Winter 2012 Number 44

When I walked through the front door ofWestminster College on the 9th September1951, some 2 months before my 17th birthday,

little did it cross my mind that theexperience to come would be a ‘lifechanger’ and would set me on theroad to an extremely happy,interesting and fulfilling career. That Ishould return there some 30 yearslater as Head of the School ofCatering and Hospitality was thenunthinkable. Meeting the young ladywho would become my wife of some56 years, during the first few weeks ofmy course, was the stuff of fairy tales,as was the likelihood that some day inthe future, I would become Master ofthe Worshipful Company of Cooks.

I went to a very good school, WestcliffHigh in Essex, which had anoutstanding record for high academicand sporting achievement. My focustended towards the latter, much tothe frustration of my parents.Simultaneous quadratics, Vergil’sAeneid and the rather strange orderof subjects, objects, verbs and adverbsin German prose, proved toochallenging at the time. On the otherhand, the thick mud of the rugbyfield, the frosty lanes of the crosscountry run and the delightfulsummer sound of leather on willowwere enough to turn this young man’shead in what, at the time, might havebeen regarded as the wrong direction.Incidentally, I enjoyed rugby footballso much that I even went on away trips to watch my dearfriend, 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 andminds of the opposition. Hugh and I were 8 or 9 years old

when we first met at West LeighJunior School.

I finished school with a handful of ‘O’levels, not really knowing what Iwanted to do. On learning that a longterm friend through Scouting, wasattending Westminster College on aChef’s course and, on the basis, thatmy twists and dampers and my hay-box cooker assemblies were as goodas any, I approached my CareersMaster (who had also tried hard toteach me Latin) with the intention ofgetting advice. His reaction waspredictable. First, a long silence,followed by facial expressionsindicating sheer bewilderment andthen “but no one from this school hasever gone in for cooking or catering”.Years later, I wentback to the schoolto deliver a careers lecture on theHospitality Industry to some 30 or 40interested boys. Fulfilling careers arethe result of varying amounts of hardwork, good luck and being in theright place at the right time. Mine hasbeen no different, but at every stage,I have had the undying support of mywife Pam, who understood thedemands of the industry.

These are challenging times for theCooks Company. Our income hasfallen with our investments yielding

less in the current economic climate and that from theAldersgate property unlikely to fully recover for a fewyears. In spite of this, those people serving on the Strategic

INTRODUCING THE NEW MASTERBev Puxley MBA FIH FCFA Cert Ed

Photograph courtesy of Michael O

'Sullivan Photography

Review Committees, have been working very hard toconsider the direction in which the Company might betaken in years to come. Whether we make major or minorchanges or no changes at all, it would have been wrong notto have considered the issues and the possibilities.

As I write, the Steering Committee, is about to receivereports and recommendations from both the ‘Structures’and ‘Big Ideas’ Committees. The Steering Committee willthen decide what to put forward to the Court. By the timeyou read this, we shall know what the Court has been askedto consider. On the whole, I do not foresee dramaticchanges, nor do I expect changes or improvement to takeplace with undue haste. The strong position that theCompany enjoys today has come about by gradualevolution, steered by many wise minds and over many years.

I, and my fellow Officers, Court Assistants and PastMasters, are fully conscious of our responsibilities intaking this great Company forward. We are blessed with aCompany of men and women of exceptional talentswhether they be specialists in Finance, the Law, Propertyor the City working with experienced and influentialmembers, past and present, of the Hospitality andCatering Industry.

May I offer my thanks to Past Master Geoff Osborne forthe careful and conscientious way he carried out hisduties as Master during the past year and to PeterWilkinson, our Clerk, for the support he gave Geoffduring that time. You will be aware that with Geoff asMaster and me as Second Master, there were two ‘realcooks’ in those roles for the first time in two or threehundred years. (Dr. Alan Borg is hoping to pin down theyear in which this last happened).

Before closing, I should mention that the Master’sCharity for the year is the ‘Royal Navy and RoyalMarines Childrens Fund’. You will have received or willbe receiving a leaflet describing the work of this mostexcellent charity.

I am truly honoured and proud to have been elected asMaster and may I repeat the oath taken at theconfirmation dinner on November 14th - “I pledge myword to serve the Company faithfully during my year ofoffice”.

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a successfulNew Year.

Bev Puxley

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A bygone age! (Note the chaudfroid) Piping – in the Haggis! (Great Western Hotel Reading c1959)

Following training at Westminster College andpassing out as Isadore Salmon Student of theYear, Bev started his career in the kitchens at

Claridges in 1953. He became Head Chef at the OdneyClub in 1955 before commencing a period with TrustHouses Ltd. He held the posts of Chef de Cuisine intwo of its leading hotels; Catering Lecturer at theCompany’s Training Centre and Catering Adviser toseventy hotels in the Eastern Region. In 1966, he wasappointed by EMI as Regional Catering Manager forthe North of England, Scotland and Ireland. Followinga position as General Manager of the Dunadry Inn atAntrim, he later joined Forte Holdings as TrainingExecutive and following the THF merger, became Headof Catering Training and eventually, Personnel, Trainingand Industrial Relations Manager for the PopularCatering Division.

A period of teaching at South Devon Technical College,was followed by a return to industry as CateringExecutive for the London and International Hotels

Division of Trusthouses Forte. 1980 saw the start of afifteen year tenure at Westminster College as Head of theSchool of Hospitality. Retiring in 1995, he returned toIndustry in 1996 for a further nine years as PersonnelDirector for the Capital Group.

Bev has served as a National Councillor of the HCIMA;was Chief Examiner for City and Guilds AdvancedCookery and former President of the Reunion desGastronomes. He is an Independent Adviser to theDefence Food Services School as well as a Governor ofthe Academy of Culinary Arts. He is Chair of both theNational Association of Care Catering & ProfessionalAssociation for Catering Education Annual Conferences.He is a Member of the Steering Committee for the CityFood Lecture, held annually at Guildhall.

In 2000, he received the HCPTA Special Award forServices to Personnel and Training and in 2002, theBritish Hospitality Association Award for LifetimeServices to the Hospitality Industry.

Bev Puxley MBA FIH FCFA Cert Ed

The table was laid for one hundred and sixty eightguests, all in enthusiastic anticipation of a night offine food, wine and song. We were pleased to see that

whoever had designed the seating plan had chosen toinclude all the ladies’ first names. We thought this was areally good idea that should be adopted more widely!

The Master led the Cooks’ contingent from the top table,accompanied by The Reverend Keith Powell and theirladies. Commander Bob Grainger and Commodore DavidSmith supported The Master ably at the top of two of thesprigs, while our own Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson held hisposition at the end of the centre sprig steadfastly throughoutthe evening’s engagement. Other members of the Livery andFreedom, accompanied by their spouses and guests, joinedthe throng, raising their glasses and voices in homage to thegreat 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 compatriotsfrom 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 thingsthat have come out of France! Had we been at the battle, wewould not have been so lucky. At the time, the only meansof preserving meat was to store it in salt (canned meat did

not appear until 1816); this made it very hard and dry.Bread did not keep, so flour was baked into hard biscuit; thisbecame soft in storage and was infested with weevils andmaggots. Water rapidly became green, brackish andstagnant. Yuk! The men must have been grateful for the dailyration of grog which made the water drinkable and maskedthe taste of the food. Some food was available fresh but thiswas usually kept for the Admiral, Captain and other officers;so some of our party would have been all right!

Admiral Sir Jock Slater proposed the toast to TheImmortal Memory. He spoke passionately about his viewson current defence policy and its effect on the Royal Navyand our ability to mount similar defences in the future. Itwas more political an address than many of us may haveexpected and perhaps the more thought provoking for that.We were entertained by the Brass Quintet and TrafalgarDrummers of The Royal Marines Association ConcertBand. This warmed us up nicely for sea shanties: ‘Heart ofOak’ and ‘What shall we do with the drunken sailor?’,before relaxing again to the excellent singing of theclassical duo, Cripps and Saunders. It was a thoroughlyenjoyable evening.

Freeman Charlotte Kenyon

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TRAFALGAR NIGHT!A fun (if not rumbustious!)evening at Vintners Hall

Photograph courtesy of Michael O

'Sullivan Photography

giving fire and rescue cover or supplyingtented shelter for up to 20,000 evacueesfrom civil disasters such as Caribbeanhurricanes where it also helped in anti-narcotic operations.

RFA Wave Ruler was built at BAE'sGovan yard and launched inFebruary 2001 and commissioned inApril 2003. Her sister ship, WaveKnight, was commissioned in March2003. The Livery visit was hosted byCommodore Bill Walworth andincluded a splendid buffet lunch incompany with the ship's crew.

COOKS AFLOAT!VISIT TO RFA WAVE RULER

The Master and Second Master share a joke with Executive Officer Simon Herbert

The Master mans the guns!

Hand-built bymen . . .

. . . with a headfor heights!

In July, a party of Cooks visited the RFAWave Ruler, one of a fleet of civilianmanned vessels owned by MOD

whose primary role is to providelogistical support to Royal Navy TaskGroups, world wide. They provide amilitary type of service at anaffordable cost with the crewsengaged on a sponsored reservestatus, supplying fuel, ammunitionand supplies. The RFA fleet is fullyintegrated into the RN’s commandand control system and forms a vitalpart of maritime operations. It providesaid during civil emergencies, for example,

Later, we were treated to a further visit to the historic HMS Victory – Nelson's flagship – providing a fascinating contrastbetween the naval design, architecture and conditions on board, then and now!

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HMS DUNCAN, the Cooks' Company affiliatedship and the Royal Navy's newest Type 45 Daringclass Destroyer, started her sea trials on Friday

31st August 2012 when she left theScotstoun Yard for the first time since herlaunch on 11th October 2010. That is theanniversary of the date when AdmiralAdam Duncan, Viscount Duncan ofCamperdown (1 July 1731 – 4 August1804) for whom the ship is named, mauledthe Dutch fleet at the Battle ofCamperdown on 11 October 1797.

These sea trials mark the final phase in thebuild programme where the Ship’spropulsion and gun systems are putthrough their paces. The day prior to“getting under way” for the first time,Court Assistant Mark Grove delivered twoWCC flags to the HMS DUNCAN LiaisonOfficer, Lieutenant Commander Ian Parkwho is the Logistics Officer onboard. TheCompany pennant will be flown whenHMS DUNCAN is being replenished-at-sea while the Company's Colour will beflown annually on 11th July to celebrate theAnniversary of The Worshipful Company of

Cooks first Royal Charter of 1482, and of course when theCooks company is called “to Serve”. The Ship's badgeshows a hunting horn on a red background and is taken

from the Duncan family coat-of-arms.

During the sea trials, the Royal Navy andBAe Systems crew are catered for by asmall team from ESS Support ServicesWorldwide (part of Compass Group).Freeman Mike Richardson is their SalesDirector and commented “A team of 10from my company store the ship withfood and feed those on board for 28 days;we also keep the galley and Mess areasclean. It is a strange coincidence that 20years ago, I was the 1st Logistics Officerof HMS LANCASTER which was alsobuilt in Scotstoun and I spent a veryhappy one year living in Glasgow duringwhich time I was part of the Royal Navycrew on two sets of sea trials. I am verymuch looking forward to seeing HMSDUNCAN when she is accepted into theFleet”.

Assistant Mark Grove

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NEW COLOURS FORHMS DUNCAN

Assistant Mark Grove and Lieutenant Commander Ian Park RN prepare to hoist the Company Colour

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DAUBE DE BOEUF

This dish uses ox cheek, which is a much neglected andprincely cut. In its raw state it is tough and sinewy. Oncetrimmed and cooked it becomes soft, tender and delivers arich glossy sauce.

• 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 lardonsand blanched if excessively salty

• 2tbs plain flour• 15cm square piece of pork rind• 1litre beef, veal stock• 50ml cognac

Trim the sinew from the beef. Transfer to a large bowl andadd the next 7 ingredients. Refrigerate and marinateovernight. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Drain the beef in acolander and discard the chopped vegetables. Heat thebutter and oil in a pan and brown the mushrooms,followed by the onions and finally the bacon, lift out andset to one side. Pat the beef dry and season with salt andpepper. Without rushing, brown the beef well on all sidesin the butter/oil. Lift out and set to one side. Add the flourand cook gently for several minutes. Pour in the wine andbring to the boil. Reduce by half whilst ensuring that thesticky bits that have adhered to the base of the pan do notburn. Place the meat, onions, mushrooms and bacon in acasserole along with the bouquet garni and pork rind. Addthe wine, stock and the Cognac and bring up to a gentlesimmer. Cover and transfer to the oven for four hours oruntil cooked. Remove from the oven and lift out from thesauce and transfer to a serving dish, keep it hot. Retrievethe 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 ingredientsalong with the diced pork rind. Simmer for two minutesand then ladle it over the meat, return it to the oven forthirty minutes and it is then ready to serve.

Garnish with parsnip mash and glazed carrots.

TARTE TATIN Serves 3 to 4

A simple yet demanding recipe, true success is usuallyreached after three or four attempts as youbecome accustomed to the vagaries ofcooking with caramel butter and sugar in aconfined 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

Pre heat your oven to 180º C

Take an oven proof heavy 28-30 cm fryingpan and melt the butter over a gentle heat,add the sugar and stir to form a loosebuttery mixture. Then remove from the heatand add the apples. Start at the outside edge and packthem in on their sides with the top/bottom of the wedgespointing to the middle of the pan. Then fill the middlewith as many of the remaining wedges as possible to packthe dish tightly.

Return the pan to the stove, add five tablespoons of waterand cook over a medium heat for thirty to forty minutes. It

is vital that you attend to the pan at all times. After aninitial five minutes the apples will let out some additionalliquid followed by the sugar starting to caramelise. Lots ofpan jiggling is required to ensure that the carameldistributes evenly around the apples. If you get very dark

spots of caramel then add a splash of water tothe area taking care of spluttering caramel. Theapple must remain in place, don’t shake themup as if stir frying!

After about thirty minutes you are looking fora pan of apple wedges that have caramelised toa good mahogany brown and a slightlycollapsed vaguely translucent appearance.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for atleast fifteen minutes. You can of course takethe apples to this stage much earlier.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of half acentimetre and drape over the pan. Cutaround 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 minutesor until the pastry is bronzed and crisp.

Using a couple of oven gloves place a plate over the panand invert to turn out the tart.

Serve a large slice with a goodly dollop of crème fraîche.

Henry H

arris © 2011

Recipe CornerTwo Great Winter Recipes from

Liveryman Henry Harris of Racine Restaurant

On my beach holiday this year in Amalfi I feltpositively skinny, which I know will make a few ofyou smile. It was as if I had walked into a wide

screen version of the world I once knew where everyonehad been stretched side-wards. It was the children andteenagers that most worried me, almost everyone had beensupersized to some degree.

Maybe you have noticed the same? If not on the beach, inthe supermarket or on the tube? Even the seats in theHouses of Parliament were widened a few years ago. Ofcourse others amongst you may be arguing that obesitydoesn’t have a clear definition so it can’t exist, however theevidence increasingly supports my experience – we aregetting fatter. One theory which is gaining weight is theidea that our government’s advice over the last 40 years on‘healthy eating’ - to replace fat calories for carbohydratessuch as grains and starchy vegetables – is not so healthyafter all. It may be a cheaper and easier form of calories butresearch is increasingly linking high consumption ofrefined carbohydrates (which are sugars) with heartdisease, cancer, strokes and obesity. Advocates claim thatobesity is increasing despite people eating less calories andexercising more than they did in 1970’s.

I had dinner the other week with Professor Jennie Brand-Miller from the University of Sydney, a world expert oncarbohydrates, glucose and the glycaemic index. A smalltalk chaired by Jerome Burne, a science and food writer,followed. The effects of fluctuating sugar levels and theproduction of insulin not only prompts the emergencydeposit of sugars into fatty tissue to save your body fromthe ravages of excessive glucose in the blood stream, it alsoputs the body into a high level of stress stopping manyother body functions including many repair functions.Eating excessive amounts of refined carbs takes you intoan addictive oscillation between high and low sugar levelswhich over time can be deeply destructive, makes you eatmore and is believed to have lead to dramatic increase ofdiabetes amongst children and adults as well as increasedstroke, coronary disease and cancer. So the theory goes.More research is required of course but diabetics amongst

you will have already caught onto this principle.

In my research for a book/documentary I am preparing, Ihave discovered an interesting organisation which has beencomparing current and traditional eating habits for overfifty years. I have met several times with the founder of theLondon chapter of the Weston Price Foundation, PhilipRidley, whose brain child has been the annual symposiumcalled 'Wise Traditions'. Now in its third year it bringstogether scientists, nutritionists and local food producersto explore the current nutritional situation. To think thatthe current government’s advice is not being fiercelydebated by scientists, many of whom believe much of theresearch it is based on flawed and skewed research, is anunderstatement. The speakers are extraordinarilyconvincing with powerful research to back up theirthinking. So I invite you to take a ring side view of thisdebate and challenge some preconceptions. You may findan excuse to have more cooked breakfasts, extra butter onyour toast and even lose weight without giving up theclaret. There are some excellent free videos on-line and thelectures from Wise Traditions are annually recorded andavailable from Amazon on for just £25 for over 20 hoursof material. It may not only challenge your preconceptionsbut also add few years to your life. Who knows? Althoughsuch an outcome may not help with the loomingpopulation and food scarcity problems.

Adriano is a documentary and film maker, he is currentlypreparing a book, working title ‘Dentists and how to avoidthem’; it has a substantial nutritional dimension. Adriano haslost almost a stone since shifting his food intake from ‘highcarb/low fat’ to ‘low carb/high fat’ in June this year. And hischolesterol 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.

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Carb Junky ?ARE YOU A

Explorations on diet byLiveryman Adriano Leto

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Hand-made chocolates is a very time consumingpractice only for the passionate. Sara Jayne Stanesspeaks from personal experience having run such a

company. For the past decade, the skills of a handful oftalented and inspired young individuals have been pushingthe boundaries to make a difference to the way we look at

chocolate in the UK. Angus Thirlwell at HotelChocolat has revolutionised the high street,offering its customers a whole range ofchocolate and chocolate products from itsown cacao plantation in St Lucia with itspurpose built chocolate factory; whileThorntons is also embracing thischocolate renaissance. The UK is nowalso able to boast its own bean-to-barman Willie Harcourt Cooze who owns aplantation in Venezuela.

At the forefront of this British revival isWilliam Curley. He says that “we are very

much in the midst of a little chocolate explosion within theUK … the education of consumers has developedenormously partly down to the media showing an interestand partly down to … connoisseurs such Coady, Porter andof course Craig Sams and Jo Fairly with their pioneeringcompany Green & Black’s. The fine chocolate market willcontinue to grow as more and more mainstream companiestry to ‘up’ their game,” William adds, “Artisan means, madeon a small scale by a skilled team, with an uncompromisingbelief in using the finest freshest ingredients, with noartificial additives, flavourings and colourings...it gives us aunique selling point; and means Suzue and I stay true to ourbeliefs …”

Paul Young summed up “We opened five and a half yearsago and now have 3 shops in London. Even in this shorttime we have found a huge growth in customersunderstanding more about fine chocolate … morecustomers now understand that dark chocolate is perceivedto be healthier and more intoxicatingly satisfying.”

Together with a group of other like-minded chocolatelovers, Sarah founded the Academy of Chocolate in 2005 topromote a greater awareness of the difference between finechocolate and mass-produced chocolate confectionery and

to encourage consumers to ‘look beyond the label’. Inchoosing and appreciating chocolate the experts would tellyou never to under estimate the importance of the sourcingof the ingredients. Discover where the cocoa originates anddon't be obsessed with just high percentages of cocoa massor cocoa solids as it is also known.

Winners of the Academy of Chocolate’s Awards includeAmedei from Italy; Amano from the United States;Valrhona, the French company that has led the way on somany chocolate issues; Domori from Italy and Cluizel fromFrance to name but a few.

Fine chocolate producers:

Damian Allsop www.damianallsop.com Chantal Coady

www.rococochocolates.com William Curley

www.williamcurley.co.ukMarc 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 Foodswww.kingsfinefoods.co.uk

Editor's Note:Honorary Freeman Sara Jayne Stanes OBE isChief Executive of the Academy of Culinary Arts and ChefsAdopt a School, a national charity which champions culinaryeducation in primary schools and thanks to the WCC, managesto reach over 21,000 children every year. Sara is also a foodwriter, author of award winning book 'Chocolate – the DefinitiveGuide' by Grub Street and 'Chocolate: Discovering, Exploring

and Enjoying' published by Ryland Peters& Small. Sara considers herself a bit of achocolate evangelist and lives with herchocolate loving, wine merchant husbandRichard in Clapham.

ARTISAN CHOCOLATE What does it mean?

If feeding was an Olympic sport the Navy, Army and AirForce chefs deployed on OP OLYMPIC would havebeen showered with gold medals! There were 18,200

members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces deployed, with11,000 providing venue security, 5,000 providing specialistcapabilities from bomb disposal to security search teamsand 1,000 providing the logistical support to make it allhappen. Amongst this number were the chefs.

Deployed everywhere from small Territorial Centres toenormous temporary camps at Feltham (Army) andHainault (RAF) the Food Services personnel of all 3Services acquitted themselves with distinction. Thevolume of food supplied to the Forces gives some idea ofthe scale of the operation. A small team at Defence Fuel &Food Services working with the MoD World Wide FoodSupply Contractor Purple Food Services ensured thatamong many items supplied were £63,000 of sausages,£43,043 of Beef Striploin and £36,000 of eggs. Deliveredto a wide variety of locations, on time and to budget (at atotal cost of £2M) the military catering support to the

Olympics was a truly tri-Service operation. As an examplethere were RN and Army chefs operating on board HMSOcean berthed at Greenwich producing some 100,000meals whilst her sister ship HMS Bulwark performedsimilar duties off the Dorset coast and RFA chefs operatedon RFA Mounts Bay anchored off Weymouth. At Felthamthe Army used Temporary Deployable AccommodationKitchen Units originally designed for the Iraq andAfghanistan campaigns whilst at Hainault Country Park120 RAF caterers FROM No 3 Mobile catering Squadronperformed equally sterling work in a more traditional fieldkitchen. Hainault was spearheaded by chefs from No 3Mobile Catering Squadron ably supported by chefsgenerated from RAF Stations around the country. TheMaster, accompanied by the Editor, visited Hainault to seefor themselves the enormity of the challenge. The two fieldkitchens fed 4,000 personnel from all 3 Services withprofessional aplomb, good humour and enthusiasm.Indeed the operation at Hainault was the largestdeployment in recent RAF history. Full credit must go toFlight Lieutenant 'Badger' Drayton, OC 3 MobileCatering Squadron and his right hand man, WO 'Willie'Dixon (remembering that it was Margaret Thatcher whofamously said, “Everybody needs a Willie!”)

The Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Army and RoyalAir Force chefs, stewards and food suppliers did their dutyfor our nation away from the glare of the televisioncameras, though plainly not from the lens of our editor. OpOLYMPIC was an excellent opportunity for Food Servicespersonnel to demonstrate their skills, and yet again theydid not disappoint. The Worshipful Company of Cooksare great supporters of the caterers of the Armed Forcesand they can be justifiably proud of the men and womenin their respective catering services.

Freeman Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Shepherd RLCHappiness is food shaped!

Master Geoff Osborne and Editor with Flt Lt 'Badger' Drayton and WO Willie Dixon

MILITARY CATERING SUPPORTFOR THE OLYMPICS

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Food is essential to life and is one of its greatestpleasures; never more so than during wildernessexpeditions. The physical and emotional demands

made by living and working outdoors in all weathers makemeals a real highlight of the day. Food is more than justfuel.

I lead teams of 16-18 year olds on expeditions to places asdiverse as the rainforests of south east Asia and theMongolian steppe. These trips typically involve severalweeks of trekking and wild camping and a project phasewhich may include building new class rooms andplayground equipment. Under these circumstances, thestudents’ daily calorie requirement is likely to be double ortreble that of normal. The students are responsible for theday-to-day management of the expedition, including allaspects of catering and cooking. Meals must be planned inadvance and the food carried, prepared and cooked by theteam in whatever weather and wild setting we findourselves, 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 noexperience of cooking, let alone for a large group, in basicconditions, with different cultural expectations of whatconstitutes ‘food’ and sometimes a wide variety ofallergies, aversions and dietary preferences to take intoaccount. Food must be nutritionally balanced, portable,non-perishable, varied and appealing. This last point iscritical: exhausted teenagers, faced with 'weird' orunpalatable food at the end of the day are unlikely to eatenough to sustain the required level of physical activity, beit carrying a 16kg rucksack all day over rough, steepground or mixing concrete.

Failure to consume sufficient calories is a serious healthrisk on expedition. In a society where most of us can eatwhat we want, when we want, the realities of expedition lifecan come as quite a shock. This is eating for health, not just

for pleasure. The students have to get it right, quickly, orheads go down and everyone becomes grumpy and weak.My job is to help them do it…or starve! Add to this theneed to stick within a tight budget and remain hydrated inthe absence of a reliable, clean water source and this allrepresents a huge challenge.

I am impressed constantly by the speed and enthusiasmwith which students take up this challenge. Usually thereis someone who steps forward as chief cook andquartermaster and grabs with both hands the opportunityto take on this pivotal role. I’ve had some dire meals at thestart of expeditions, only to be treated a few weeks later tohand-made beef burgers, fried onions, chips and bread (inZambia) or marinated chicken kebabs and roasted squashwith banana and chocolate pudding (in Namibia), much ofit cooked on open fires by the light of head torches. Teams quickly sort themselves into the wood collectorsand fire makers (usually boys!), vegetable peelers andpreparers (usually those less confident with the woodenspoon), the cooks and the washer-uppers. I’ve seen a 17year-old ‘head cook’ stand in the middle of an Africansupermarket, with her shopping list and team of souschefs, giving instructions to a team of 15 students anddispatching them to different sections of the store withinstructions on what to buy. Within 1 hour we hadsufficient food to feed a team of 18 people for two weeks,against a menu plan that ensured no waste. All this from agirl who, prior to expedition, had never even cooked forher family at home. By the time we left to come back toEngland she’d enjoyed herself so much she wasconsidering a career in cooking!

Charlotte Kenyon

Editor's Note: Charlotte works with 'Wilderness Expertise'providing life-widening experiences for schools and parents ofyoung people. Find out more at http://www.wilderness-expertise.co.uk/

"Students from King's College School Wimbledon prepare to dispatch chickens for dinner" (they did, as well!)

COOKING IN THE WILD‘Dispatch’ by Freeman Charlotte Kenyon . . . & Co

10

Well, we appear to have survived our first full year so thankyou very much for your patience with both Tracey and me,as we have tried to get to grips with the quirks and foiblesof running a 500 year old organisation. I do hope that wehaven’t upset too many of you on the way.

My first request for support to you all is for ShroveTuesday’s Pancake Races. (Tuesday 12th February). If youwould like to participate then please let me know – but ifnot, why not turn up at Guildhall to support the runnersanyway – It’s a real feel-good morning. Details have alreadybeen sent out and you will need to book lunch in advance– Assistant Mark Grove, who provides a really deliciousmeal in the Guildhall Crypt, obviously cannot guess atnumbers turning up on the day and so no lunch tickets willbe available on the door. There will, however, be coffee andcrepes available in the Guildhall Yard for those supporterswho need to get back to their desks.

Next, can I ask you, once again, to see whether you feel ableto support an initiative to involve livery members andfreemen more in influencing some of the Company’s

activities. Crispin Payne, as the most junior member of theCourt, has volunteered to chair a ‘Livery Committee’ thatcould either become involved in fund-raising or just inarranging a number of informal social events. The Masterand I are trying, one more time, to include the otherAssociated Companies but if they do not wish to participatethen the Cooks will go it alone – but only with your input.

Finally, do please let me know if there is a sporting or socialactivity in which you would like to get involved – it is mostlikely that somewhere else within the Livery movementthere is already an organisation or society doing what youwould like to do – Bridge, Golf, Sailing and Skiing comemost readily to mind, but there are also a number of others.

Dates for your diary. Formal Company events are all inthe front of the Year Book but please note:

Candlemas will be celebrated on Friday 1st Feb, notSaturday 2nd and the Church Service at St Botolph’s willbegin at 11.30am.

Peter Wilkinson

Clerk’s Corner

In previous editions of What’s Cooking, I have writtenabout the Cooks’ connection with Christ’s HospitalSchool, now situated near Horsham, West Sussex.

Under the 1674 Will of Past Master John Phillips, fundswere set aside to pay for two Cooks' Company presenteesto the then separate boys’ and girls’ Christ’s Hospitalschools. In recent years we have had two boys as presentees,Oliver Noye (now studying for a Masters at NottinghamUniversity) and Christian Liberman (now studyingAstrophysics as an undergraduate at Bristol University) andnow for the first time, two girls as simultaneous presentees,Matilda Slade and Katrina Millett.

Matilda is 15 and in her fourth year at CH in Year 10 (UF

Year). Her favourite subjects are English, Art, Drama andHistory. Her interests include writing, singing (in theChapel and the Gospel choirs, currently working towardsher Grade 5), drama (in the ensemble for the senior show'Fiddler on the Roof' and played Bottom in 'A MidsummerNight's Dream' in the school's Bardfest). She hasrepresented CH in Rounders and Netball and is currently inthe Netball U15 Squad. Katrina is 13 and in her second yearat CH in Year 8 (UF Year). Her favourite subjectsareEnglish, Latin, Maths and Science. Her interests includeplaying the violin; reading; drawing and Cooking (well done,Katrina!). She has represented CH in Netball.

Past Master Oliver Goodinge

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Matilda Katrina

For several years now the Company has been pleasedto be the main sponsor of the Care Cook of the YearCompetition organised by the National Association

of Care Catering (NACC). Aimed at encouraging highstandards of cooking as well as creativity and goodnutrition, the competition is open to cooks working in carehomes both in the public and private sector. Local heatsand a regional final lead to six outstanding cooks reachinga tough national final at Unilever’s superb developmentkitchens in Leatherhead. Contestants have 90 minutes toprepare four portions of a two course meal, main courseand dessert, at a cost of no more than £1.30 per head, Ihave been privileged to act as Chairman of Judges forseveral years at the National Final and each year I amaccompanied by the previous year’s winner. More recently,we have been joined by Dr. Kirsty Young, a researcher andlecturer at Nottingham Trent University.

A unique feature of the competition is that three portionsof the two course meal have to be presented in competitiondisplay style whilst the fourth portion is presented as itwould be to the residents of the care home from which thecook comes. This requirement and the completely freechoice of ingredients and cooking method make judgingvery interesting.

This year was no exception. A closely contested final waswon by Ellie Cook (appropriate name!) from KirkleyLodge at Coulby Newham, near Middlesborough, a care

home in the Anchor Group.

Ellie’s beautifully prepared menu was a chicken and olivetagine served with coriander couscous and balsamic cherrytomatoes, followed by lemon cheesecake. Some threemonths later, she demonstrated her winning dishes at theNACC Annual Training and Development Forum inBlackpool. Every day of their working lives, cooks workingin this largely unsung sector of our industry are faced witha set of challenges not always experienced by thoseworking elsewhere. The requirements for perfectnutritional balance and special diets where many havepoor appetites or eating disorders ,are often very frail andmay even be dementia sufferers and or be physicallychallenged are some of those challenges.

During the last two years, the Care Industry has receivedsome unhelpful publicity with reports of ill treatment andclosures. I have to say that the hundreds of managementand staff that I meet from the sector are hardworking,dedicated and devoted to the care and well being of theirresidents.

I am pleased that the Assistance of Cookery Committee,chaired by Past Master, Alan Fairbrass, continues torecommend support for this competition.

Bev PuxleyMaster

CARE COOK OF THE YEAR

Deep-thinking judgement! Proud winner Ellie Cook with Master Geoff Osborne

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Photograph courtesy of Stephen Forward

Photograph courtesy of Stephen Forward

Mike Richardsonjoined the Royal Navyin 1978 and served for27 years as a LogisticsOfficer. During thisperiod, Mike served inthe Falklands War(HMS COVENTRY -which was sunk byenemy action 25 May1982) and, amongstmany frontline andH e a d q u a r t e r sappointments, he wasHead of NavyCatering. In August2005, Mike retiredearly from the Royal

Navy to join Compass Group – the world’s largest cateringcompany. Currently he is the Sales Director for the UKDefence sector as well as the North European Offshoreand Remote sectors. Mike’s home is in Hill Head, nearLee-on-the Solent and his hobbies include football refereefor the local Youth League as well as his powerboat; his wifeKim believes that he is going through the male equivalentof the menopause when he purchased the boat last year!As a Freeman, Mike joined the Assistance of CookeryCommittee in 2011 and he looks forward to continuing toserve on the committee or in any other role the Companysees fit.

SPOTLIGHTPhilip Messant, sonof Past Master PeterMessent, works forDeloitte in the City ofLondon, and throughthis is in the process ofbecoming a charteredaccountant. Hecurrently resides inBorough, London.Before starting work atDeloitte a year ago, hestudied at theUniversity ofBirmingham for threeyears after attendingschool in Ipswich andliving the first 7 yearsof his life in Holland.He is a keen hockeyplayer, currentlyplaying in the nationalhockey premier division for Surbiton. He also enjoys his golfwhen he has time and is looking forward to playing with theCooks for years to come!

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!

Sam Grainger is youngerson of Past Master BobGrainger and the youngestgrandchild of the late PastMaster Cherry Grainger. Henow joins his brother, Toby,on the Freedom and, like hisbrother, he works within theCity of London. Havingstudied Politics andInternational Relations at theUniversity of Manchester,Sam joined Lloyds InsuranceBroker, Cooper Gay, as ajunior broker back in 2010and now works in the

insurance market, where he brokes InternationalProfessional Risks. Sam is a keen golfer, who has alreadymade an appearance at a Cooks Company golf day and heis also an enthusiastic amateur chef, who enjoys eating outand is always keen to widen his gastronomic experience!

After many years flyingmilitary aircraft, GroupCaptain Andy Killeybecame a military logistician.He has served on operationsin Afghanistan, Kuwait,Saudi Arabia and the UnitedStates, as well as manylocations in the UK. He wasappointed Team Leader ofthe Defence Fuels and FoodServices Team in Jul 2011and has overseen theamalgamation andcolocation of the MOD’sFood and Fuelsprocurement Teams at Abbeywood in Bristol. He runs thetri-Service Salon Culinaire, Exercise Joint Caterer and isDirector of the Combined Services Culinary Arts Team,sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Cooks, whichwon 12 Gold Medals at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Octthis year . Andy lives in Shropshire, is married to Louise,and has 2 children, Benjamin (21) and Emma (14). Heenjoys cooking, equitation, shooting, classic cars, golf andtravelling.

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Photograph courtesy of Michael O

'Sullivan PhotographyPhotograph courtesy of M

ichael O'Sullivan Photography

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It is impossible to do justice to all the events that I haveattended during my Mastership but it has been anhonour and a pleasure to represent the Company at so

many civic, charitable and Royal occasions, during theQueen's Diamond Jubilee Year. Without doubt, I havewitnessed an amazing year but although the day wouldinevitably come when I had to hand over to my successor, Ihave a host of happy memories to treasure.

The Candlemas Service, the first major Company occasionin my Master's year, was featured by The Reverend Keith inour summer newsletter and thus, having been suitablyblessed, my year commenced! After my 22 years' service inthe Royal Air Force, it was appropriate that many of myduties involved visiting the Armed Forces and recognisingvarious individual and team achievements. I was invited toHMS Duncan at Faslane by Commander Phil Game andwas very impressed by the size of the well-equipped galleyand its capability afloat. With the Army, Carol and Iattended Armed Forces Day at Deepcut which was athoroughly enjoyable occasion. Again with the Royal Navy,I was privileged to attend its Awards Ceremony at theDefence Maritime Logistics School, HMS Raleigh, and afew days later, HMS Collingwood for the Logistics BranchConference and dinner. Maintaining the maritime flavour, Iwas also able to join a combined Livery visit to the RoyalFleet Auxiliary support ship 'Wave Ruler'. There is a separatearticle on this elsewhere in this newsletter.

On 5th June representatives of the Combined City LiveryCompanies hosted selected guests at a Diamond JubileeLuncheon for Her Majesty The Queen and Senior membersof the Royal Family in Westminster Hall. This historical

11th century settinglooked magnificent, withthe State trumpeters inposition on the balconyof the southern window,and The NationalChildren's Orchestra ofGreat Britain on theDais below who playedthroughout the meal.The welcoming speechwas given by theMaster Mercer, MrThomas Sheldon.Chef Anton Mosimann's menu for theoccasion was exceptional, as were the accompanying wines.Without doubt, it was an unforgettable occasion.

I must record a special thank you to the Masters of TheAssociated Companies for their very kind hospitalitythroughout my Mastership. Next year is the 400thanniversary of this Association, a notable milestone in therelationship. I look forward to the year with interest. Andfinally . . . . I must thank all those within our own Companywho have given me so much support and encouragementthroughout my year. It has been an unforgettable experiencefor Carol and me and I thank the Wardens, the Clerk andtheir Ladies for their support, not forgetting the Court andLivery for allowing a Chef to serve in this Ancient Office. Itnow remains only for me to wish our new Master, Bev Puxleyand Pamela a happy, successful and fulfilling term ahead.

Late Master Geoff Osborne

LATE MASTER'S END-OF-TERM REPORT

Picture courtesy of the Press Association

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The Cooks' table is the third on the left from the bottom of the picture, adjacent to the aisle.

Each year, the Food Services Wing of the DefenceServices Logistics School at Worthy Down runs atraining course for the Cadet Service and the winner

of the course is presented with a cup awarded by theCompany. This year's winner was Cadet Lance Corporal

Dylan Carter of Rutlish School CCF.

The Defence College of Logistics runsan annual Catering Course forCadets which is open to both theACF and CCF. About 25 cadetsundergo an intensive week'scourse in the Food Services Wing.They are split into three sectionsand each group has a full-timecivilian catering instructor. Aweek is a short time to train a chef(the Army no longer has cooks –only chefs!). However, they are keptvery busy learning not only aboutcooking, selection and food

preparation, menu planning,presentation and table service but also about

kitchen equipment, machinery and utensils needed toperform these duties. They are also introduced to fieldcooking equipment as they have to spend a period outdoorscooking and producing hot nutritious meals whatever theweather or unforeseen circumstances may throw at them.

John Lowndes

TOP CADET AWARD2012

Liveryman John Lowndes presents trophy to Cadet Lance Corporal Dylan Carter

Cadets in battle – with the cling film!

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Ateam of top chefs from the Army, Royal Navy, RoyalMarines and Royal Air Force has flown the flag forGreat Britain storming home with 12 Gold Medals!

The World Culinary Olympics is held every four years andattracts over 42 countries each competing at the highestlevel. The competitors are judged by WACS (WorldAssociation of Chefs Society) accredited and demandingjudges. They look for the most creative, innovative andpassionate food that can realistically be served in any finedining establishment throughout the World. TheCombined Services Culinary Arts Team are equallyselected on merit and culinary excellence from all of theServices. They were formed in 1997 to represent the UKArmed Forces in both National and Internationalcompetitions and have competed at the World cup inLuxemburg amongst other National and Internationalevents.

The team is governed by Defence Fuel and Food Servicesand crucially, is supported by sponsorship from G3Systems, The Worshipful Company of Cooks, Vestey FoodsLtd, Continental Chef Supplies, ESS Compass Group,Robot Coupe, Churchills and Dick kniveware. The tablewas designed by Jon Garca, Managing Director of MerlinBuffet Systems who astonished the show with hisinnovative design. The reputation of the squad is hugelyrespected throughout the culinary world owing to theplethora of medals they have already won. Team GBcompeted in two sections of the competition, "TheRestaurant of the Nations challenge" and the Cold Buffet.The first part of the challenge involved preparing, cookingand serving 150 covers of a three course menu suitable forfine dining under test conditions. The Chairman of Judgescommended the team for their tenacious efforts andmethodical manner in which they performed; he further

added it was a joy to watch the British team!

The second part of the competition involved designing 7three course menus for static display. These menus had torepresent the same standards of the Restaurant of theNations ensuring each menu was original, innovative,practical and well balanced. One menu included a mealsuitable for field catering service, one suitable forvegetarian and one 5 course gourmet menu. The team ismanaged by WO Dale Hegarty RAF and team captainWO2 Simon Atkinson RM who have both served over 8years on the squad. The remaining team members are ofvarying rank and experience from Pte to WO andsupported incredibly by a small Logistic Team ofvolunteers whose invaluable input contributed directly tothe success of the team. This is the first time the team hasever achieved "Double Gold" in the Olympics, anoutstanding achievement! They were highly commendedfor their efforts and finished 2nd in the World overall onlybeaten by the Swiss by 0.7%!!

The team will attend training workshops in June 2013, inpreparation for Hotelympia in London and the World Cupin Luxemburg in 2014. Accredited Michelin starred chefSimon Hulstone who headed the English National Squadtweeted his personal congratulations to the team. “Anoutstanding display of our vast excellence within UKArmed Forces that demonstrates an ability to directlyinfluence operations and equally compete against some ofthe finest chefs in the world.”

Captain Rob BurnsChairman

Combined Services Culinary Arts Team

MILITARY CHEFS WIN DOUBLE GOLD AT THE

WORLD CULINARY OLYMPICS!L-r Cpl Alun Davis, Pte Candice Cotze, Sgt 'Smudger' Smith, WO2 Simon Atkinson Team Capt,Sgt Karl Bartlett and WO2Nathan Kelsey

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The Worshipful Company of Makers of PlayingCards 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.)

Venue: Drapers’ Hall,

Throgmorton Street, London EC2N 2DQ

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 atwww.makersofplayingcards.co.uk/company_events

or telephone David Barrett, Clerk on: 020 7531 5990E~Mail: clerk@makersofplayingcards.co.uk

INTER-LIVERY BRIDGEMonday 4 March 2013

The 2013 City Livery Concert will be held on Sunday16 June 2013 at the Barbican. Sir Colin Davis willconduct the London Symphony Orchestra as part ofhis 85th year celebrations. The Lord Mayor elect,Alderman Roger Gifford, plans to attend and it ishoped that Masters, Wardens and Upper Bailiff ofseveral Livery Companies will be present. Theprogramme starts at 7.30pm and will encompassMendlessohn's Violin Concerto and Schubert'sSymphony No 9 (“The Great”). In addition, studentsfrom the Guildhall School of Music & Drama willperform a pre-concert recital from 6.15 to 6.45pm.Tickets cost £45 which will include a complimentarydrink during the interval reception as well as asouvenir programme. Tickets go on sale to the generalpublic in February but early bids from members ofthe Company may be addressed to the Clerk atclerk@cookslivery.org.uk or 01489 579511.

City LiveryConcert

16 June 2013

It is with great sadness thatwe record the peacefuldeath of former Father of

the Company, Past MasterSidney Herbage on 3rdOctober just a couple of daysafter he and Jean celebratedtheir 63rd WeddingAnniversary.

The Parish Church of StNicholas, North Walsham, wascrowded with family, friendsand a good number of Cooksto hear the Company’sChaplain, The Rev KeithPowell and Canon Derek Earis

lead a Service of Thanksgiving for Sidney’s life. Headsturned as the hearse carrying Sidney’s coffin, draped withCompany’s flag passed through the centre of this quietNorth Norfolk Market town. Sidney was a greattraditionalist and would have been honoured that themedieval City custom of draping the coffin of a Liveryman

with an appropriate pall was repeated for him.

Sidney’s life and involvement with the Cooks’, since beingadmitted as a Liveryman in 1946, was the subject of aWhat’s Cooking article in Summer 2010 (No.39). The lasttwo years weren’t easy for Sidney, unable to remain at homewith Jean, and needing increasing amounts of care from thestaff of his Residential care home some three miles away.Shortly before he died he had received visits from hisDaughter Elaine, and three adult grandchildren fromAustralia. He also had the pleasure to see and hold Lily, hisfirst great grandchild, daughter of Anna, and potentially asixth 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 theCompany has lost a true stalwart and the many thingswritten in letters of condolence to Jean and the family are alasting tribute to his contribution on and off the golf course.

Editor’s note – Jean and the whole Herbage family haveparticularly asked that I pass on their gratitude for all themessages of sympathy and kind words received over the past fewweeks.

THE END OF AN ERA . . .. . . SIDNEY JAMES HERBAGE

1925 - 2012

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On a sunny Saturday in late April, after a lengthyperiod of torrential rainfall, 8 of the Cooks’Company “Guns” assembled at the Whitehorn

shooting grounds in leafy South West Surrey for a practicesession before the annual Inter-Livery Clay Pigeoncompetition. The ‘teachers’, Christine and Michael, easilyidentified everyone’s strengths and ‘areas for improvement’and, over a wide variety of ‘stands’ we all improved ourstandard. Though we definitely missed Michael and SandyThatcher’s generous hospitality (and especially Sandy’srenowned Lobster Bisque!), the practice was invaluable andcertainly improved our performance at the actual event.

The competition day dawned bright and clear, which madea very pleasant change from most of the early summer, asour two teams assembled at the Holland & Hollandshooting grounds in North West London. Unfortunately,we started at the most difficult of the stands – the HighPheasants, where some of us had some difficulty even seeingthe clay pigeons since they flew so high and fast – but at leastwe all hit one or two! With the worst stand out of the way,our performance improved stand-by-stand, as weprogressed through the remaining nine stands, shooting atthe equivalent of every conceivable type of target frompartridge to duck to pigeons, some snap-shooting andothers where one almost had too long to get a line on atarget. Our overall performance was better than previousyears and the two teams finished creditably in the middle ofthe field.

The overall competition was won, almost inevitably, by theGunmakers but the Individual Trophy went to a Hornerwith a score of 75 out of 80. We Cooks have our owncompetition on the day for the Messent Trophy. ShamusOgilvy turned in yet another stunning performance withapparent ease and scored the highest but, as last year’sChampion, was ineligible to win the Trophy for a second

year running. Of the remainder there was intensecompetition between Past Master Rev Keith Power, JamesPowell, Crispin Payne, and John Bennett which was notdecided until the very last shot on the last stand when KeithPowell finished with a most impressive double ‘left & right’to draw ahead of the others. All in all, a most successful dayand a substantial sum was raised for the Lord Mayor’sCharity. This is a ‘fun’ day as well as being a competitionand there are ‘guns’ of all standards. We are always on thelook-out for new talent or people who just want to ‘have ago’, so if you are interested, please contact David Smith(020 7332 3967 or dahmsmith@btinternet.com).

Liveryman David Smith

Note: Next Year's Inter-Livery Competition will be held onWednesday the 22 May 2013 at the shooting grounds of Holland& Holland Northwood Middx.

COOKS’ COMPANY SHOOTING

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Happy Guns – well mostly!

Capellanus victor!

Company Golf Day at Effingham GC on Friday 22nd June.

Eleven golfers played on the day. The forecast was‘strong wind with showers.’ All the showers in the Southof England lined up over Effingham, finally flooding allthe greens, so that only the first three players to go outfinished the 18 holes. Frank Forbes, playing off 11, wonthe JG Price Trophy with a brilliant 35 points underbrutal conditions. The second place, awarded on the first9 holes only, went to David Messent who scored 16points on his debut appearance as a Freeman of theCompany. A lovely course; a pity about the weather.

Mrs Jo Baughan joined us again as a guest of husbandand Warden Bryan. Bryan has kindly agreed to organisenext year’s Company Golf Day at his home course ofChart Hills in Kent. We were very pleased that theMaster found time in his busy schedule to play and alsodelighted to welcome some more new young players withKevin Fogarty, Michael Fogarty and Sam Grainger allplaying their debut Cooks’ event, although Michael hasalready represented the Company very successfullyearlier in the year at the Prince Arthur Cup competition.

We had a very pleasant dinner of roast beef in the historicand intimate Armada Room. We are very grateful toEffingham Golf Club and to their Freeman RobinEaston for hosting us so well over the last few years. Welook forward to a new course next year and for a goodturnout then. We also wish Robin Easton a continuedgood recovery from his operation. I am personallygrateful to our Secretary, Peter Messent who arrangedthe day and who wrote this report.

“THE RUB OF THE GREEN” – COMPANY GOLF –

Annual Match for the Duff Cup at the South Winchester Golf Club on Friday 20th July

We moved a few miles to a much better course with avery welcoming clubhouse and WON! Our first win since1995 in this our 37th match versus the officers of theArmy Catering Corps team. Much jubilation. Inprevious years when our numbers have exceeded theArmy, some of our players played for them. This year, ourCaptain, Richard Herbage, and our Secretary, PeterMessent, arranged that we had even matches and thenon-paired players had a match on their own. Thisseemed a better system and still allowed us to socialisewith old Army friends. The weather was good, thecourse in very good condition, though some of us didfind the few ponds. The Master, paired in the morningwith Claudius Algar, recorded one of the wins. After themorning nine holes we were 1-up and moved to 2-up atthe end of play.

We repaired to the Officers' Mess at Worthy Down andenjoyed one of the best dinners that we have had formany years. I was asked to say a few words about my oldfriend Michael Paterson who died earlier this year and totoast his memory. We had been fellow students atWestminster Hotel School in the late 1940s.

The Master spoke on our behalf, thanking our Armycolleagues for yet another very good day’s sport, anexcellent dinner and returned to Kevin Cole the head ofhis driver which had not gone as far as his ball. TonyMonk spoke on behalf of his Army players, giving thanksfor a most enjoyable day, congratulated the Company onwinning the match (at last) by two and presented theDuff Cup to Peter Messent.

Aprés le deluge - The Team at Effingham.

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Continued on next page

YOUR EDITOR NEEDS

The Editor thanks all those who have kindly contributed to thisnewsletter. The Summer issue of ‘What’s Cooking’ will bepublished in June 2103 and contributions should be sent to theEditor 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

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Printed by: www.colt-press.co.uk

And Finally ...

The Master, in the pink and ready to win!

Fixtures for 2013Thursday 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.

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.

Many of the Companysporting and non-sportingmembers wear burgundy

polo shirts (short sleeves, collarand 3 buttons) and some wearburgundy V neck lambswoolSweaters, both with the Company’s crest in full colour asin this picture, though the shirt has lost some colour in 12years' wear.

I place an order with the manufacturer against specificpaid orders. They come in sizes S, M, L and XL and cost£20 for polo shirts and £50 for sweaters, including VATand postage.

If you would like some, please drop me a note with itemand size(s) and a cheque in my favour to; R I Lawrenson, 3 Mimosa Court, Granary Lane, BudleighSalterton, Devon, EX9 6JD Orders by the end of January please.

Honorary Freeman Bob Lawrenson

Company Polo Shirts And Sweaters.