Most of us managed to grab a vacation somewhere, with different scenery and new foods to explore. Though not everyone likes to explore food. I have some friends back in England who looked forward to going "on holiday" somewhere new, usually Spain and then spent the whole week eating at the "British pub" because "they serve proper food like back home and not the muck they eat here" It saddens me that not everyone is prepared to try new foods, indigenous to the country they are visiting. They don't know what they are missing out on.

I was fortunate to visit Jamaica and the UK this summer and then spend time on the Disney cruise. The first two were work, the latter, definitely a vacation. It's my third visit to Jamaica in as many years and I love the country. Not just the beach and sea but the people and especially the food. I was invited to take part in the Epicurean Escape at the Grand Lido Resort and Spa in Negril. The event was sponsored by Food and Wine Magazine and Foodies were treated to intimately sized wine seminars with master sommeliers; elaborate nightly gala dinners; and interactive cooking classes led by an international culinary master line-up.

It's always fun trying out new restaurants, scanning the menu for new ingredients I haven't tried before but even more exciting getting into the kitchen and working with the chefs that use them. At Grand Lido, Sous Chef Michael Tharkurdeene was my "babysitter" for the event and helped me prepare for my cooking demonstrations. I wish I could have brought him back with me because he is such a talented chef and would have been a huge benefit to me in my kitchen.

I was really surprised at the high standard and quality of food served at Grand Lido. I have been to many "all -inclusive" hotels before and the food is often a let down. Cheap cuts, inferior produce and bulk production sat for hours in hotplates, all dull, boring and tasteless. Not so at Grand Lido, a credit to Executive chef Gary Robertson. The food all week and in all restaurants really was five star quality and I ate far too much of a good thing.

For the finale grand dinner - in which each celebrity chef prepared one of the seven- courses - I had the entrée beef tenderloin dish and incorporated in to it a delicious ingredient called Callaloo. Spelled half a dozen different ways, this colorful word turns up in Jamaican records as early as 1696 and is a leafy, spinach-like vegetable that tasted fabulous when shredded and sautéed with onion and bacon. (Doesn't everything?) It tasted wonderful smothered in a mushroom, whisky cream sauce and Michael Jordan who is the manager for Napa Rose, the premier restaurant in the luxurious Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim, California perfectly paired the wine to compliment the dish.

During the week I feasted on ackee and Saltfish, beef patties, curried goat, fresh mangoes, papaya and limes. Jerk chicken - so hot from the scotch bonnet peppers, I had tears running down my face eating it - with peas and coconut rice. Delicious ! A plethora of gorgeous food from this beautiful island and enough memories ot last until next summer when I hope to return again.

Then it was off to the UK for my annual "Royal Chef Culinary Tour" Last year it was to London, this year Scotland. With a nice sized group of fourteen people we spent a fabulous six days touring castles and palaces (the royal part of the trip) interspersed with hands on cooking classes (at Michelin-star chef Martin Wishart's cooking school in Edinburgh) lunches, gourmet dinners, afternoon tea parties, farmers markets, smoke houses and much more around Scotland. I think the highlight for the entire group though was the dinner party on The Royal Yacht Britannia. Taking over the yacht that I had cooked for two presidents on as well as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her guests for eleven years was incredible.

We were piped aboard Britannia, served canapés and Champagne and then given a private tour of the Yacht with me adding personal memories along the way. Then into the royal dining room for a delicious eight course dinner with highlights consisting of warm sweetbread and langoustine salad, poached Scottish salmon with a lemon and clam beurre blanc, new season lamb with chanterelle mushrooms and Valrhona chocolate parfait with white chocolate ice cream. The meal rounding off with a plate of Bishop Kennedy cheese with warm, toasted oatmeal bread. Bishop Kennedy cheese was originally made for Prince Charles and brought to Balmoral Castle by Jean-Luc Danquigny, the famous cheese maker. It is like a round, soft Brie but stinks so bad if you carry it home on the bus everyone around you moves.

No-one was moving from the royal dining table this night though and over coffee and petit-fours I shared my royal memorabilia. Friends brought together by food, partying into the wee hours. As they say in Scotland "Will ye no come back again ? " For most of us, we didn't want to leave.

I have to admit I have been slacking on the blog with all of my traveling and work but will get caught up shortly.

If you happen to be a FACEBOOK user then ADD ME AS A FRIEND and keep up with what I am doing.

If you still don't have a copy of my book Eating Royally- recipes and remembrances of a palace kitchen you can get a signed copy with free shipping CLICK HERE