Kitchen Staff

You had a big red Alvis Julian we worked together,

allenmik, yes Freddie sold me it, was a beautiful machine, left it in my parents garage when I went off to the Dorchester, and my sold it for seven pounds Ten, broke my heart.
what did you do at the Moorlands?

My Father sold it, after my Mother put pressure on him.

My name is mike allen I worked with you and freddie in the kitchen

Mike were you Sirrets jockey that used to ride Top Cypher at the stables?

yes thats me, I cant remember the name of the horses though!

Top Cypher was that mean newly Gelded attrocity, I seem to remember him grabbing you by the shoulder and your reply was to pinch his nostrils and punch him one lol. good days, putting the hot water hose from the staff bathroom to the pool to get a nice warm swim, and riding out over Haytor with the boss's nanny to the lake, lovely girl, the horse I used to ride was Sarah, used to do a dog/jog trot, comfortable when you got used to it. wonder what happened to Freddie, he was a good boss.

After the fire I moved to the Imperial Torquy and Freddie was there for a while, then I moved to Bray the Monkey Island hotel
and Freddie was a consultant to the owners but I think the drink
had started to mess him up a bit and he got the boot thats the last I heard of him.I can remember the faces of the people at moorlands but I struggle to put names to the faces guess we are all getting on now,I am 63 I was in my teens and it was my
first kitchen,

Sad to hear of Freddies problem, we all drank at Moorlands, wasn't much else to do,get in the odd car crash, drive down to Bovey with the Pastry Chef and drive back in reverse in the Austin Champ. Crazy.
Looks as if you had a good career in the trade, good to see you stuck with it, lots don't.
I went up to the Dorchester for a few years years, then back to Devon at the New Inn in Bideford, Catering Manager at the Ship&Castle St Mawes, back to London, Verreys Restaurant, Hanover Grand Group as Chef Tournant, then opened my own Restaurant in Bideford, and then headed over to Canada been over here now 30 years, two boys and three grandchildren, 67 now, retired ten years ago.
Good to hear your story thanks for sharing. Julian

Hello boys. This is David Smith addressing you both with fond memories of those times when I was the manager. It was a difficult hotel to do well with but with Freddie's great cooking and after I engaged the brilliant Tom Ryan as my patissier our cuisine was of a very high level - especially at the time. Tom lived with his wife and baby in a caravan in the grounds. I do wonder what became of him after he went to the Wessex, in Winchester. That was the last time I saw him. Are you still around Mike, and where might that be? I live in Potters Bar, Herts. All the very best to you both.

dsmith2979@btinternet.com