The Classic British Comfort Food Beloved By Patrick Stewart

By Barb Hudson
Patrick Stewart smiling and wearing glasses at the Peabody Awards Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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On October 28, 2026, British icon of stage and screen, Patrick Stewart, died. In 2023, he published a memoir, "Making It So," in which he talks about his famous character Jean-Luc Picard, who, like Stewart, felt "the call of home." For Stewart, home had a flavor — a comfort food that brought him right back to his childhood in Yorkshire: beans on toast.

A simple dish of toasted bread, butter, and Heinz haricot beans in a can. Considering Stewart grew up in post-war era England, when this dish became popular due to rationing, it's no wonder it became one of his go-to comfort meals. While many of us may have thought of Stewart as a sophisticated Shakespearean actor, the joy he expressed while eating his favorite meal not only leaves us with a lovely memory, but it also reveals just how relatable he really was.

 

Food is one of the most powerful ways we connect with our roots, our culture, and our own history. Stewart's love of beans on toast is something many of us can relate to: a simple dish we always return to that reminds us of home. For Brits, this comfort food is in the same league as mac and cheese or tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. These are foods that not only nourish you, but also warm you to your very soul.

Beans on toast was one of many foods Sir Patrick Stewart loved

British beans on toast on a plate John Shepherd/Getty Images

It is understandable that many of Stewart's favorite foods are like him: quintessentially British. Over the years, he frequently shared his love of not only meals from his native country, but others as well. During a 2015 Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Stewart fielded fan questions about things like green apple sandwiches, Sunday roasts, and, most importantly, a proper English tea. He stated that his favorite tea was "Yorkshire Gold. Any other kind of tea needs two tea bags." When asked about his ideal sandwich, he answered, "Always, all my life, a favorite, thickly sliced Granny Smith apple on thick, heavily buttered white bread. Very healthy and yummy."

On Jamie Oliver's show "Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast," Stewart and Oliver track down the Mexican restaurant where Stewart fell in love with Mexican food three decades earlier. In the episode, they made mole chicken enchiladas, green rice, and corn salsa.

Stewart also caused quite the stir when he took to Facebook and posted that, at 72, he was having his first slice of pizza. The confusion lay in the fact that while he had eaten pizza before, it was never by the slice (he would buy a whole pie and eat it with a fork and knife). It is very apparent from his interviews, TV appearances, and social media posts that Sir Patrick Stewart had a love of interesting culinary experiences and sharing how those experiences made his life more enjoyable.