Our November speaker was David Ryan, who from an early age, had always had a passion for cooking. He started out at the age of 16 with Brian Turner at the Connaught Hotel in London. As an apprentice he spent 18 months preparing potatoes! In the early seventies he decided his destiny was France. He was lucky, he shared a flat with a French friend who managed to secure him an entry into the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. After spending weeks labouring for long hours with no pay he was in a state of despair. One day he was walking along the Promenade Anglais worrying about his future when someone tapped him on the shoulder. It turned out to be David Niven who came to his rescue, marched him back to the Carlton and sorted out his predicament with the Manager and the Chef. The Chef took him under his wing and two brilliant years followed.
He came back to London and was taken on by the Dorchester. One particular memory was when David Niven hired the Dorchester for an after film party. He didn’t forget his friend and asked David to come up from the restaurant, leave the kitchen and join the party. During his stay at the Dorchester he met and became friendly with several members of the cabinet and even got to meet the “Big Fish” Maggie Thatcher! He had always wanted to have his own restaurant and finally realised his dream in Bournemouth, practically on the beach! It became so popular bookings were made two years in advance. David as a Masterchef now runs a restaurant in Horley near Stowmarket where he also takes masterclasses. It was a fabulous evening where we all enjoyed the lovely soup David prepared for us. He gave us lots of advice on cooking Turkeys and making stuffings etc and lots of tips, for example soaking avocado face down in milk to prevent it from going brown! Happy cooking!!
Our next get together is on 14th January (early due to the pantomime) when our speaker will be J. Lilley and the talk is called “Storyteller”. Visitors are welcome at the cost of £3.50.
Details of all our meetings and speakers can be found on the diary on the home page of the Winstred 100 website. If you would like any further information about P.A.W.S. please ring any of the following committee members: Alice Holmes 01206 735510, Jane Banks 01206 735004 or Jane Anderson 01206 735505.
