A year on from What’s Cooking’s Big Interview with Paul Galpin, we asked the late Master to reflect on his action-packed year in office. Here is what he had to say…
With my tenure as Master Cook now safely behind me, this seems a suitable time to look back over the hustle and bustle of the last year and ‘take stock’. Let me start by saying that it was the most immense privilege to assume the role of ambassador for the Company’s in the world outside, both within and without the Square Mile; representing not only the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London and those who practice the “Trade Art or Mistery of Cooks”, but also the broader Livery Movement.
After over 40 years of City working, experience of a variety of aspects of City Life from my service with both HAC and the Pikemen & Musketeers, and with ten years of Court membership already under my belt when installed as Master, I thought that I knew what the year ahead would be like. In some ways my expectations were spot-on, but what I had not planned for was just how all-consuming the role would become.
I am incredibly grateful not only to the Court for entrusting me with the Company for a whole twelve months, but also to my fellow Officers for their support and to Keith Powell (at the time Late Master) for his advice and encouragement. A massive debt of thanks is also due to Past Master Marcus Appleton, Chair of Assistance of Cookery, for giving me a much clearer perspective on the Company’s connections and activities across the trade and to all those active practitioners in the Livery and Freedom who tolerated my naive enthusiasm and freely shared with me the benefits of their wisdom and experience.
I also owe an immense debt of gratitude both to James Stopford, the Clerk, and to our Beadle John Cash, for their forbearance and for enabling me to look as if I knew what I was doing. Without their advice and guidance, not to mention the occasional sharp ‘nudge’, I would frequently have found myself in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in an inappropriate order of dress – or any combination thereof!
We Cooks are a small and convivial group, so attending Livery events had always been most enjoyable – relaxing in fellowship to enjoy good food, and good wines, in good company. However, as Master I found my perspective subtly changed; the company was still delightful and entertaining, but I was always ‘on parade’. Meanwhile, enjoyment of every dish presented at table was tempered by the concern that it might not match my expectations or, worse still, those of my guests. As for the wines – I honestly have no idea!
The Master’s speech is a key ingredient of the after-dinner line-up and my anxiety as to how my post-prandial oratory might be received by the assembled guests severely limited my appetite for wine with dinner. Furthermore, seated in the big chair on the top table, there was only limited opportunity to empty my still-charged wine glasses discreetly during the remaining speeches. All I can say is thank goodness for the Stirrup Cup, and my responsibility as host to be among the last to leave!
Of all the Company events I hosted during the year there are a couple that particularly stand out, particularly our Civic Dinner in May, attended by both the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, and the Prize Winners’ Lunch. This latter has always seemed to me to be one of the ‘flagship’ events in our calendar celebrating, as it does, our focus on both education and excellence in our craft. I was absolutely delighted when Nikita Pathakji – former winner of MasterChef: The Professionals, but also one of our former Cooks’ Apprentices – agreed to speak at the lunch and present the prizes. Moreover, the event also highlighted a philanthropic success in that one of the prizes presented was to Kristen Nugent, from Northern Ireland. Kristen was 2023 winner of Springboard’s Futurechef competition, the expansion of which into Northern Ireland was in part due to our recommendation to support this venture with the combined annual Associated Companies Grant.
From the outset, I was most looking forward to getting involved with all those activities that represent our connections with the Trade, whether supported directly by the Company or by the Charity. And here I really must register my immense gratitude to all those organisations and individuals, whether Company members or not, for the warmth of their welcome, for their generous hospitality at some truly wonderful functions, and the backstage access I was allowed during the year. It was a privilege to ‘shadow’ a judging panel at the International Salon Culinaire competition at HRC and, under the tutelage of Harry Lomas, was a fascinating experience, with Harry generously sharing his expertise to help me understand the level of skill and judgement involved.
Over the last year, in addition to supporting our Cooks’ Apprentices and our Level 4 Management Development students, I was able to see the vast wide range of culinary activities supported by the Company. These have involved chefs of all ages and levels of experience working in all sorts of conditions, and in all manner of surroundings, to produce dishes of the highest quality to meet the most exacting of competition briefs. The standards needed are just as exacting whether applied to improvised field cookery at Exercise Army Sustainer in Grantham or the Craft Guild National and Young National Chef of the Year competitions in London.
On behalf of the Company, I have been delighted to meet and congratulate finalists and deserving winners and have been immensely impressed not just by their skills, but also by their commitment. Simply reaching the finals of competitions such as Futurechef, LACA’s School Chef of the Year, or the NACC’s Care Chef of the Year means that competitors will already have successfully fought their way through local and regional heats to qualify, and at each stage the competition becomes ever harder. Indeed, the final round of the NHS Chef of the Year competition lasted an entire week, with the finalists completing four days of intense technical assessment before the top four pairs competed in the final cook-off.
As my waistline will sadly testify, on many occasions I was able to do more than see the cooking and, over my year as Master, I enjoyed some truly excellent meals cooked by, and in the company of, some of the best chefs in the country. While reluctant to single any out, there were a number where the combination of food, venue and company made the event particularly memorable.
My ambassadorial duties also enabled me to travel the wider Livery world, enjoying the fellowship of my fellow Livery Masters and Prime Wardens, whether partaking of their hospitality in their own, or another, Hall or meeting them on neutral ground at Civic or other City function, including the annual pancake race!
While many of these encounters were with Companies with whom the Cooks have relationships or connections of long-standing, such as our Associated Companies, members of the Pan-Livery Food Group (organisers of the City Food & Drink Lecture) or the Hackney Carriage Drivers (sponsors of the Annual Magical Mystery Taxi Tour for children at GOSH). Occasionally I found myself travelling new pathways for the Cooks, enjoying the hospitality of Livery Companies with which we had not previously had much contact, such as the Actuaries, Paviors, Stationers and Tobacco Pipe Makers & Tobacco Blenders.
Indeed, some of these occasions involved literal travelling, as I joined two walking tours during the year – the first being an annual tour of Wren Churches organised for Masters and Consorts by the Worshipful Company of Plumbers and the second, in the company of the Second Master, of City Livery Halls organised by the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners. While both occasions were noticeably damp, the impact of weather was more than offset by the warmth of fellowship emanating from hosts and fellow guests alike.
Conditions were far more favourable for the Worshipful Company of Woolmen’s Sheep Drive at the end of September when, after an enjoyable brunch in a local hostelry and in the company of several fellow Cooks, we exercised our civic right to drive sheep across the river free of toll and, later, enjoyed the delights of the Livery Fair – in large part focused on sheep and celebrating all things ovine – and where I discovered just how much I had to learn about sheep and their by-products?
While a Livery Company calendar sees only relatively modest changes from Master to Master, the Civic year seems to shape itself more directly around each new incumbent Lord Mayor. In addition to attending the traditional Civic commitments of the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, the United Guilds Service, the Livery Weekend for Masters & Consorts Weekend – held last year, for the first time, in the City – and attending Common Hall and the Silent Ceremony, I also attended many other events.
Amongst these other Civic events were the Lord Mayor’s installation as Rector of City, University of London (also my alma mater) and their Food Policy Symposium, the City Food and Drink Lecture, Speech Day at Christ’s Hospital School, a service of thanksgiving for King Edward’s School Witney at St. Bride’s Church, the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch, a number of City of London Chamber events and several of the Lord Mayor’s Coffee Colloquies. The latter being panel discussions and networking events based around the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals – several of which relate to poverty, hunger, health, education, and equality.
While Nora’s work commitments prevented her from actively participating in many of the year’s activities, she was able to attend several of the Consorts’ events and, for both of us, a year moving in Livery circles not only gave me a much greater understanding of the role of the Livery Movement and the workings of the City Civic, but it also provided us both with a fascinating insight into a number of trades and little corners of history about which we had previously known little if anything at all, as well as allowing us to make some wonderful new friends, which bodes well for the future as a Past Master.
I have always been an ardent supporter of both the Livery Movement and our Company’s engagement with the trade, and over the last year worked hard to improve awareness of the work and achievements of both. I am also delighted that in my year as Master the Company has continued to expand and strengthen its relationships across the industry, and within the Pan-Livery Food Group working to raise the awareness of food, and hospitality issues at Mansion House and within the Corporation.
Prior to my installation as Master, the Editor invited me to list my goals for the ensuing year. A summary of these was very helpfully set out for all to see in What’s Cooking, making a useful checklist against which to assess my year, though I will leave the reader to make their own judgement as to what I achieved.
[We think you did an outstanding job – Ed]
In all sorts of ways my year as Master Cook has been amongst the most satisfying and enjoyable thing I have ever done and, while a terrible shock just how quickly the year passed, as I neared my final Court Meeting in the Chair there was a clear sense that it was now time to pass the badge to my successor.
Finally, to Peter, our new Master, I would offer the following advice: trust your instincts as the role is yours to define and whatever seems right to you probably is! If there is anything that I can do to help just let me know – apart from that just relax and enjoy yourself.
