d be hard pressed to find the chocolates in any U.S. candy store, but you can find them on Amazon. We recommend stocking up, because chocolate is good for your brain.
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