Local chef Carolyn Robb, born and raised in South Africa, began to cook and was inspired by her mother, a wonderful cook, and Carolyn had her sights set on cooking for the Queen one day.

After studying languages at University, Robb travelled to Switzerland to spend a winter season working in a ski resort hotel. The experience of Swiss hospitality inspired her to seriously pursue a career in food and, after gaining her diploma in Cordon Bleu Cookery, with distinction from the Tante Marie School of Cookery in the UK, she moved to Kensington Palace where she began work as chef to TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Two years later, in the summer of 1989, Robb was offered the position of personal chef to TRH The Prince and Princes of Wales, where she cooked for Prince Charles, Princess Diana and their two sons William and Harry.

At present Robb is living in Wallingford, a historic 900-year-old town, on the river Thames, about 10 miles south of Oxford. She recently completed filming four episodes of the second series of the hit show Royal Recipes which is due to start broadcasting on ITV Choice on Monday, November 5 at 18:10 (and will run weekdays at the same time for two weeks), as part of the channel’s mini-Royal Festival running in November to celebrate Prince Charles 70th birthday.

Her book -The Royal Touch: Simply Stunning Home Cooking from a Former Royal Chef is a collection of 100 of her favourite recipes taken from her time growing up in South Africa and cooking with her mother, her time as a royal chef, foods she has discovered on her travels and the food that she cooks for my daughters now. The recipes are all simple and she encourages substitutions if the reader doesn’t have every ingredient listed in a recipe.

Carolyn is also currently has another book in the planning stage and is working on her own designs for beautiful tableware (crockery and linen) and kitchenware too.

Stay tuned!