The Coppice

A bit of Background ...

Me first…… Having finish school at 14 I went to the Nautical Catering Collage in
Liverpool for a one years-intensive cookery course. It was very practical, teaching us every thing we would need to know about cooking for passengers and crew on board ship. After passing out top of the year I worked for Bowater Scott, doing an eighteen-month trip up and down Canada and America on the SS Nicholas Bowater. Up the Great Lakes to Buffalo, then down to Newfoundland and lumberjacks on their Log flumes . The head Chef had worked on the SS Queen Elizabeth, so the food was fantastic, evening Buffets for New York's finest with bunny girls as hostesses, from the Playboy Club. As a young 15 year old I was mesmerised, then on to beach BBQs in Hawaii. Then back to England for a 4 year apprenticeship in Liverpool's Stork Hotel, followed by 15 months in Switzerland at the Hotel Duc de Rhon in Chur. Then returning to "The Stork" as Asst then /Snr Ass Manager, where I met Barbara who was a trainee Manager. I then moved to Chester's Mollington Banaster hotel for 10 years as manager, marrying Barbara and having two daughters. Four years managing the Crooklands Hotel Nr Kendal and, one more daughter. Then 14 years at The Windermere Motorboat Racing Club, a private members club on Windermere Lake. A fabulous place to live and bring up your family, where I finally started to cooking again, something I really enjoy, and so to The "Coppice" our place in the Lakes.

Barbara went to catering college in "Colquitt Street" Liverpool, and when I met her at the Stork, she was on a Hotel managers training course covering housekeeping, Reception, Restaurants and Bars. After a year as Assistant Manageress, she followed me to Chester so that we could get married. She then worked off and on, between babies and bringing them up, with me at the hotels I worked in till the Motorboat Club where we worked as a team, cooking for, and serving meals for up to 200 people.