# Cooking / Recipes



## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

I love cooking and have made up many of my own recipes, I do 80% of the cooking in the house.

It came about years ago when I looked after the refrigeration and air conditioning in many of the top London hotels.

Ritz

Savoy

Grosvenor House

Hyde Park Hotel

Landmark.................Etc.

I got quite friendly with a lot of the chefs, watched what they were doing, asked questions and eventually started exchanging recipes.

Anyone else into this?. My speciality is soups, I love inventing new ones.

Tonight I'm doing a mixed bean, bacon and lamb soup.

G.


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

Hi garry

I do the grub too in out house.

A problem I find with recipies is that you often need too many items, a pinch of this, a few leaves of that.

If it needs any more than 5 ingrediants then I am going to fall by the wayside.

Put something up for me to try.

5 or less ingrediants and preferably one pot or dish. I hate a load of clearing up.

Could you put some of that soup in a jiffy bag?


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

I love soups, and I am a bit of a dab hander at Indian curries. I had an Indian girl friend many years ago called Nadia, and she showed me how to do a proper Indian curry, my favorite being King Prawn Vindaloo. I'm a "burning at both ends" curry man, with loads of garlic and chilli. Not too popular at work the next day though.

The latest medical revelation involving food is that the tumeric in curry is a powerful antioxidant that can fight certain cancers. A drug extracted from it looks like being a powerful anti cancer treatment.

Garry,

The most impressive soup I had was Chinese egg flower soup, and sharksfin and crabmeat soup. Love good soups. With enough of a particularly good soup, I wouldn't need anything else for the meal.

Proper Indian Mulligatawny is bloody good an all!


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

It's amazing how much in common many of us have on this site!.

Dave,

I try to keep my stuff as simple, but as tasty as possible and use pretty much what you'd have laying around the house and agree that quite often when watching cooking programmes etc, that you never seem to have half of the stuff they use.

BTW, I'll put up a recipe for you tomorrow and you give your verdict - I'll do Stilton and Onion soup, is that ok?.

Griff,

Can't say I've heard of egg flower soup, but sounds interesting. I adore Indian grub, the hotter the better. I normally have prawn madras/vindaloo and sometimes a phal. I've made a mulligatawny a couple of times - not too hard. The soup I made tonight is quite spicy and not too difficult to make. Most of the soups I do are a meal in themselves - that's the way I like it.

G.


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

Looking forward to that Garry,

I am away this week. Maybe on the weekend.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2003)

Garry

Thats a coincidence you mentioning the Ritz, Savoy etc.

Years ago I used to have a contract for maintaining the showcases in these great hotels.

Saw loads of celebrities in my time there, Harold Wilson in the Grosvenor house.

Always remember a Burberry overcoat with a mink lining!

I'm not a cook myself, but I do love Stilton and your Stilton and onion soup sounds the business.

Look forward to seeing it.

Cheers,

Neil.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Send me some!!!


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Neil,

Strange eh, for all we know we may have already met!, I looked after those hotels for over 15 years!.

OK........Stilton & Onion Soup. ( Takes about 1/2 hour )

1. Make up a standard 1/2 pint white sauce ( if you don't know what this is. let me know and I'll post how ).

2. Stir into it 1/2 teaspoon english mustard and simmer on the lowest heat possible.

3. Chop finely one large onion and fry in butter until golden.

4. Add the onion to the white sauce.

5. Stir in about 250g of grated mature cheddar, when it's melted in, add about 200g grated stilton and a couple of dessert spoons of parmesan.

6. Simmer at lowest heat until everything has melted in.

7. Add some freshly ground black pepper ( not too much, just enough to season ).

8. Add water until required consistency is achieved, normally about one pint.

9. Simmer for 10 mins after bringing to the boil and serve.

Note; The amount of water can be varied according to how strong a flavour you require. Amounts / weights are approx, as I normally cook by taste.

Verdicts please!.

G.


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Neil,

Briefly on the Hotels.........

I met loads of celebs over the years and always found actors much nicer to talk to than pop stars. Worst most obnoxious person I ever met was Madonna - awful person.

Nicest was Jack Lemon and Anthony Hopkins. Sinatra used to hire an entire floor at the Savoy for privacy and for a couple of months at a time!.

Many times I repaired the a/c while the person was still in the room, I found the pop stars would virtually ignore you, but the actors / actresses would chat and quite often have a coffee sent up for you - much nicer people.

G.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2003)

Garry

I only really saw people in the lobby area and where they kept the luxury goods showcases.

I never got invited into their bedrooms









It was a nice little earner but the parking really killed it off.

Vitually impossible to do business in central London anymore.

Cheers,

Neil.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Garry,

You already know I rate Hopkins. I've always thought Jack Lemmon was a great bloke, AND a very nice man. Real shame he's passed on.

What about Rod Steiger? Thought he was fantastic in The Heat of the Night

Albert Finney comes from Salford........what a great actor!

Have you ever met Helen Hunt, or Sigourney Weaver? Boy, would I like to meet either of them


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Griff,

Did not meet them I'm afraid, I like Sigourney as well. Don't bother with pop stars though - most are complete pillocks.

Neil,

I still work in London sometimes on installations, doing one in Edmonton at present, but I charge Â£250 per day + parking at net cost. Doing one in Hounslow this week as well. However, I no longer accept work in the West End.

Next week I have one in Dulwich for a couple of days.

G.


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Has anyone tried that soup yet???

G.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

I never cook, I do boil the wifes blood now and again though.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

She might want you to take her to that Tenby beach for the day so she can cool off.

Eric,

Cessna on standby!


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2003)

Hello Garry

I've got a few sites around Dulwich.

I not sure if I'll be around there next week.

Let me know where you are going to be and when, and if I'm in the area I'll pop in and say hello.

Cheers,

Neil.


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Hi Neil,

I'm not sure of dates yet, or the address, but when I do, I'll let you know, but it should be next week.

Cheers

G.


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

Garry,

I've fell at the first hurdle

What is white sauce?


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Hi Dave,

As follows; A good one to remember, is the base for many sauces and dishes.

1. Melt a **** of butter in saucepan, remove from the heat and mix in 1 dessertspoon ( heaped ) of plain flour.

2. Add 1/2 pint of milk VERY little at a time stirring briskly to prevent lumps.

3. Add a pinch of salt & pepper, & return to a medium heat.

4. Bring to the boil, then turn down to lowest heat and simmer for 3-4 mins.

White sauce is made.

G.


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