A Taste of the Palace: Royal-Warrant Food & Drink You Can Order

The royal table is more within reach than you might think. Behind the state banquets and the silver service sits a roll of great British food and drink makers — grocers, tea merchants and preserve-makers — whose goods carry the Crown’s own mark of approval, and whose hampers, teas and biscuits can be ordered to an ordinary front door.

Royal-warrant food and drink is one of the loveliest ways into royal life. A Royal Warrant of Appointment is granted to companies that have supplied the Royal Household reliably for years, and in the world of food it covers some of Britain’s most beloved names. You cannot dine at the palace, but you can absolutely brew the same tea and spread the same marmalade.

Here are the royal-warrant food and drink names to know, plus a few British heritage favourites, and how to build a taste of the palace at home.

Fortnum & Mason: the royal grocer

No name says royal groceries like Fortnum & Mason. Founded on Piccadilly in 1707, the “Queen’s grocer” has supplied the royal household for centuries, and in 2024 it was granted new royal warrants by King Charles III and Queen Camilla — one of just seven businesses to hold a warrant from both the King and the Queen. It was Fortnum’s first new warrant in 28 years.

Fortnum’s is the natural place to begin a royal larder: its hampers, loose teas, preserves and biscuits are the definitive taste of British luxury, beautifully packaged in that unmistakable eau-de-nil green. Our profile of Fortnum & Mason, the royal grocer tells the full story of how a grocer became a national institution.

Twinings: royal tea since 1837

Where Fortnum’s stocks the larder, Twinings fills the teapot. Thomas Twining opened his tea house on the Strand in 1706, and in 1837 Queen Victoria granted Twinings its first Royal Warrant for tea — a relationship that has continued, unbroken, through every British monarch since. Few brands can claim to have supplied the Crown for the best part of two centuries.

That continuity is the whole point of a royal warrant: it is earned slowly, through decades of reliable supply. A cup of Twinings English Breakfast is about as close as most of us come to the royal breakfast table. For the full history, see our piece on Twinings, 300 years of royal tea.

Duchy Organic: the King’s own larder

Some royal food carries more than a warrant — it carries the King’s own philosophy. Duchy Organic was founded by the then Prince Charles in 1990, growing directly out of his organic farming at Highgrove, and today its organic biscuits, preserves and pantry staples are sold through Waitrose. It is the rare royal brand that began as a royal idea rather than a royal supplier.

Buying Duchy is a small act of joining the King’s long-held beliefs about working with nature, since profits support charitable causes. Our profile of Duchy Organic, the King’s food brand traces how a Highgrove principle became a supermarket staple.

Bettys of Harrogate: a Yorkshire royal favourite

For a taste of the North, Bettys of Harrogate is a Yorkshire institution with genuine royal credentials. Part of the family firm Bettys and Taylors — whose Taylors of Harrogate tea business holds a royal warrant — Bettys is beloved for its teas, Yorkshire Fat Rascals and beautifully boxed treats. King Charles is a well-documented admirer, personally visiting the company’s Harrogate home in 2019.

It is the homelier, more characterful end of royal-approved food: less Piccadilly grandeur, more proper Yorkshire tea and cake. Its gift boxes and teas travel beautifully, which makes Bettys one of the loveliest royal-adjacent treats to send or receive.

More British heritage to order: Whittard and Cartwright & Butler

Not every great British name holds a warrant, but plenty deserve a place in a royal-style larder. Whittard of Chelsea, the tea and coffee merchant founded in 1886, is a heritage British favourite for loose-leaf teas, instant hot chocolate and handsome caddies — perfect for anyone building a proper tea cupboard.

Cartwright & Butler, meanwhile, is the British fine-food brand to know for gifting: its tinned all-butter biscuits, chutneys and hampers have the same considered, keepsake quality as the warrant holders, in packaging made to be kept long after the biscuits are gone. Neither holds a royal warrant, but both belong firmly in the tradition of doing British food properly.

How to build a taste of the palace at home

Assembling a royal larder is one of the most satisfying — and giftable — projects in British food. Start with the tea (a caddy of Twinings or Bettys), add a preserve or two (Fortnum’s marmalade is the classic), a tin of good biscuits from Cartwright & Butler, and a bar of Duchy chocolate or a jar of honey. Box it prettily and you have a hamper worthy of the name.

It is also the perfect foundation for the ritual these foods were made for. Pair your larder with our guide to afternoon tea, the most British ritual, and you can recreate a proper royal-style tea at your own kitchen table — no invitation required.

Why royal-warrant food endures

Royal-warrant food and drink endures for the same reason the warrant itself does: it rewards makers who do one thing exceptionally well, for a very long time. These are not fashionable brands but faithful ones — the tea, the marmalade and the biscuits that have graced the royal table across reigns precisely because they never dropped their standards.

That is the quiet pleasure of it. To brew a warranted tea or spread a royal marmalade is to share, in the smallest and most delicious way, in the life of the palace. Browse more of our Royal Warrant Brands stories to meet the makers who hold the King’s approval.

Frequently asked questions

What food and drink brands have a royal warrant?

Royal-warrant food and drink names include Fortnum & Mason (granted new warrants by the King and Queen in 2024) and Twinings (holder of a royal tea warrant since 1837). Taylors of Harrogate, the tea business behind Bettys, also holds a warrant. For the definitive current list, see royalwarrant.org.

Does Fortnum & Mason have a royal warrant?

Yes. In 2024 Fortnum & Mason was granted new royal warrants by both King Charles III and Queen Camilla — one of only seven businesses to hold a warrant from each, and Fortnum’s first new warrant in 28 years.

Does Twinings have a royal warrant?

Yes. Queen Victoria granted Twinings its first Royal Warrant for tea in 1837, and the company has supplied every British monarch since — one of the longest continuous royal relationships in British business.

What tea do the royals drink?

The royal household has long been associated with warranted teas such as Twinings, and King Charles is a documented admirer of Yorkshire’s Bettys and Taylors. Everyday royal tea is far more attainable than the crown jewels — most of it can be bought in any supermarket.

Can you order royal-warrant food online?

Yes. Warranted names such as Fortnum & Mason, Twinings and Duchy Organic, along with heritage British brands, are widely available to order, making a taste of the royal table one of the most accessible royal indulgences there is.

What is Duchy Organic?

Duchy Organic is the organic food brand founded by the then Prince Charles in 1990, grown out of his organic farming at Highgrove. Now sold through Waitrose, its profits support charitable causes, making it the rare royal brand that began as a royal idea.

Royal warrant holdings change as the roll is reviewed; details are correct as of 2026. Whittard and Cartwright & Butler are included as British heritage brands, not as warrant holders. For the definitive list, see royalwarrant.org.