The First Steps

I didn’t have the remotest idea. So my mother and I investigated over a few weeks and we heard about Thanet Technical College in Broadstairs, which was about three-quarters of an hour by train from our home in Gillingham. I applied for a general catering course which would teach me about kitchens, restaurants and management, giving me a lot more choices in the industry.

I was interviewed and accepted. It was 1976, I was sixteen years old, and ready to go. The new students were easy to spot – floppy chef’s hats, trousers three inches too long and aprons so crisp they could stand up on their own! It really was quite frightening; you know nobody and virtually nothing. In one of my first lessons, we were asked what a béchamel sauce was. Well, I didn’t have a clue, but quite a few hands went up. One in particular belonged to Martin, who seemed to know a lot more than most of us, and he soon became the natural leader of the class.