Our Buyers Manager bravely jointly hosted a dinner party at his riverside apartment. He invited some members of the Travel & Leisure Group staff to sample his cooking!
TLG: Gavin, you’re a very brave man to lay on a dinner party and invite your work mates round. How did this gathering come about?
Gavin: I have been trying to get a dinner evening arranged for many months now. As the Buyers Manager at Travel & Leisure Group, I suggested a few of us got together for Jo’s birthday and I would cook the meal. I love cooking and during my working career I have eaten at some of the top restaurants across the world; I wanted to show a sample of the food I enjoy.
TLG: You use to be a chef, so preparing a menu for five guests should have been quite simple? What was the dinner menu?
Gavin: Yes, being a chef and having lived in many countries, you know, I like to think I can prepare a meal well. The dinner menu consisted of pan fried scallops with glazed beetroot (bought from our towns fish stall); walnut and goats cheese salad with honey vinaigrette. The main was organic stuffed lamb cutlets on a bed of wilted salad in a mint dressing. The dessert was a classic Dame Blanche.
TLG: You were assisted by Leanne in the kitchen. Leanne what was your contribution?
Leanne: I helped prepare some of the food and was responsible for the dessert. I also have a background in catering and I will probably host the next dinner date, but Gavin is such a fantastic chef, it will be very hard to produce a better meal than he provided.
TLG: As it was a celebration for Jo’s birthday, did you enjoy the party?
Jo: This was not a “party” for consuming alcohol and dancing. It was more of a sophisticated gathering of foodies getting together to talk and hear Gavin’s wonderful anecdotes and life experiences. A birthday I will certainly not forget!
TLG: Do you think that this will be a regular thing Gavin, or was it just a one off?
Gavin: You know, this is something we all spoke about on the night, and I would certainly like to do it again. I have so many tales to tell. In my career, I have worked in so many different areas. Previously I was a trader for Reuters, a money broker, a chef (as you now know) and even a DJ! I like to think I know how to throw a party. We will all look to get together again just after Christmas.
Dinner Date: It’s About Making A Memory
TLG: What was the highlight of the evening?
Gavin: The dancing afterwards and when I could finally relax. One of the dinner guests flung their arms around me and we danced together…unfortunately it was Adam!!
Leanne: Seeing everyone enjoy my dessert and saying it was the best course of the night!
Jo: The taxi home, I was exhausted!
Adam: Gavin always boasted that he was once a chef, now I have experienced his culinary skills and tasted the fruits of his labour for myself…..
