Worshipful july 2008v5.qxd - The Worshipful Company of Cooks

Winter 2012
Number 44
INTRODUCING THE NEW MASTER
Bev Puxley MBA FIH FCFA Cert Ed
W
I went to a very good school, Westcliff
High in Essex, which had an
outstanding record for high academic
and sporting achievement. My focus
tended towards the latter, much to
the frustration of my parents.
Simultaneous quadratics, Vergil’s
Aeneid and the rather strange order
of subjects, objects, verbs and adverbs
in German prose, proved too
challenging at the time. On the other
hand, the thick mud of the rugby
field, the frosty lanes of the cross
country run and the delightful
summer sound of leather on willow
were enough to turn this young man’s
head in what, at the time, might have
been regarded as the wrong direction.
Incidentally, I enjoyed rugby football
so much that I even went on away trips to watch my dear
friend, Past Master Hugh Thornton, playing for the school.
The kind, gentle and caring figure you see in Hugh today,
is a far cry from the one I knew then, whose ‘feel no pain’
scrummaging, put considerable fear in the hearts and
minds of the opposition. Hugh and I were 8 or 9 years old
when we first met at West Leigh
Junior School.
Photograph courtesy of Michael O'Sullivan Photography
hen I walked through the front door of
Westminster College on the 9th September
1951, some 2 months before my 17th birthday,
little did it cross my mind that the
experience to come would be a ‘life
changer’ and would set me on the
road to an extremely happy,
interesting and fulfilling career. That I
should return there some 30 years
later as Head of the School of
Catering and Hospitality was then
unthinkable. Meeting the young lady
who would become my wife of some
56 years, during the first few weeks of
my course, was the stuff of fairy tales,
as was the likelihood that some day in
the future, I would become Master of
the Worshipful Company of Cooks.
I finished school with a handful of ‘O’
levels, not really knowing what I
wanted to do. On learning that a long
term friend through Scouting, was
attending Westminster College on a
Chef’s course and, on the basis, that
my twists and dampers and my haybox cooker assemblies were as good
as any, I approached my Careers
Master (who had also tried hard to
teach me Latin) with the intention of
getting advice. His reaction was
predictable. First, a long silence,
followed by facial expressions
indicating sheer bewilderment and
then “but no one from this school has
ever gone in for cooking or catering”.
Years later, I wentback to the school
to deliver a careers lecture on the
Hospitality Industry to some 30 or 40
interested boys. Fulfilling careers are
the result of varying amounts of hard
work, good luck and being in the
right place at the right time. Mine has
been no different, but at every stage,
I have had the undying support of my
wife Pam, who understood the
demands of the industry.
These are challenging times for the
Cooks Company. Our income has
fallen with our investments yielding
less in the current economic climate and that from the
Aldersgate property unlikely to fully recover for a few
years. In spite of this, those people serving on the Strategic
A bygone age! (Note the chaudfroid)
Piping – in the Haggis! (Great Western Hotel Reading c1959)
Review Committees, have been working very hard to
consider the direction in which the Company might be
taken in years to come. Whether we make major or minor
changes or no changes at all, it would have been wrong not
to have considered the issues and the possibilities.
May I offer my thanks to Past Master Geoff Osborne for
the careful and conscientious way he carried out his
duties as Master during the past year and to Peter
Wilkinson, our Clerk, for the support he gave Geoff
during that time. You will be aware that with Geoff as
Master and me as Second Master, there were two ‘real
cooks’ in those roles for the first time in two or three
hundred years. (Dr. Alan Borg is hoping to pin down the
year in which this last happened).
As I write, the Steering Committee, is about to receive
reports and recommendations from both the ‘Structures’
and ‘Big Ideas’ Committees. The Steering Committee will
then decide what to put forward to the Court. By the time
you read this, we shall know what the Court has been asked
to consider. On the whole, I do not foresee dramatic
changes, nor do I expect changes or improvement to take
place with undue haste. The strong position that the
Company enjoys today has come about by gradual
evolution, steered by many wise minds and over many years.
Before closing, I should mention that the Master’s
Charity for the year is the ‘Royal Navy and Royal
Marines Childrens Fund’. You will have received or will
be receiving a leaflet describing the work of this most
excellent charity.
I am truly honoured and proud to have been elected as
Master and may I repeat the oath taken at the
confirmation dinner on November 14th - “I pledge my
word to serve the Company faithfully during my year of
office”.
I, and my fellow Officers, Court Assistants and Past
Masters, are fully conscious of our responsibilities in
taking this great Company forward. We are blessed with a
Company of men and women of exceptional talents
whether they be specialists in Finance, the Law, Property
or the City working with experienced and influential
members, past and present, of the Hospitality and
Catering Industry.
I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a successful
New Year.
Bev Puxley
Bev Puxley MBA FIH FCFA Cert Ed
ollowing training at Westminster College and
passing out as Isadore Salmon Student of the
Year, Bev started his career in the kitchens at
Claridges in 1953. He became Head Chef at the Odney
Club in 1955 before commencing a period with Trust
Houses Ltd. He held the posts of Chef de Cuisine in
two of its leading hotels; Catering Lecturer at the
Company’s Training Centre and Catering Adviser to
seventy hotels in the Eastern Region. In 1966, he was
appointed by EMI as Regional Catering Manager for
the North of England, Scotland and Ireland. Following
a position as General Manager of the Dunadry Inn at
Antrim, he later joined Forte Holdings as Training
Executive and following the THF merger, became Head
of Catering Training and eventually, Personnel, Training
and Industrial Relations Manager for the Popular
Catering Division.
Division of Trusthouses Forte. 1980 saw the start of a
fifteen year tenure at Westminster College as Head of the
School of Hospitality. Retiring in 1995, he returned to
Industry in 1996 for a further nine years as Personnel
Director for the Capital Group.
F
Bev has served as a National Councillor of the HCIMA;
was Chief Examiner for City and Guilds Advanced
Cookery and former President of the Reunion des
Gastronomes. He is an Independent Adviser to the
Defence Food Services School as well as a Governor of
the Academy of Culinary Arts. He is Chair of both the
National Association of Care Catering & Professional
Association for Catering Education Annual Conferences.
He is a Member of the Steering Committee for the City
Food Lecture, held annually at Guildhall.
In 2000, he received the HCPTA Special Award for
Services to Personnel and Training and in 2002, the
British Hospitality Association Award for Lifetime
Services to the Hospitality Industry.
A period of teaching at South Devon Technical College,
was followed by a return to industry as Catering
Executive for the London and International Hotels
2
TRAFALGAR
NIGHT!
A fun (if not rumbustious!)evening at Vintners Hall
Photograph courtesy of Michael O'Sullivan Photography
he table was laid for one hundred and sixty eight
guests, all in enthusiastic anticipation of a night of
fine food, wine and song. We were pleased to see that
whoever had designed the seating plan had chosen to
include all the ladies’ first names. We thought this was a
really good idea that should be adopted more widely!
T
not appear until 1816); this made it very hard and dry.
Bread did not keep, so flour was baked into hard biscuit; this
became soft in storage and was infested with weevils and
maggots. Water rapidly became green, brackish and
stagnant.Yuk! The men must have been grateful for the daily
ration of grog which made the water drinkable and masked
the taste of the food. Some food was available fresh but this
was usually kept for the Admiral, Captain and other officers;
so some of our party would have been all right!
The Master led the Cooks’ contingent from the top table,
accompanied by The Reverend Keith Powell and their
ladies. Commander Bob Grainger and Commodore David
Smith supported The Master ably at the top of two of the
sprigs, while our own Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson held his
position at the end of the centre sprig steadfastly throughout
the evening’s engagement. Other members of the Livery and
Freedom, accompanied by their spouses and guests, joined
the throng, raising their glasses and voices in homage to the
great sailor. The nautical theme was reflected in the menu:
'Breaking the Line' (a salmon hors d'œuvre), followed by
'Fleet Broadside' (Beef Wellington…to help compatriots
from the Army feel at home, no doubt!), 'Victory Dessert'
and 'Hardy’s Finale' (English cheese). It was all very good.
French Wine helped to remind us of the many good things
that have come out of France! Had we been at the battle, we
would not have been so lucky. At the time, the only means
of preserving meat was to store it in salt (canned meat did
Admiral Sir Jock Slater proposed the toast to The
Immortal Memory. He spoke passionately about his views
on current defence policy and its effect on the Royal Navy
and our ability to mount similar defences in the future. It
was more political an address than many of us may have
expected and perhaps the more thought provoking for that.
We were entertained by the Brass Quintet and Trafalgar
Drummers of The Royal Marines Association Concert
Band. This warmed us up nicely for sea shanties: ‘Heart of
Oak’ and ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor?’,
before relaxing again to the excellent singing of the
classical duo, Cripps and Saunders. It was a thoroughly
enjoyable evening.
Freeman Charlotte Kenyon
3
COOKS AFLOAT!
VISIT TO RFA WAVE RULER
n July, a party of Cooks visited the RFA
Wave Ruler, one of a fleet of civilian
manned vessels owned by MOD
whose primary role is to provide
logistical support to Royal Navy Task
Groups, world wide. They provide a
military type of service at an
affordable cost with the crews
engaged on a sponsored reserve
status, supplying fuel, ammunition
and supplies. The RFA fleet is fully
integrated into the RN’s command
and control system and forms a vital
part of maritime operations. It provides
aid during civil emergencies, for example,
I
giving fire and rescue cover or supplying
tented shelter for up to 20,000 evacuees
from civil disasters such as Caribbean
hurricanes where it also helped in antinarcotic operations.
RFA Wave Ruler was built at BAE's
Govan yard and launched in
February 2001 and commissioned in
April 2003. Her sister ship, Wave
Knight, was commissioned in March
2003. The Livery visit was hosted by
Commodore Bill Walworth and
included a splendid buffet lunch in
company with the ship's crew.
The Master and Second Master share a joke with
Executive Officer Simon Herbert
The Master mans the guns!
Later, we were treated to a further visit to the historic HMS Victory – Nelson's flagship – providing a fascinating contrast
between the naval design, architecture and conditions on board, then and now!
Hand-built by
men . . .
. . . with a head
for heights!
4
NEW COLOURS FOR
HMS DUNCAN
Assistant Mark Grove and Lieutenant Commander Ian Park RN prepare to hoist the Company Colour
MS DUNCAN, the Cooks' Company affiliated
ship and the Royal Navy's newest Type 45 Daring
class Destroyer, started her sea trials on Friday
31st August 2012 when she left the
Scotstoun Yard for the first time since her
launch on 11th October 2010. That is the
anniversary of the date when Admiral
Adam Duncan, Viscount Duncan of
Camperdown (1 July 1731 – 4 August
1804) for whom the ship is named, mauled
the Dutch fleet at the Battle of
Camperdown on 11 October 1797.
H
Cooks first Royal Charter of 1482, and of course when the
Cooks company is called “to Serve”. The Ship's badge
shows a hunting horn on a red background and is taken
from the Duncan family coat-of-arms.
During the sea trials, the Royal Navy and
BAe Systems crew are catered for by a
small team from ESS Support Services
Worldwide (part of Compass Group).
Freeman Mike Richardson is their Sales
Director and commented “A team of 10
from my company store the ship with
food and feed those on board for 28 days;
we also keep the galley and Mess areas
clean. It is a strange coincidence that 20
years ago, I was the 1st Logistics Officer
of HMS LANCASTER which was also
built in Scotstoun and I spent a very
happy one year living in Glasgow during
which time I was part of the Royal Navy
crew on two sets of sea trials. I am very
much looking forward to seeing HMS
DUNCAN when she is accepted into the
Fleet”.
These sea trials mark the final phase in the
build programme where the Ship’s
propulsion and gun systems are put
through their paces. The day prior to
“getting under way” for the first time,
Court Assistant Mark Grove delivered two
WCC flags to the HMS DUNCAN Liaison
Officer, Lieutenant Commander Ian Park
who is the Logistics Officer onboard. The
Company pennant will be flown when
HMS DUNCAN is being replenished-atsea while the Company's Colour will be
flown annually on 11th July to celebrate the
Anniversary of The Worshipful Company of
Assistant Mark Grove
5
Recipe Corner
Two Great Winter Recipes from
Liveryman Henry Harris
of Racine Restaurant
DAUBE DE BOEUF
Trim the sinew from the beef. Transfer to a large bowl and
add the next 7 ingredients. Refrigerate and marinate
overnight. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Drain the beef in a
colander and discard the chopped vegetables. Heat the
butter and oil in a pan and brown the mushrooms,
followed by the onions and finally the bacon, lift out and
set to one side. Pat the beef dry and season with salt and
pepper. Without rushing, brown the beef well on all sides
in the butter/oil. Lift out and set to one side. Add the flour
and cook gently for several minutes. Pour in the wine and
bring to the boil. Reduce by half whilst ensuring that the
sticky bits that have adhered to the base of the pan do not
burn. Place the meat, onions, mushrooms and bacon in a
casserole along with the bouquet garni and pork rind. Add
the wine, stock and the Cognac and bring up to a gentle
simmer. Cover and transfer to the oven for four hours or
until cooked. Remove from the oven and lift out from the
sauce and transfer to a serving dish, keep it hot. Retrieve
the pork rind and cut into a fine dice and set to one side.
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and reduce as needed.
Correct the seasoning and add the garnishing ingredients
along with the diced pork rind. Simmer for two minutes
and then ladle it over the meat, return it to the oven for
thirty minutes and it is then ready to serve.
This dish uses ox cheek, which is a much neglected and
princely cut. In its raw state it is tough and sinewy. Once
trimmed and cooked it becomes soft, tender and delivers a
rich glossy sauce.
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1 kilo ox cheek
3 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 sticks celery, coarsely chopped
a bouquet garni
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
8 cloves garlic
1 bottle of red wine
150gm unsalted butter
50 ml vegetable oil
400gm button mushrooms
400gm button onions, peeled
100gm bacon (smoked streaky bacon) cut into lardons
and blanched if excessively salty
2tbs plain flour
15cm square piece of pork rind
1litre beef, veal stock
50ml cognac
Garnish with parsnip mash and glazed carrots.
is vital that you attend to the pan at all times. After an
initial five minutes the apples will let out some additional
liquid followed by the sugar starting to caramelise. Lots of
pan jiggling is required to ensure that the caramel
distributes evenly around the apples. If you get very dark
spots of caramel then add a splash of water to
the area taking care of spluttering caramel. The
apple must remain in place, don’t shake them
up as if stir frying!
TARTE TATIN
Serves 3 to 4
Henry Harris © 2011
A simple yet demanding recipe, true success is usually
reached after three or four attempts as you
become accustomed to the vagaries of
cooking with caramel butter and sugar in a
confined vessel.
• 125gm unsalted butter
• 100gm caster sugar
• 6 Granny Smith or Braeburn apples,
peeled, cored and quartered
• 200gm butter puff pastry
• 250ml good crème fraîche
After about thirty minutes you are looking for
a pan of apple wedges that have caramelised to
a good mahogany brown and a slightly
collapsed vaguely translucent appearance.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool for at
least fifteen minutes. You can of course take
the apples to this stage much earlier.
Pre heat your oven to 180º C
Take an oven proof heavy 28-30 cm frying
pan and melt the butter over a gentle heat,
add the sugar and stir to form a loose
buttery mixture. Then remove from the heat
and add the apples. Start at the outside edge and pack
them in on their sides with the top/bottom of the wedges
pointing to the middle of the pan. Then fill the middle
with as many of the remaining wedges as possible to pack
the dish tightly.
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of half a
centimetre and drape over the pan. Cut
around outside the pan and discard the excess.
Push the pastry down into the pan around
inside edge of the pan.
Transfer to the even and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes
or until the pastry is bronzed and crisp.
Using a couple of oven gloves place a plate over the pan
and invert to turn out the tart.
Return the pan to the stove, add five tablespoons of water
and cook over a medium heat for thirty to forty minutes. It
Serve a large slice with a goodly dollop of crème fraîche.
6
Carb Junky ?
ARE YOU A
Explorations on diet by
Liveryman Adriano Leto
you will have already caught onto this principle.
n my beach holiday this year in Amalfi I felt
positively skinny, which I know will make a few of
you smile. It was as if I had walked into a wide
screen version of the world I once knew where everyone
had been stretched side-wards. It was the children and
teenagers that most worried me, almost everyone had been
supersized to some degree.
O
In my research for a book/documentary I am preparing, I
have discovered an interesting organisation which has been
comparing current and traditional eating habits for over
fifty years. I have met several times with the founder of the
London chapter of the Weston Price Foundation, Philip
Ridley, whose brain child has been the annual symposium
called 'Wise Traditions'. Now in its third year it brings
together scientists, nutritionists and local food producers
to explore the current nutritional situation. To think that
the current government’s advice is not being fiercely
debated by scientists, many of whom believe much of the
research it is based on flawed and skewed research, is an
understatement.
The speakers are extraordinarily
convincing with powerful research to back up their
thinking. So I invite you to take a ring side view of this
debate and challenge some preconceptions. You may find
an excuse to have more cooked breakfasts, extra butter on
your toast and even lose weight without giving up the
claret. There are some excellent free videos on-line and the
lectures from Wise Traditions are annually recorded and
available from Amazon on for just £25 for over 20 hours
of material. It may not only challenge your preconceptions
but also add few years to your life. Who knows? Although
such an outcome may not help with the looming
population and food scarcity problems.
Maybe you have noticed the same? If not on the beach, in
the supermarket or on the tube? Even the seats in the
Houses of Parliament were widened a few years ago. Of
course others amongst you may be arguing that obesity
doesn’t have a clear definition so it can’t exist, however the
evidence increasingly supports my experience – we are
getting fatter. One theory which is gaining weight is the
idea that our government’s advice over the last 40 years on
‘healthy eating’ - to replace fat calories for carbohydrates
such as grains and starchy vegetables – is not so healthy
after all. It may be a cheaper and easier form of calories but
research is increasingly linking high consumption of
refined carbohydrates (which are sugars) with heart
disease, cancer, strokes and obesity. Advocates claim that
obesity is increasing despite people eating less calories and
exercising more than they did in 1970’s.
I had dinner the other week with Professor Jennie BrandMiller from the University of Sydney, a world expert on
carbohydrates, glucose and the glycaemic index. A small
talk chaired by Jerome Burne, a science and food writer,
followed. The effects of fluctuating sugar levels and the
production of insulin not only prompts the emergency
deposit of sugars into fatty tissue to save your body from
the ravages of excessive glucose in the blood stream, it also
puts the body into a high level of stress stopping many
other body functions including many repair functions.
Eating excessive amounts of refined carbs takes you into
an addictive oscillation between high and low sugar levels
which over time can be deeply destructive, makes you eat
more and is believed to have lead to dramatic increase of
diabetes amongst children and adults as well as increased
stroke, coronary disease and cancer. So the theory goes.
More research is required of course but diabetics amongst
Adriano is a documentary and film maker, he is currently
preparing a book, working title ‘Dentists and how to avoid
them’; it has a substantial nutritional dimension. Adriano has
lost almost a stone since shifting his food intake from ‘high
carb/low fat’ to ‘low carb/high fat’ in June this year. And his
cholesterol level seems to be as reasonable as his writing.
Free introductory video:
www.vimeo.com/wisetraditionsuk.com
Weston Price website:
www.westonprice.org/london
Next Wise Traditions symposium in Spring 2013
at Sandown Race Course.
7
ARTISAN CHOCOLATE
What does it mean?
and-made chocolates is a very time consuming
practice only for the passionate. Sara Jayne Stanes
speaks from personal experience having run such a
company. For the past decade, the skills of a handful of
talented and inspired young individuals have been pushing
the boundaries to make a difference to the way we look at
chocolate in the UK. Angus Thirlwell at Hotel
Chocolat has revolutionised the high street,
offering its customers a whole range of
chocolate and chocolate products from its
own cacao plantation in St Lucia with its
purpose built chocolate factory; while
Thorntons is also embracing this
chocolate renaissance. The UK is now
also able to boast its own bean-to-bar
man Willie Harcourt Cooze who owns a
plantation in Venezuela.
to encourage consumers to ‘look beyond the label’. In
choosing and appreciating chocolate the experts would tell
you never to under estimate the importance of the sourcing
of the ingredients. Discover where the cocoa originates and
don't be obsessed with just high percentages of cocoa mass
or cocoa solids as it is also known.
H
Winners of the Academy of Chocolate’s Awards include
Amedei from Italy; Amano from the United States;
Valrhona, the French company that has led the way on so
many chocolate issues; Domori from Italy and Cluizel from
France to name but a few.
Fine chocolate producers:
Damian Allsop
www.damianallsop.com
Chantal Coady
www.rococochocolates.com
William Curley
www.williamcurley.co.uk
Marc Demarquette
www.demarquette.com
Louise and Andrew Nason 'MELT'
www.meltchocolates.com
Paul A Young
www.payoung.net
Amedei
www.amedei.it
Laura King at KING’S Fine Foods
www.kingsfinefoods.co.uk
At the forefront of this British revival is
William Curley. He says that “we are very
much in the midst of a little chocolate explosion within the
UK … the education of consumers has developed
enormously partly down to the media showing an interest
and partly down to … connoisseurs such Coady, Porter and
of course Craig Sams and Jo Fairly with their pioneering
company Green & Black’s. The fine chocolate market will
continue to grow as more and more mainstream companies
try to ‘up’ their game,” William adds, “Artisan means, made
on a small scale by a skilled team, with an uncompromising
belief in using the finest freshest ingredients, with no
artificial additives, flavourings and colourings...it gives us a
unique selling point; and means Suzue and I stay true to our
beliefs …”
Editor's Note: Honorary Freeman Sara Jayne Stanes OBE is
Chief Executive of the Academy of Culinary Arts and Chefs
Adopt a School, a national charity which champions culinary
education in primary schools and thanks to the WCC, manages
to reach over 21,000 children every year. Sara is also a food
writer, author of award winning book 'Chocolate – the Definitive
Guide' by Grub Street and 'Chocolate: Discovering, Exploring
and Enjoying' published by Ryland Peters
& Small. Sara considers herself a bit of a
chocolate evangelist and lives with her
chocolate loving, wine merchant husband
Richard in Clapham.
Paul Young summed up “We opened five and a half years
ago and now have 3 shops in London. Even in this short
time we have found a huge growth in customers
understanding more about fine chocolate … more
customers now understand that dark chocolate is perceived
to be healthier and more intoxicatingly satisfying.”
Together with a group of other like-minded chocolate
lovers, Sarah founded the Academy of Chocolate in 2005 to
promote a greater awareness of the difference between fine
chocolate and mass-produced chocolate confectionery and
8
MILITARY CATERING SUPPORT
FOR THE OLYMPICS
Master Geoff Osborne and Editor with Flt Lt 'Badger' Drayton and WO Willie Dixon
f feeding was an Olympic sport the Navy, Army and Air
Force chefs deployed on OP OLYMPIC would have
been showered with gold medals! There were 18,200
members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces deployed, with
11,000 providing venue security, 5,000 providing specialist
capabilities from bomb disposal to security search teams
and 1,000 providing the logistical support to make it all
happen. Amongst this number were the chefs.
Olympics was a truly tri-Service operation. As an example
there were RN and Army chefs operating on board HMS
Ocean berthed at Greenwich producing some 100,000
meals whilst her sister ship HMS Bulwark performed
similar duties off the Dorset coast and RFA chefs operated
on RFA Mounts Bay anchored off Weymouth. At Feltham
the Army used Temporary Deployable Accommodation
Kitchen Units originally designed for the Iraq and
Afghanistan campaigns whilst at Hainault Country Park
120 RAF caterers FROM No 3 Mobile catering Squadron
performed equally sterling work in a more traditional field
kitchen. Hainault was spearheaded by chefs from No 3
Mobile Catering Squadron ably supported by chefs
generated from RAF Stations around the country. The
Master, accompanied by the Editor, visited Hainault to see
for themselves the enormity of the challenge. The two field
kitchens fed 4,000 personnel from all 3 Services with
professional aplomb, good humour and enthusiasm.
Indeed the operation at Hainault was the largest
deployment in recent RAF history. Full credit must go to
Flight Lieutenant 'Badger' Drayton, OC 3 Mobile
Catering Squadron and his right hand man, WO 'Willie'
Dixon (remembering that it was Margaret Thatcher who
famously said, “Everybody needs a Willie!”)
I
Deployed everywhere from small Territorial Centres to
enormous temporary camps at Feltham (Army) and
Hainault (RAF) the Food Services personnel of all 3
Services acquitted themselves with distinction. The
volume of food supplied to the Forces gives some idea of
the scale of the operation. A small team at Defence Fuel &
Food Services working with the MoD World Wide Food
Supply Contractor Purple Food Services ensured that
among many items supplied were £63,000 of sausages,
£43,043 of Beef Striploin and £36,000 of eggs. Delivered
to a wide variety of locations, on time and to budget (at a
total cost of £2M) the military catering support to the
The Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Army and Royal
Air Force chefs, stewards and food suppliers did their duty
for our nation away from the glare of the television
cameras, though plainly not from the lens of our editor. Op
OLYMPIC was an excellent opportunity for Food Services
personnel to demonstrate their skills, and yet again they
did not disappoint. The Worshipful Company of Cooks
are great supporters of the caterers of the Armed Forces
and they can be justifiably proud of the men and women
in their respective catering services.
Freeman Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Shepherd RLC
Happiness is food shaped!
9
COOKING IN THE WILD
‘Dispatch’ by
Freeman Charlotte Kenyon . . . & Co
"Students from King's College School Wimbledon prepare to dispatch chickens for dinner" (they did, as well!)
ood is essential to life and is one of its greatest
pleasures; never more so than during wilderness
expeditions. The physical and emotional demands
made by living and working outdoors in all weathers make
meals a real highlight of the day. Food is more than just
fuel.
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for pleasure. The students have to get it right, quickly, or
heads go down and everyone becomes grumpy and weak.
My job is to help them do it…or starve! Add to this the
need to stick within a tight budget and remain hydrated in
the absence of a reliable, clean water source and this all
represents a huge challenge.
I lead teams of 16-18 year olds on expeditions to places as
diverse as the rainforests of south east Asia and the
Mongolian steppe. These trips typically involve several
weeks of trekking and wild camping and a project phase
which may include building new class rooms and
playground equipment. Under these circumstances, the
students’ daily calorie requirement is likely to be double or
treble that of normal. The students are responsible for the
day-to-day management of the expedition, including all
aspects of catering and cooking. Meals must be planned in
advance and the food carried, prepared and cooked by the
team in whatever weather and wild setting we find
ourselves, using whatever facilities and fuel are available,
sometimes for teams as large as 20 individuals.
Many of the students arrive on expedition with little or no
experience of cooking, let alone for a large group, in basic
conditions, with different cultural expectations of what
constitutes ‘food’ and sometimes a wide variety of
allergies, aversions and dietary preferences to take into
account. Food must be nutritionally balanced, portable,
non-perishable, varied and appealing. This last point is
critical: exhausted teenagers, faced with 'weird' or
unpalatable food at the end of the day are unlikely to eat
enough to sustain the required level of physical activity, be
it carrying a 16kg rucksack all day over rough, steep
ground or mixing concrete.
I am impressed constantly by the speed and enthusiasm
with which students take up this challenge. Usually there
is someone who steps forward as chief cook and
quartermaster and grabs with both hands the opportunity
to take on this pivotal role. I’ve had some dire meals at the
start of expeditions, only to be treated a few weeks later to
hand-made beef burgers, fried onions, chips and bread (in
Zambia) or marinated chicken kebabs and roasted squash
with banana and chocolate pudding (in Namibia), much of
it cooked on open fires by the light of head torches.
Teams quickly sort themselves into the wood collectors
and fire makers (usually boys!), vegetable peelers and
preparers (usually those less confident with the wooden
spoon), the cooks and the washer-uppers. I’ve seen a 17
year-old ‘head cook’ stand in the middle of an African
supermarket, with her shopping list and team of sous
chefs, giving instructions to a team of 15 students and
dispatching them to different sections of the store with
instructions on what to buy. Within 1 hour we had
sufficient food to feed a team of 18 people for two weeks,
against a menu plan that ensured no waste. All this from a
girl who, prior to expedition, had never even cooked for
her family at home. By the time we left to come back to
England she’d enjoyed herself so much she was
considering a career in cooking!
Charlotte Kenyon
Failure to consume sufficient calories is a serious health
risk on expedition. In a society where most of us can eat
what we want, when we want, the realities of expedition life
can come as quite a shock. This is eating for health, not just
Editor's Note: Charlotte works with 'Wilderness Expertise'
providing life-widening experiences for schools and parents of
young people. Find out more at http://www.wildernessexpertise.co.uk/
10
Clerk’s Corner
activities. Crispin Payne, as the most junior member of the
Court, has volunteered to chair a ‘Livery Committee’ that
could either become involved in fund-raising or just in
arranging a number of informal social events. The Master
and I are trying, one more time, to include the other
Associated Companies but if they do not wish to participate
then the Cooks will go it alone – but only with your input.
Well, we appear to have survived our first full year so thank
you very much for your patience with both Tracey and me,
as we have tried to get to grips with the quirks and foibles
of running a 500 year old organisation. I do hope that we
haven’t upset too many of you on the way.
My first request for support to you all is for Shrove
Tuesday’s Pancake Races. (Tuesday 12th February). If you
would like to participate then please let me know – but if
not, why not turn up at Guildhall to support the runners
anyway – It’s a real feel-good morning. Details have already
been sent out and you will need to book lunch in advance
– Assistant Mark Grove, who provides a really delicious
meal in the Guildhall Crypt, obviously cannot guess at
numbers turning up on the day and so no lunch tickets will
be available on the door. There will, however, be coffee and
crepes available in the Guildhall Yard for those supporters
who need to get back to their desks.
Finally, do please let me know if there is a sporting or social
activity in which you would like to get involved – it is most
likely that somewhere else within the Livery movement
there is already an organisation or society doing what you
would like to do – Bridge, Golf, Sailing and Skiing come
most readily to mind, but there are also a number of others.
Dates for your diary. Formal Company events are all in
the front of the Year Book but please note:
Candlemas will be celebrated on Friday 1st Feb, not
Saturday 2nd and the Church Service at St Botolph’s will
begin at 11.30am.
Next, can I ask you, once again, to see whether you feel able
to support an initiative to involve livery members and
freemen more in influencing some of the Company’s
Peter Wilkinson
Matilda
n previous editions of What’s Cooking, I have written
about the Cooks’ connection with Christ’s Hospital
School, now situated near Horsham, West Sussex.
Under the 1674 Will of Past Master John Phillips, funds
were set aside to pay for two Cooks' Company presentees
to the then separate boys’ and girls’ Christ’s Hospital
schools. In recent years we have had two boys as presentees,
Oliver Noye (now studying for a Masters at Nottingham
University) and Christian Liberman (now studying
Astrophysics as an undergraduate at Bristol University) and
now for the first time, two girls as simultaneous presentees,
Matilda Slade and Katrina Millett.
Katrina
Year). Her favourite subjects are English, Art, Drama and
History. Her interests include writing, singing (in the
Chapel and the Gospel choirs, currently working towards
her Grade 5), drama (in the ensemble for the senior show
'Fiddler on the Roof' and played Bottom in 'A Midsummer
Night's Dream' in the school's Bardfest). She has
represented CH in Rounders and Netball and is currently in
the Netball U15 Squad. Katrina is 13 and in her second year
at CH in Year 8 (UF Year). Her favourite subjects
areEnglish, Latin, Maths and Science. Her interests include
playing the violin; reading; drawing and Cooking (well done,
Katrina!). She has represented CH in Netball.
Matilda is 15 and in her fourth year at CH in Year 10 (UF
Past Master Oliver Goodinge
I
11
CARE COOK OF THE YEAR
F
or several years now the Company has been pleased
to be the main sponsor of the Care Cook of the Year
Competition organised by the National Association
of Care Catering (NACC). Aimed at encouraging high
standards of cooking as well as creativity and good
nutrition, the competition is open to cooks working in care
homes both in the public and private sector. Local heats
and a regional final lead to six outstanding cooks reaching
a tough national final at Unilever’s superb development
kitchens in Leatherhead. Contestants have 90 minutes to
prepare four portions of a two course meal, main course
and dessert, at a cost of no more than £1.30 per head, I
have been privileged to act as Chairman of Judges for
several years at the National Final and each year I am
accompanied by the previous year’s winner. More recently,
we have been joined by Dr. Kirsty Young, a researcher and
lecturer at Nottingham Trent University.
home in the Anchor Group.
Ellie’s beautifully prepared menu was a chicken and olive
tagine served with coriander couscous and balsamic cherry
tomatoes, followed by lemon cheesecake. Some three
months later, she demonstrated her winning dishes at the
NACC Annual Training and Development Forum in
Blackpool. Every day of their working lives, cooks working
in this largely unsung sector of our industry are faced with
a set of challenges not always experienced by those
working elsewhere. The requirements for perfect
nutritional balance and special diets where many have
poor appetites or eating disorders ,are often very frail and
may even be dementia sufferers and or be physically
challenged are some of those challenges.
During the last two years, the Care Industry has received
some unhelpful publicity with reports of ill treatment and
closures. I have to say that the hundreds of management
and staff that I meet from the sector are hardworking,
dedicated and devoted to the care and well being of their
residents.
A unique feature of the competition is that three portions
of the two course meal have to be presented in competition
display style whilst the fourth portion is presented as it
would be to the residents of the care home from which the
cook comes. This requirement and the completely free
choice of ingredients and cooking method make judging
very interesting.
I am pleased that the Assistance of Cookery Committee,
chaired by Past Master, Alan Fairbrass, continues to
recommend support for this competition.
This year was no exception. A closely contested final was
won by Ellie Cook (appropriate name!) from Kirkley
Lodge at Coulby Newham, near Middlesborough, a care
Bev Puxley
Master
Photograph courtesy of Stephen Forward
Photograph courtesy of Stephen Forward
Deep-thinking judgement!
Proud winner Ellie Cook with Master Geoff Osborne
12
SPOTLIGHT
Photograph courtesy of Michael O'Sullivan Photography
Photograph courtesy of Michael O'Sullivan Photography
The admission to the Livery of Mike Richardson, of Sam Grainger and Phil Messent
to the Freedom and of Group Captain Andy Killey as Honorary Freeman gives us the
opportunity to say a warm welcome!
Mike
Richardson
joined the Royal Navy
in 1978 and served for
27 years as a Logistics
Officer. During this
period, Mike served in
the Falklands War
(HMS COVENTRY which was sunk by
enemy action 25 May
1982) and, amongst
many frontline and
Headquar ter s
appointments, he was
Head
of
Navy
Catering. In August
2005, Mike retired
early from the Royal
Navy to join Compass Group – the world’s largest catering
company. Currently he is the Sales Director for the UK
Defence sector as well as the North European Offshore
and Remote sectors. Mike’s home is in Hill Head, near
Lee-on-the Solent and his hobbies include football referee
for the local Youth League as well as his powerboat; his wife
Kim believes that he is going through the male equivalent
of the menopause when he purchased the boat last year!
As a Freeman, Mike joined the Assistance of Cookery
Committee in 2011 and he looks forward to continuing to
serve on the committee or in any other role the Company
sees fit.
Philip Messant, son
of Past Master Peter
Messent, works for
Deloitte in the City of
London, and through
this is in the process of
becoming a chartered
accountant.
He
currently resides in
Borough,
London.
Before starting work at
Deloitte a year ago, he
studied
at
the
University
of
Birmingham for three
years after attending
school in Ipswich and
living the first 7 years
of his life in Holland.
He is a keen hockey
player,
currently
playing in the national
hockey premier division for Surbiton. He also enjoys his golf
when he has time and is looking forward to playing with the
Cooks for years to come!
After many years flying
military aircraft, Group
Captain Andy Killey
became a military logistician.
He has served on operations
in Afghanistan, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia and the United
States, as well as many
locations in the UK. He was
appointed Team Leader of
the Defence Fuels and Food
Services Team in Jul 2011
and has overseen the
amalgamation
and
colocation of the MOD’s
Food
and
Fuels
procurement Teams at Abbeywood in Bristol. He runs the
tri-Service Salon Culinaire, Exercise Joint Caterer and is
Director of the Combined Services Culinary Arts Team,
sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Cooks, which
won 12 Gold Medals at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Oct
this year . Andy lives in Shropshire, is married to Louise,
and has 2 children, Benjamin (21) and Emma (14). He
enjoys cooking, equitation, shooting, classic cars, golf and
travelling.
Sam Grainger is younger
son of Past Master Bob
Grainger and the youngest
grandchild of the late Past
Master Cherry Grainger. He
now joins his brother, Toby,
on the Freedom and, like his
brother, he works within the
City of London. Having
studied
Politics
and
International Relations at the
University of Manchester,
Sam joined Lloyds Insurance
Broker, Cooper Gay, as a
junior broker back in 2010
and now works in the
insurance market, where he brokes International
Professional Risks. Sam is a keen golfer, who has already
made an appearance at a Cooks Company golf day and he
is also an enthusiastic amateur chef, who enjoys eating out
and is always keen to widen his gastronomic experience!
13
The Cooks' table is the third on the left from the bottom of the picture, adjacent to the aisle.
t is impossible to do justice to all the events that I have
attended during my Mastership but it has been an
honour and a pleasure to represent the Company at so
many civic, charitable and Royal occasions, during the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year. Without doubt, I have
witnessed an amazing year but although the day would
inevitably come when I had to hand over to my successor, I
have a host of happy memories to treasure.
11th century setting
looked magnificent, with
the State trumpeters in
position on the balcony
of the southern window,
and
The
National
Children's Orchestra of
Great Britain on the
Dais below who played
throughout the meal.
The welcoming speech
was given by the
Master Mercer, Mr
Thomas
Sheldon.
Chef Anton Mosimann's menu for the
occasion was exceptional, as were the accompanying wines.
Without doubt, it was an unforgettable occasion.
I
The Candlemas Service, the first major Company occasion
in my Master's year, was featured by The Reverend Keith in
our summer newsletter and thus, having been suitably
blessed, my year commenced! After my 22 years' service in
the Royal Air Force, it was appropriate that many of my
duties involved visiting the Armed Forces and recognising
various individual and team achievements. I was invited to
HMS Duncan at Faslane by Commander Phil Game and
was very impressed by the size of the well-equipped galley
and its capability afloat. With the Army, Carol and I
attended Armed Forces Day at Deepcut which was a
thoroughly enjoyable occasion. Again with the Royal Navy,
I was privileged to attend its Awards Ceremony at the
Defence Maritime Logistics School, HMS Raleigh, and a
few days later, HMS Collingwood for the Logistics Branch
Conference and dinner. Maintaining the maritime flavour, I
was also able to join a combined Livery visit to the Royal
Fleet Auxiliary support ship 'Wave Ruler'. There is a separate
article on this elsewhere in this newsletter.
I must record a special thank you to the Masters of The
Associated Companies for their very kind hospitality
throughout my Mastership.
Next year is the 400th
anniversary of this Association, a notable milestone in the
relationship. I look forward to the year with interest. And
finally . . . . I must thank all those within our own Company
who have given me so much support and encouragement
throughout my year. It has been an unforgettable experience
for Carol and me and I thank the Wardens, the Clerk and
their Ladies for their support, not forgetting the Court and
Livery for allowing a Chef to serve in this Ancient Office. It
now remains only for me to wish our new Master, Bev Puxley
and Pamela a happy, successful and fulfilling term ahead.
On 5th June representatives of the Combined City Livery
Companies hosted selected guests at a Diamond Jubilee
Luncheon for Her Majesty The Queen and Senior members
of the Royal Family in Westminster Hall. This historical
Late Master Geoff Osborne
14
14
Picture courtesy of the Press Association
LATE MASTER'S
END-OF-TERM REPORT
TOP CADET
AWARD
2012
Liveryman John Lowndes presents trophy to Cadet Lance Corporal Dylan Carter
ach year, the Food Services Wing of the Defence
Services Logistics School at Worthy Down runs a
training course for the Cadet Service and the winner
of the course is presented with a cup awarded by the
Company. This year's winner was Cadet Lance Corporal
Dylan Carter of Rutlish School CCF.
E
The Defence College of Logistics runs
an annual Catering Course for
Cadets which is open to both the
ACF and CCF. About 25 cadets
undergo an intensive week's
course in the Food Services Wing.
They are split into three sections
and each group has a full-time
civilian catering instructor. A
week is a short time to train a chef
(the Army no longer has cooks –
only chefs!). However, they are kept
very busy learning not only about
cooking,
selection
and
food
preparation,
menu
planning,
presentation and table service but also about
kitchen equipment, machinery and utensils needed to
perform these duties. They are also introduced to field
cooking equipment as they have to spend a period outdoors
cooking and producing hot nutritious meals whatever the
weather or unforeseen circumstances may throw at them.
John Lowndes
Cadets in battle – with the cling film!
15
MILITARY CHEFS WIN
DOUBLE GOLD AT THE
WORLD CULINARY OLYMPICS!
L-r Cpl Alun Davis, Pte Candice Cotze, Sgt 'Smudger' Smith,WO2
Nathan Kelsey
team of top chefs from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal
Marines and Royal Air Force has flown the flag for
Great Britain storming home with 12 Gold Medals!
The World Culinary Olympics is held every four years and
attracts over 42 countries each competing at the highest
level. The competitors are judged by WACS (World
Association of Chefs Society) accredited and demanding
judges. They look for the most creative, innovative and
passionate food that can realistically be served in any fine
dining establishment throughout the World. The
Combined Services Culinary Arts Team are equally
selected on merit and culinary excellence from all of the
Services. They were formed in 1997 to represent the UK
Armed Forces in both National and International
competitions and have competed at the World cup in
Luxemburg amongst other National and International
events.
A
The team is governed by Defence Fuel and Food Services
and crucially, is supported by sponsorship from G3
Systems, The Worshipful Company of Cooks, Vestey Foods
Ltd, Continental Chef Supplies, ESS Compass Group,
Robot Coupe, Churchills and Dick kniveware. The table
was designed by Jon Garca, Managing Director of Merlin
Buffet Systems who astonished the show with his
innovative design. The reputation of the squad is hugely
respected throughout the culinary world owing to the
plethora of medals they have already won. Team GB
competed in two sections of the competition, "The
Restaurant of the Nations challenge" and the Cold Buffet.
The first part of the challenge involved preparing, cooking
and serving 150 covers of a three course menu suitable for
fine dining under test conditions. The Chairman of Judges
commended the team for their tenacious efforts and
methodical manner in which they performed; he further
Simon Atkinson Team Capt,Sgt Karl Bartlett and WO2
added it was a joy to watch the British team!
The second part of the competition involved designing 7
three course menus for static display. These menus had to
represent the same standards of the Restaurant of the
Nations ensuring each menu was original, innovative,
practical and well balanced. One menu included a meal
suitable for field catering service, one suitable for
vegetarian and one 5 course gourmet menu. The team is
managed by WO Dale Hegarty RAF and team captain
WO2 Simon Atkinson RM who have both served over 8
years on the squad. The remaining team members are of
varying rank and experience from Pte to WO and
supported incredibly by a small Logistic Team of
volunteers whose invaluable input contributed directly to
the success of the team. This is the first time the team has
ever achieved "Double Gold" in the Olympics, an
outstanding achievement! They were highly commended
for their efforts and finished 2nd in the World overall only
beaten by the Swiss by 0.7%!!
The team will attend training workshops in June 2013, in
preparation for Hotelympia in London and the World Cup
in Luxemburg in 2014. Accredited Michelin starred chef
Simon Hulstone who headed the English National Squad
tweeted his personal congratulations to the team. “An
outstanding display of our vast excellence within UK
Armed Forces that demonstrates an ability to directly
influence operations and equally compete against some of
the finest chefs in the world.”
Captain Rob Burns
Chairman
Combined Services Culinary Arts Team
16
INTER-LIVERY BRIDGE
City Livery
Concert
Monday 4 March 2013
The Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing
Cards is holding its annual Inter-Livery Bridge
Competition on 4 March 2013. Essential details are:
Date:
Monday, 4th March 2013
(applications by 4th February 2013 please.)
16 June 2013
Venue:
Drapers’ Hall,
Throgmorton Street,
London EC2N 2DQ
The 2013 City Livery Concert will be held on Sunday
16 June 2013 at the Barbican. Sir Colin Davis will
conduct the London Symphony Orchestra as part of
his 85th year celebrations. The Lord Mayor elect,
Alderman Roger Gifford, plans to attend and it is
hoped that Masters, Wardens and Upper Bailiff of
several Livery Companies will be present. The
programme starts at 7.30pm and will encompass
Mendlessohn's Violin Concerto and Schubert's
Symphony No 9 (“The Great”). In addition, students
from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama will
perform a pre-concert recital from 6.15 to 6.45pm.
Tickets cost £45 which will include a complimentary
drink during the interval reception as well as a
souvenir programme. Tickets go on sale to the general
public in February but early bids from members of
the Company may be addressed to the Clerk at
clerk@cookslivery.org.uk or 01489 579511.
Times:
Reception 5.00 p.m.
First session 5:30pm.
Dinner at 7:20pm.
Second session 8:15pm.
Prize-giving 10:00pm.
Carriages 10:30pm latest.
Further details are available at
www.makersofplayingcards.co.uk/company_events
or telephone
David Barrett, Clerk on: 020 7531 5990
E~Mail: clerk@makersofplayingcards.co.uk
THE END OF AN ERA . . .
. . . SIDNEY JAMES HERBAGE
1925 - 2012
with an appropriate pall was repeated for him.
t is with great sadness that
we record the peaceful
death of former Father of
the Company, Past Master
Sidney Herbage on 3rd
October just a couple of days
after he and Jean celebrated
their
63rd
Wedding
Anniversary.
I
Sidney’s life and involvement with the Cooks’, since being
admitted as a Liveryman in 1946, was the subject of a
What’s Cooking article in Summer 2010 (No.39). The last
two years weren’t easy for Sidney, unable to remain at home
with Jean, and needing increasing amounts of care from the
staff of his Residential care home some three miles away.
Shortly before he died he had received visits from his
Daughter Elaine, and three adult grandchildren from
Australia. He also had the pleasure to see and hold Lily, his
first great grandchild, daughter of Anna, and potentially a
sixth generation Herbage for the Company in the future.
The Cooks’ had been Sidney’s main interest for 66 years
(52 of them serving on the Court) and with his passing the
Company has lost a true stalwart and the many things
written in letters of condolence to Jean and the family are a
lasting tribute to his contribution on and off the golf course.
The Parish Church of St
Nicholas, North Walsham, was
crowded with family, friends
and a good number of Cooks
to hear the Company’s
Chaplain, The Rev Keith
Powell and Canon Derek Earis
lead a Service of Thanksgiving for Sidney’s life. Heads
turned as the hearse carrying Sidney’s coffin, draped with
Company’s flag passed through the centre of this quiet
North Norfolk Market town. Sidney was a great
traditionalist and would have been honoured that the
medieval City custom of draping the coffin of a Liveryman
Editor’s note – Jean and the whole Herbage family have
particularly asked that I pass on their gratitude for all the
messages of sympathy and kind words received over the past few
weeks.
17
COOKS’
COMPANY SHOOTING
Happy Guns – well mostly!
n a sunny Saturday in late April, after a lengthy
period of torrential rainfall, 8 of the Cooks’
Company “Guns” assembled at the Whitehorn
shooting grounds in leafy South West Surrey for a practice
session before the annual Inter-Livery Clay Pigeon
competition. The ‘teachers’, Christine and Michael, easily
identified everyone’s strengths and ‘areas for improvement’
and, over a wide variety of ‘stands’ we all improved our
standard. Though we definitely missed Michael and Sandy
Thatcher’s generous hospitality (and especially Sandy’s
renowned Lobster Bisque!), the practice was invaluable and
certainly improved our performance at the actual event.
O
The competition day dawned bright and clear, which made
a very pleasant change from most of the early summer, as
our two teams assembled at the Holland & Holland
shooting grounds in North West London. Unfortunately,
we started at the most difficult of the stands – the High
Pheasants, where some of us had some difficulty even seeing
the clay pigeons since they flew so high and fast – but at least
we all hit one or two! With the worst stand out of the way,
our performance improved stand-by-stand, as we
progressed through the remaining nine stands, shooting at
the equivalent of every conceivable type of target from
partridge to duck to pigeons, some snap-shooting and
others where one almost had too long to get a line on a
target. Our overall performance was better than previous
years and the two teams finished creditably in the middle of
the field.
Capellanus victor!
year running. Of the remainder there was intense
competition between Past Master Rev Keith Power, James
Powell, Crispin Payne, and John Bennett which was not
decided until the very last shot on the last stand when Keith
Powell finished with a most impressive double ‘left & right’
to draw ahead of the others. All in all, a most successful day
and a substantial sum was raised for the Lord Mayor’s
Charity. This is a ‘fun’ day as well as being a competition
and there are ‘guns’ of all standards. We are always on the
look-out for new talent or people who just want to ‘have a
go’, so if you are interested, please contact David Smith
(020 7332 3967 or dahmsmith@btinternet.com).
The overall competition was won, almost inevitably, by the
Gunmakers but the Individual Trophy went to a Horner
with a score of 75 out of 80. We Cooks have our own
competition on the day for the Messent Trophy. Shamus
Ogilvy turned in yet another stunning performance with
apparent ease and scored the highest but, as last year’s
Champion, was ineligible to win the Trophy for a second
Liveryman David Smith
Note: Next Year's Inter-Livery Competition will be held on
Wednesday the 22 May 2013 at the shooting grounds of Holland
& Holland Northwood Middx.
14
18
“THE RUB OF THE GREEN”
– COMPANY GOLF –
Aprés le deluge - The Team at Effingham.
Company Golf Day at Effingham GC
on Friday 22nd June.
Annual Match for the Duff Cup at the
South Winchester Golf Club on Friday 20th July
Eleven golfers played on the day. The forecast was
‘strong wind with showers.’ All the showers in the South
of England lined up over Effingham, finally flooding all
the greens, so that only the first three players to go out
finished the 18 holes. Frank Forbes, playing off 11, won
the JG Price Trophy with a brilliant 35 points under
brutal conditions. The second place, awarded on the first
9 holes only, went to David Messent who scored 16
points on his debut appearance as a Freeman of the
Company. A lovely course; a pity about the weather.
We moved a few miles to a much better course with a
very welcoming clubhouse and WON! Our first win since
1995 in this our 37th match versus the officers of the
Army Catering Corps team. Much jubilation. In
previous years when our numbers have exceeded the
Army, some of our players played for them. This year, our
Captain, Richard Herbage, and our Secretary, Peter
Messent, arranged that we had even matches and the
non-paired players had a match on their own. This
seemed a better system and still allowed us to socialise
with old Army friends. The weather was good, the
course in very good condition, though some of us did
find the few ponds. The Master, paired in the morning
with Claudius Algar, recorded one of the wins. After the
morning nine holes we were 1-up and moved to 2-up at
the end of play.
Mrs Jo Baughan joined us again as a guest of husband
and Warden Bryan. Bryan has kindly agreed to organise
next year’s Company Golf Day at his home course of
Chart Hills in Kent. We were very pleased that the
Master found time in his busy schedule to play and also
delighted to welcome some more new young players with
Kevin Fogarty, Michael Fogarty and Sam Grainger all
playing their debut Cooks’ event, although Michael has
already represented the Company very successfully
earlier in the year at the Prince Arthur Cup competition.
We repaired to the Officers' Mess at Worthy Down and
enjoyed one of the best dinners that we have had for
many years. I was asked to say a few words about my old
friend Michael Paterson who died earlier this year and to
toast his memory. We had been fellow students at
Westminster Hotel School in the late 1940s.
We had a very pleasant dinner of roast beef in the historic
and intimate Armada Room. We are very grateful to
Effingham Golf Club and to their Freeman Robin
Easton for hosting us so well over the last few years. We
look forward to a new course next year and for a good
turnout then. We also wish Robin Easton a continued
good recovery from his operation. I am personally
grateful to our Secretary, Peter Messent who arranged
the day and who wrote this report.
The Master spoke on our behalf, thanking our Army
colleagues for yet another very good day’s sport, an
excellent dinner and returned to Kevin Cole the head of
his driver which had not gone as far as his ball. Tony
Monk spoke on behalf of his Army players, giving thanks
for a most enjoyable day, congratulated the Company on
winning the match (at last) by two and presented the
Duff Cup to Peter Messent.
Continued on next page
19
The Master, in the pink and ready to win!
Company Polo Shirts
And Sweaters.
Fixtures for
2013
any of the Company
sporting and non-sporting
members wear burgundy
polo shirts (short sleeves, collar
and 3 buttons) and some wear
burgundy V neck lambswool
Sweaters, both with the Company’s crest in full colour as
in this picture, though the shirt has lost some colour in 12
years' wear.
M
Thursday 16th May.
Inter-Livery match
at Walton Heath GC
for the Prince Arthur Cup.
Tuesday 18th June.
Company Golf Day for the J G Price Trophy
at Chart Hills GC in Kent.
I place an order with the manufacturer against specific
paid orders. They come in sizes S, M, L and XL and cost
£20 for polo shirts and £50 for sweaters, including VAT
and postage.
Friday 26th July.
Annual match versus the Officers
of the Army Catering Corps
for the Duff Cup at South Winchester GC
and Dinner at Worthy Down.
If you would like some, please drop me a note with item
and size(s) and a cheque in my favour to;
R I Lawrenson, 3 Mimosa Court, Granary Lane, Budleigh
Salterton, Devon, EX9 6JD
Orders by the end of January please.
Honorary Freeman Bob Lawrenson
YOUR EDITOR NEEDS
The Editor thanks all those who have kindly contributed to this
newsletter. The Summer issue of ‘What’s Cooking’ will be
published in June 2103 and contributions should be sent to the
Editor by Friday 30th May 2013.
Contributions will be welcomed and should be sent to the Editor:
martin-armstrong@supanet.com
or by post to
Hope Cottage, Horsted Lane, DANEHILL,
East Sussex RH17 7HP.
Telephone 01825 790977 Mobile 07957 484946
20
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And Finally ...