Here is 2008's first newsletter. You can now get it sent direct to your inbox every month a week before it appears on the website here. Just add you e-mail address in the box below. Of course, if you don't want the newsletter sent to you then you can "safely unsubscribe" and I will never bother you again - boo hoo !

Normally when I donate a dinner party to charity it sells for in excess of $10,000 to the highest bidder in the live auction. Of course this puts the dinner out of most ordinary folks reach, but it does wonders for the charity coffers.

Step to the table Yvonne Crum - described in this months D magazine as "the ultimate hostess" Yvonne wanted to give everyone the chance to have me cook at there home and entertain friends and family royally when I donated a dinner for 8 people to her charity "The Suicide and Crisis Center" in Dallas.

So, instead of the dinner going to the highest bidder she has opened up the opportunity to anyone in the DFW area who want's to purchase a raffle ticket for just $50 each (or 6 for $200) to win the gourmet dinner party.

This is what you get if you win...

• 4 Autographed copies of "Eating Royally Cookbook"
• Signature Set of Edge Cookware
• Consulting with "The Royal Chef" on menu
• Food purchase, shopping, preparation
• Tables set up and tear down
• Butler Service for the evening
• Good for 1 year from date of purchase 3/7/09

At best you get a dinner party in your own home for 8 people cooked by me and at worst you are donating $50 to a wonderful charity. So it's a win win !

The drawing is March 7th 2008 at the Fresh Faces Of Fashion 2008 fundraiser dinner and tickets are on sale now by calling ...214-691-5514...or emailing yvonnecr@flash.net

More information on the charity website here...Dallas Suicide & Crisis Center

Ken Wharfe is the latest in the line of 'Royal experts" being peddled out to give 'inside" information on the royal family. This time it's revealing letters from the princess' mother to "prove" they were in actual fact good friends and to refute the butler's claims under oath that her mother once called her a whore.

Now, give Ken credit where it is due, during the seven years he spent with the princess he certainly had an insight to the her day to day life. His jokes were funny and the princess was fond of him.

"Was" being the operative word here, because his relationship turned sour - no need to go into why - and for the last four years of her life they never spoke again. This brings me to my point. Why do we hang on the words of "experts" that weren't even there at the time. Ken has no more idea than the man in the street on this subject.

Relationships CAN and sometimes DO take a turn for the worst over a four year period so when he says "Mrs Shand Kydd was her best chum" Maybe so, but years ago.

Far be it for me to side with the butler, but on this occasion he is right. The relationship between the princess and her mother deteriorated rapidly during the last four years of the princess' life. Often the princess eating lunch in the kitchen would receive a call from her mother and shake her head, refusing to take it after asking quietly "has she been drinking ?" I know - I was there !

How cool is this ?

I was lucky enough to sample a new product from Honey Creek Farms the other day. They have been working for years now developing a vinegar out of their fabulous honey - and here it was, for me to taste.

I cannot describe how good it was and begged them to let me have the whole bottle. It's not out in the stores yet, but they have promised to send me some.

Made from 100% honey it is sulfite free and with an almost Cornish Mead like taste you could almost drink it from the bottle. It's deep, mellow hue and complex flavor will blow the minds of even the best salads.

Making vinegar from honey dates back to the ancient Hebrews and boy were they on to a good thing. If you mix honey and water in the right proportions and expose it to the atmosphere for a certain amount of time then an acetic fermentation will take place.

I haven't been so excited about a new product since I found Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste.

I Will put a recipe up on my web site using it as soon as I get my sample and also let you know in the blog as soon as it is available.

If you love watching cooking shows then I am sure you will enjoy my new DVD. Two hours in high definition and shot by a food network producer.

The DVD has all the royal family favorite dishes on it and a bonus 20 minute segment telling how I got "From the Palace to Dallas.

You can buy it or read more about it by clicking on the "BUY THE DVD" link above the Blog on my Home page.

With Valentines Day and Mothers' Day creeping up on us what better gift than a sighned copy of my new cookbook. I donated all of the advance and all of the royalties to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. - two of Princess Diana's charitble goals were children and AIDS.

The book has over 100 recipes and 150 personal photos in it along with some pretty cool food shots. It is part cook book and part memoir, so even if you don't like to cook it still makes a good read. It has just gone into THIRD print too - so it can't be that bad (smiles)

You can order signed copies here; www.theroyalchef.com

With gloomy winter days ahead and Valentines Day nearly upon us, their is nothing better than the smell of chocolate wafting from the kitchen and a big ol' plate of chocolate brownies on the table.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a ¼ sheet pan.
2. Melt the 1 ½ sticks of butter with the chocolate in a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, espresso powder, vanilla and salt followed by the eggs.
3. Fold in the flour and chocolate chips until combined and spread evenly into the sheet pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until the top has a dull effect. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and leave to cool and set.
4. Cut into fingers and serve with raspberries or strawberries, ice cream and lots of loving. (laughs)

January is such a dreary month. The lazy hazy days of summer seem so far away - and I guess they are. Let's try and make the most of the winter months though from a foodie perspective. Kishu Mandarins that I blogged about just the other day are an amazing and welcoming treat to the winter shopping cart. Don't forget the comfort foods either. Chicken soup - home made of course bubbling away on the stove brings a smile to anyones face.

A Scooby Doo size bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is worth contemplating too. Oats have a low glycaemic-index that help to stabilise blood sugar levels which in turn ensures a steady release of glucose into the bloodstream to keep you satisfied longer. Of course they taste even better with half a cup of heavy cream and a shovel of sugar on top- but we won't go there.

I am packing my bags and heading off to Milwaukee, Atlanta, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Houston and Los Angeles over the next few weeks and would love to meet as many of you as possible. Come and see me cook and buy a book, help me take Eating Royally into FOURTH print and get ANOTHER check off to PEDAIDS. (smiles)

Thank you to everyone who has just signed up to this newsletter through the sign up box on my website www.theroyalchef.com and thank you to those of you that continue to read it - well over 1000 of you now, so that's pretty cool. Hmm, now imagine if every one of you bought just one ticket for the Suicide and Crisis Center raffle....... smiles !

Until next time...... Darren