High-SocieTea
"Where the Art and Elegance of Taking Tea is Treasured"
"Tea on the Royal High Seas"
Now decommissioned, The Royal Yacht Britannia served as Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s floating home for 44 years. From her launch in 1953 to her retirement in 1997, she made 968 official voyages arriving at over 600 ports in 135 countries spanning virtually every corner of the Earth. 
Permanently moored now in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, Britannia serves as a five-star visitor attraction and one of the United Kingdom’s premier corporate hospitality venues.
At 412 feet in length, The Britannia is the 83rd Royal Yacht, the original dating back to 1660 and King Charles II. His Royal Highness Prince Philip once said, “Britannia was unique. She was the first Royal Yacht to be genuinely ocean-going and able to bring her particular magic to maritime nations in every part of the world.”
The Royal Yacht Britannia was an official royal residence, and T
he Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were personally involved in her design and furnishing. The Yacht was filled with family photos and treasured heirlooms, personal possessions and gifts from around the world. Her Majesty once remarked that The Royal Yacht was the one place where she could truly relax.
Thanks to The Royal Yacht Britannia, The Queen is the most traveled monarch in the world. The ship also served as an ambassador for British business, promoting trade and industry wherever she sailed. 
For a state visit, approximately five tons of luggage were brought on board including the famous bottles of Malvern water used to brew Her Majesty’s tea. At five o’clock every afternoon, a curtain fell on all activities aboard The Royal Yacht and everyone’s attention focused on the tradition of afternoon tea. Her Majesty drank a special blend prepared just for her by Twinings of The Strand in London, who was granted their first Royal Warrant as Purveyor in Ordinary to Her Majesty in 1837 by Queen Victoria. Today, Twinings is honored to hold Royal Warrants of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. 
Tea was served in bone china cups whose pattern was inspired by the embroidered silk panel in H.M. The Queen’s bedroom on board The Royal Yacht Britannia. Along with tea, cucumber and salmon sandwiches, pastries and gateaux (cake-type desserts) were broug
ht to The Queen and her guests. Her Majesty took her tea with milk, but no sugar. And, she had a love of chocolate. In fact, her favorite sweet treat is a Chocolate Biscuit Cake that Her Majesty's former Senior Pastry Chef, Darren McGrady, often prepared for her. Chef McGrady has graciously provided the recipe for this "no bake" cake, that you will find below. She even had it delivered to Windsor Castle by special courier when staying there.
Her Majesty often enjoyed a cup of tea in her favorite room aboard The Royal Yacht, the Sun Lounge. Located aft, with a teak deck just outside of a pair of glass doors, Her Majesty could nestle in the overstuffed sofa in this sunny retreat and enjoy the warm and inviting setting for a cozy cup of her favorite tea. 
A most special place for taking afternoon tea, The Royal Yacht Britannia will remain a beloved maritime icon in the hearts of the Royal Family and all who have sailed upon her.
A debt of gratitude goes to Shelley Rayner of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust for her generous assistance with the preparation of this newsletter, to Darren McGrady, Senior Pastry Chef to Queen Elizabeth for allowing us to reprint his recipe for Chocolate Biscuit Cake, and to Sharyn Murdoch of Atlanta, Georgia for allowing us to photograph her prized possession, the china teacup from The Royal Yacht Britannia Gift Collection.
Sources: www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
www.theroyalchef.com
Brian Hoey’s The Royal Yacht Britannia, Inside the Queen’s Floating Palace
Royal Yacht Britannia Photos: © The Royal Yacht Britannia
Queen’s Teacup Photo: © Lighthouse Literary, Inc.
Darren McGrady Photo and Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe: Reprinted from EATING ROYALLY: Recipes & Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen by Darren McGrady (Thomas Nelson Books, 2006). Printed with permission by Darren McGrady and InkWell Management.
1/2 teaspoon butter, for |
Lightly grease a small (such as 6" x 2-1/2") cake ring with 1/2 teaspoon butter, and place on a parchment-lined tray. Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is a light lemon color.
Melt the 4 oz. of dark chocolate in a double boiler. Add the butter and sugar mixture to the chocolate, stirring constantly. Add the egg and continue stirring. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.
Spoon the chocolate biscuit mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring, because this will be the top when it is unmolded. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator, and let it stand while you melt the 8 oz. of dark chocolate for icing. Slide the ring off the cake and turn the cake upside down onto a cooling rack. Pour the 8 oz. of melted dark chocolate over the cake, and smooth the top and sides using a butter knife or offset spatula. Allow the chocolate icing to set at room temperature. Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where it has stuck to the cooling rack, and transfer the cake to a cake dish. Melt the white chocolate and drizzle on top of the cake in a decorative pattern.
