The Steeple Times

Tag: cook

  • Talking Claudia Lawrence – ‘Crime Suspect’ on Talk TV 2024

    Talking Claudia Lawrence – ‘Crime Suspect’ on Talk TV 2024

    Matthew Steeples on discussing the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence fifteen years ago in York on TalkTV’s ‘Crime Suspect’ with esteemed former detective Peter Bleksley

    Earlier this month, I returned to News UK’s headquarters next to The Shard in London to be a guest, for the second time after appearing in February to discuss the ongoing Madeleine McCann case, on Peter Bleksley’s deservedly respected TalkTV Crime Suspect show.

     

    This time focused on the fifteenth anniversary of the literal ‘vanishing’ of a 35-year-old chef named Claudia Lawrence in the Heworth area of York, I appeared alongside the renowned criminologist and author Professor James Treadwell, the former police inspector and visiting lecturer at Leeds Trinity University Martin Holleran and the journalist and author of Gone: The Disappearance of Claudia Lawrence and Her Father’s Desperate Search for the Truth Neil Root.

     

    Aired first on TalkTV’s terrestrial and YouTube channels on the 5th April, the 21:22-minute version on the latter has been viewed nearly 130,000 times to date and focused on the key question: “Could there still be someone out there who knows what happened to the 35-year-old chef?”

     

    Aged just 35 at the time she disappeared into thin air on either the night of 18th March or the morning of the 19th March 2009, here is a case in which North Yorkshire Police – to date – have performed over 48 video recorded interviews under caution, but come to utterly no conclusion.

     

    Having similarities to the case of the also ‘vanished’ Australian Marion Barter in that no real evidence of her having ‘existed’ after the 19th March 2009 has ever come to light, I focused my commentary on Crime Suspect on the media portrayal of Claudia Lawrence and asked: “Would she have been made out to have been promiscuous and a drunk if she had been a man?”

     

    As has also been pointed out by Joan Lawrence, the likely victim of murder’s mother, who has subsequently received an OBE for her efforts in bringing about the passing of the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 – which modified the law in order to allow the appointment of guardians for the affairs of missing people – the “intense” and “vicious stories” about what might have occurred helped nobody.

     

    In Claudia Lawrence: A Mother’s Story, a four-part series first aired on the BBC in March this year, the problems of allowing untruths about what actually occurred to be spread is further explained, but what is now required is for a community to come together and to finally realise that it is time to put aside past allegiances. It is time to do justice for this missing-for-fifteen-years lady and her family.

     

    To watch the full-length version of the Claudia Lawrence ‘Crime Suspect’ programme on TalkTV, click here.

    Follow Peter Bleksley on Twitter at @PeterBleksley, Martin Holleran at @Future110, Neil Root at @NEILROOTWriter and Professor James Treadwell at @James_Treadwell.

     

    Editor’s note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples and watch his current nightly show on YouTube at 8.30pm daily.

     

    A message from our editorial team – Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by supporting our work via Patreon.

     

    The YouTube version of the show; for a longer version first shown on TalkTV’s terrestrial channel, click here.
    On Twitter, Matthew Steeples asked: “It’s been 15 years since chef Claudia Lawrence vanished into thin air in Heworth, York. What do you think happened to her?” He added the hashtags: #ClaudiaLawrence #Heworth #York #Yorkshire #chef #missingpeople #missing #vanish #vanished #murder #accident #death #strangecases #ClaudiasLaw #anniversary and offered four options. 78.7% of respondents favoured the answer: “Killed, someone she knew” whilst only 6.5% believe that she “disappeared” seeking a “new life.”
    Claudia Lawrence vanished
    Claudia Lawrence was born on 27th February 1974 in Malton in the North Riding of Yorshire. She vanished on either the evening of the 18th March 2009 or the morning of 19th March 2009 in Heworth, York. She has never been seen or heard from again since.
    Claudia Lawrence disappearance mind map
    A mind map produced by Matthew Steeples about the case. Whilst it is just a starting point, it illustrates the links between different members of the community of Heworth, York and the presumed victim of murder most likely. It is now time for members of that community to think of justice and reexamine their allegiances; time has passed and surely now, it is time for those that clearly know to finally tell the truth about what occurred on 18th March 2009.
    Crime Suspect Peter Bleksley James Treadwell Neil Root Matthew Steeples Martin Holleran
    ‘Crime Suspect’ aired its programme about the vanished-likely-murdered chef on 5th April 2024 with Peter Bleksley as host. The daughter of a solicitor and town mayor has been missing now for over 15 years and not one trace of her has been found to date.
    The Nag's Head Heworth
    During the programme, there was much discussion of Miss Lawrence’s activities at a pub just six doors from her home, The Nag’s Head in Heworth, as well as at other hostelries she frequented.
  • Gobby Monroe v Gobby Anderson– What Came Next In Promised Libel Action?

    Gobby Monroe v Gobby Anderson– What Came Next In Promised Libel Action?

    A year-to-the-day on Matthew Steeples asks: “Whatever became of the libel suit of gobby Jack Monroe v gobby Lee Anderson MP?”

    Exactly a year ago to the day, on the 16th May 2022, the nauseatingly noxious ‘food poverty campaigner’ Jack Monroe promised to sue the nauseatingly noxious Tory twerp ‘30p Lee’ Lee Anderson MP for libel.

     

    In the time since, using crowdfunding platforms and most likely the ‘tip jar’ ‘she/it’ continually bangs on about, Monroe has supposedly raked in funds to ‘support’ such an action. In one way, that would be understandable as Anderson – now quite ridiculously elevated to the position of deputy chairman of the Conservative Party – is quite frankly one of the deservedly most hated politicians in Britain; in another way, it most definitely isn’t given Monroe is equally grating and grim. Here is a case where, most definitely, both sides deserve to lose.

     

    As she trended this morning on Twitter, I asked: “Exactly a year ago, gobby campaigner Jack Monroe promised legal against gobby Tory MP ‘30p Lee’ Lee Anderson. She supposedly crowdfunded to aid her in this ‘endeavour’ but no filing appears to have been made. Should she come clean and return funds raised?” By 11:30am on Tuesday 16th May 2023, the very, very clear majority of the 536 responses to date, 65.1% in fact, were unsurprisingly: “Yes; outrageous behaviour.” Another 25.7% took the view: “Yes; it was just a stunt.”

     

    I’m left with just one question: “Isn’t it time Jack Monroe explained herself and isn’t it time ‘she/it’ explained what has happened to money given in good faith towards a libel action against Lee Anderson that has still failed to materialise?”

     

    Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.

     

    This morning on Twitter, Matthew Steeples asked: “Exactly a year ago, gobby campaigner Jack Monroe promised legal against gobby Tory MP ‘30p Lee’ Lee Anderson. She supposedly crowdfunded to aid her in this ‘endeavour’ but no filing appears to have been made. Should she come clean and return funds raised?” By 11:30am on Tuesday 16th May 2023, the very, very clear majority of responses were unsurprisingly: “Yes; outrageous behaviour.”
    In a video uploaded to YouTube on 20th May 2022 by the media outlet ‘Tortoise’ featuring an interview with her, Monroe enthusiastically declared: “I have instructed libel proceedings. I am limited to what I can say in public about that whole situation now… It is on the record… I am, I am sending a legal letter letting him know that what he said was libelous and defamatory and has contributed to the downfall of what I have, what I have of a ‘reputation.’ And that he might want to reconsider his stance publicly and to all the agitators and instigators of that… I have instructed lawyers and we are in touch. Unfortunately, my lawyer decided to go off and get married this week; it’s a bit rude. Yeah, it’s been being planned for a few years, but he could have timed it better.”
    Criticism
    Social media users reacted to the threat of the libel action issued during the ‘Tortoise’ interview by making comments that included: “So, Jack Monroe has initiated legal action against Anderson and Daubney? (11 min) Yet they confirm receiving no letter before action. She’s a complete fraud and should run out of the charitable sector, as well as the media.” Others added: “What a charlatan” and “I hope Lee Anderson wipes the floor with her.”
    Questions Lee Anderson legal action
    Yesterday, ‘GB News’ presenter Martin Daubney stated: “Jack now needs to answer questions about the missing funds for her non-existent legal case against us.” Within two minutes, Monroe had responded: “They’re not missing; they’re exactly where they’ve always been, and I’m doing exactly what I said I’d do with it. (I’m quiet because I have a very full and pleasant life outside of Twitter!)
    Suicide potato Jack Monroe
    Is there anyone Monroe doesn’t want to have a pop at? Her own family even are ‘fair game’ for her bile, it seems. In July 2020, ‘she’ declared: “My brother was in the RAF last time we spoke, a couple of Christmases ago, when he described Iain Duncan Smith as the best thing to happen to this country and told me I had chosen to have a baby outside of marriage so deserved everything I got. It’s fair to describe us as ‘estranged’ these days” in a bizarre rant about potatoes and their link to suicide.
    Tin Can Cook spaghetti
    In August last year, a Monroe recipe that involved rinsing canned spaghetti hoops of their accompanying tomato sauce, microwaving, microwaving a bit more and adding butter, oil, cheese and a pinch of pepper trended on Twitter. It was hardly revolutionary, helpful or intelligently thought out and though the mouth of the south thought it amusing to call it the work of a ‘Tin Can Cook,’ all it did was make her look like a buffoon and a berk.
    Michael-Portillo
    Michael Portillo very effectively shut down the ‘Thrifty Kitchen’ author in May 2019 when he forced her to step down from supporting ‘milkshaking’ right-wing politicians by asking if she’d do the same to centrist and left-wing figures. She had to pathetically concede: “Oh, OK… I condemn it.”
    Thrifty-Kitchen
    ‘Thrifty Kitchen’ was torn to shreds when it was published in January 2023 and mocked as “complete drivel.” Ideas for using fluff and water from tumble dryers – devices that anyone cutting back on costs would have already have stopped using during the cost-of-living crisis given how expensive they are to operate – were slammed as were Monroe’s thoughts on towels. To save money, the whack job stated: “Both me and my son can dry our entire bodies after a shower with a hand towel and a bit of vigorous application.” She laughably then added: “I have actually already perfected this down to the humble flannel.” Quite frankly, this nonsense was called out for the gibberish it truly was and will forever remain.
    Jamie-Oliver
    “Cooks cook” Jamie Oliver has done more to help those struggling to feed their families than most. That he has been repeatedly attacked by a self-declared acid tongued “freelance food-and-politics-gob” who once crassly had a pop at David Cameron after the death of his son – she shockingly claimed “he uses stories about his dead son as misty-eyed rhetoric to legitimise selling our NHS to his friends” – is indicative of the lowbrow tendencies of the person making such attacks.
    Keith-Floyd
    If the Southend-on-Sea born daughter of David Hadjicostas MBE and Evelyn Hadjicostas wanted people to like her a bit more, why doesn’t she adopt the humour of the late, great council house estate born Keith Floyd. Here was a legend – from the very same humble beginnings she claims to be from – who enjoyed life to the full and who cooked simple yet delicious food that brought joy to millions. Some positivity and joie de vivre might actually get her somewhere.
    Julia-Child
    Equally, the late, great Julia Child could also inspire better things of Monroe. This Pasadena, California born ex-Office of Strategic Services worker once stated: “I believe in cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.” Reading the works of a true cooking legend like this might provide the Moaning Minnie former call handler for Essex County Fire and Rescue Services with something to actually enthuse about.
    Big-Zuu-Zuhair-Hassan
    If the author of ‘A Girl Called Jack’ would only pay attention to the words of the wonderful young man that is Big Zuu, she might be more widely appreciated. In 2020, this rapper turned inspirational cooking sensation remarked: “’Big Zuu’s Big Eats’ is the show for people who don’t live near a Waitrose or who can’t afford to go to one. I’m a massive fan of all cooking programmes, but I think this show stands out as we’re sourcing the food from local shops rather than big chains. I’m hoping it proves to people, especially in my generation, that cooking can be a fun and affordable experience. A lot of people I know can’t be bothered to cook and think it costs too much so they’d rather just get fast food. Hopefully, ‘BZBE’s’ can change that for some people.”

    Jack Monroe likes to pick fights; amongst those she’s had a pop at are…

    When ‘she’s’ not living-it-up with I’m A Celebrity bestie of Stanley Johnson, Georgia Toffolo, aside from myself, Jack Monroe has variously kept herself busy launching warbling words of war against:

     

    • Lee Anderson MP.
    • The Right Honourable David Cameron and his deceased child.
    • The Conservative Party – with their members in Bath being particularly high up on her list of ire.
    • Germaine Greer.
    • Katie Hopkins.
    • The Labour Party.
    • Jamie Oliver.
    • Michael Portillo.
    • The late The Right Honourable The Baroness Thatcher LG OM DStJ PC FRS HonFRSC.
    • The Right Honourable Liz Truss MP.
    • And many members of the Twitterati… And many, many others elsewhere.

     

  • Hero of the Hour 2023 – Oscar Award Winning Actor James Martin

    Hero of the Hour 2023 – Oscar Award Winning Actor James Martin

    As the modest ‘An Irish Goodbye’ actor James Martin wins an Oscar, we join those celebrating his truly deserved success and his becoming the first star with Down’s Syndrome to win at the Academy Awards

    Many readers of The Steeple Times are big fans of the North Yorkshire born television chef James Martin and one of our readers, Gary Hazell, is involved in distributing his eponymous gin. 50-year-old farmer’s son Mr Martin brings joy to many every Saturday on ITV1 and his “silky smooth, flavor rich gin” most definitely goes down a treat; his passion for cars both classic and modern is also clear and he is most certainly just the kind of role model the nation needs.

     

    After winning a BAFTA in February for his role in the short film An Irish Goodbye and last night – on the very day of his 31st birthday – adding to that with an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards, another James Martin is now also making waves. Here, indeed, is a Northern Irishman most definitely headed to becoming one of the best-loved and most deserved luminaries of 2023.

     

    This particular James Martin is a rising star actor whose career began when he was a guest on his father Ivan Martin’s U105 radio show on Father’s Day and Christmas Day in his youth.

     

    Of this in December 2014, the radio presenter remarked of his son: “I never look at my son James and think: ‘There’s James and he has Down’s Syndrome.’ I just think: ‘There’s James.’ It has always been that way… James is a remarkable young man and I admire him so much. He has never let his disability hold him back. He is an ambassador for Mencap and he has spoken at the European Parliament and to the Assembly at Stormont.”

     

    Responding about his father in the same interview for the Belfast Telegraph, the undoubted star of last night’s ceremony in Los Angeles added: “My dad and I are very close… We have great craic and a lot of banter… Dad is also supportive of my acting… I love to act and want to be a good actor.”

     

    The 23:29-minute film was the second collaboration between co-directors Tom Berkeley and Ross White. It was released on 4th March 2022 and of his son’s success winning an Oscar for it, Ivan Martin today told BBC Radio Ulster: “All I ever wanted was for James was that he’d be happy and, I tell you what, he’s happy now… It’s been a journey. You get to the Oscars and everybody keeps saying the prize is getting there, but, truth to tell, you want to win and I had my doubts about it because one of the opposition films was a Disney film and they had it in the last week… They had really been ramping up the promotion for it, but, calm heads win the end… A film we can all be proud of… It’s just crazy. There were a few tears shed, but what an achievement. Just delighted.”

    Subsequently James Martin appeared in the BBC’s Ups and Downs and starred opposite Anna Friel in ITV’s Marcella and last night he was well and truly celebrated. Speaking ahead of An Irish Goodbye being named the Best Live Action Short, Martin shared:

     

    “The timing of it has been just perfect. You know, you can’t plan somebody’s birthday to be on the Oscars. So, it’s a big day, [but] I just want to enjoy it really, just enjoy the experience.”

     

    “I was just in the airport going down the escalator and [I heard some say:] ‘Well done An Irish Goodbye.’ ‘I’m just thinking to myself: My God this is amazing.’”

     

    “I always say to people, never judge a book by its cover. Not just getting a BAFTA, but going to LA is a big deal… It’s just nice to be included.”

     

    Later, after his win and having had the 3,000 audience sing Happy Birthday to him, the modest-to-his-core actor told BBC News: “We’re just so proud to be representing Northern Ireland. To be on that stage in front of all of our cinematic heroes – it was a special moment.”

     

    An Irish Goodbye – which was written and directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White and also stars Seamus O’Hara, Paddy Jenkins and Michelle Fairley – has been described as a “black comedy following the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan following the untimely death of their mother.”

     

    Going further in an 18-page press notes release, the 23:29-minute film’s production team added:

     

    “Under the watchful eye of odd-ball parish priest Father O’Shea, the brothers’ pained reunion is worsened by the fact Turlough must now make new care arrangements for Lorcan, who has Down Syndrome.”

     

    “A robust and dedicated farmer, Lorcan’s dream of continuing to work the land he grew up on is thwarted when Turlough decides he’s sending him to live with their aunt on the other side of Ireland.”

     

    “But when the brothers discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mother, Lorcan senses an opportunity: he’ll only agree to leave the farm once he and Turlough have themselves completed every single wish on their mother’s list… All one-hundred of them.”

     

    Today, we join all those saluting the actor James Martin and urge readers to join us in raising a glass to his latest award with a snifter or two of the chef of the same name’s London Dry Gin. Cheers!

     

    The full film can be watched on BBC iPlayer by clicking here.

     

    Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.

     

    Oscars 1
    ‘An Irish Goodbye’ is a short film written, produced, and directed in 2022 by Tom Berkeley and Ross White. The film stars James Martin, Seamus O’Hara, Paddy Jenkins and Michelle Fairley and is set on a farm in Northern Ireland.
    James Martin and Ivan Martin
    The award-winning actor with his radio presenter father, Ivan.
    Oscars 2
    On-stage to collect their award; the team behind the film used their acceptance speech to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the star-of-the-show. Co-director Ross White also stated: “Deary me, thank you so much the Academy for this incredible, incredible honour. Thank you to our fellow nominees, all the nominees for your work, and your work it inspires us so very, very much. Thank you to everybody back home and Northern Ireland who helped us make this film. We wish we had the time to list you all here, but you know who you are.” He then continued: “There’s something very important we’d like to speak about as well. This award is actually the second most important thing about today, because it’s this man’s birthday. He’s out here in Hollywood, wearing a leopard print suit jacket. We’d love to use the rest of our time up here to sing for James.”
    James-Martin-Motors-Into-Gin
    The actor’s English namesake… ‘The Steeple Times’ reviewed ITV1 ‘Saturday Morning’ presenter James Martin’s London Dry Gin in January this year and lauded it as showcasing “tradition with a twist.” To purchase a bottle, click here and do join us in urging the pair to team up for a joint tellybox appearance; it’d make for great viewing.
  • The Best Gastrowagon By Far

    The Best Gastrowagon By Far

    Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s first television series heads to auction

    Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall headed “for open country to spend some time eating off the fat of the land in a trawl through Britain’s wild larder” in his debut 1997 series for Channel 4, A Cook on the Wild Side.

     

    During his quest for wild ingredients without a penny in his pocket other than for fuel, he found fame and also drove a 1965 Land Rover Series II 109” wheelbase that was converted into what is endearingly known as a ‘gastrowagon’ circa 1982.

     

    Built specifically for the series, the vehicle was not only where the television chef and Eton contemporary of David Cameron cooked and ate, but also where he slept – in an upturned boat with a mattress perilously perched on the roof.

     

    In the series, Fearnley-Whitingstall – whom is also widely known by the nickname ‘Hugh Fearlessly-Eatsitall – took his ‘Gastrowagon’ everywhere from the New Forest and Scotland to Trafalgar Square in London. It subsequently sadly got left to rot, but has more recently been “fully restored by Land Rover specialists John Brown 4×4 to ‘like new’ condition” according to auctioneers Bonhams.

     

    Of this travelling cook’s paradise, they declare: “The roof-mounted boat is the sleeping quarters, while the back of the Landie features a full kitchen with a two-burner hob, oven, and fridge, all in very good working order and covered by a wind/waterproof canopy. Ancillaries include running water for the shower and wash basin as well as a ‘vintage’ ice cream maker. The bulkhead has been signed by Hugh since the restoration was completed and the vehicle is said to run and drive like new.”

     

    Bonhams have set an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ and will sell it at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December.

     

    A socially distanced Christmas lunch on the road anyone?

     

    Pictured top: The ‘gastrowagon’ and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – whose ‘Hugh’s Fish Fight’ campaign we featured back in August 2013.

     

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    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    The Best Gastrowagon By Far – Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall Land Rover – Land Rover converted into a ‘gastrowagon’ for television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall’s first television series heads to auction – Bonhams to sell with an estimate of £25,000 to £35,000 ($33,200 to $46,500, €28,000 to €39,200 or درهم121,900 to درهم170,700) for the 1965 / 1982 2.25-litre Land Rover ‘Gastrowagon’ at their Bicester Heritage sale on 11th December 2020.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9SvfXfYzGg
  • Little Nigella

    Little Nigella

    Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson above Little House Mayfair

     

    When the flatform trainer loving cook Nigella Lawson first split up with Charles ‘The Throttler’ Saatchi back in 2013, she took up residence in an apartment above the Little House private members’ club in Mayfair’s Queen Street.

     

    Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills.
    Nigella Lawson arriving at her apartment at Little House Mayfair in 2013

     

    Now, one of the club’s four apartments has recently become available to rent at price of £6,600 per week ($8,600, €7,200 or درهم31,800 per week) or £28,600 per month ($37,500, €31,100 or درهم137,600 per month). Featuring two bedroom suites and a third ‘bunk room’ that could be converted to provide a gym, the second floor space on offer also has a double aspect reception room, is accessed by lift and comes with full club access.

     

    Savills have the listing and the website for the apartment complex and club – which was previously used as a bank – notes it comes with a “fully stocked kitchen or we’ll do it for you.” No wonder Nigella felt at home.

     

    Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills.Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills.Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills. Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills.Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills. Little Nigella – Club Apartments at Little House Mayfair, 2 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PA, United Kingdom – Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson. £28,600 per month through Savills.

  • A Con and A Cabriolet

    A Con and A Cabriolet

    One-off 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI cabriolet to be auctioned; originally commissioned by a British playboy turned jailbird with connections to Princess Margaret but only actually completed in 1993

     

    A 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet with bodywork by the renowned Italian automotive stylist Frua is to be auctioned this month.

     

    Offered with an estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million), this truly unique, one-of-one design was amazingly the final Rolls-Royce Phantom VI completed in spite of the model remaining in production until 1991. This mammoth beast of a car, surprisingly, however, has just 72 miles on its clock and is thus described as “as brand new.”

     

    The car’s first owner, Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson, was a bit of a playboy but sadly he never got to actually drive or be driven in it. A “member of Princess Margaret’s inner circle of friends,” this Cambridge graduate was a member of the “Mayfair mammas’ lists of the season’s most eligible bachelors” until “exchanging his Edwardian hacking jacket for prison grey” in 1954 after being jailed for 12 months for an import/export fraud according to a report in Sydney’s World’s News in August that year.

     

    Some years after being freed, ex-con Buchanan-Michaelson took part in the 10,000 mile 1968 London to Sydney Marathon in a Mercedes-Benz 280SE. In a book about the adventure he was described as both a “successful and wealthy businessman, employing a cook, a butler, a maid and a chauffeur” and as an “accomplished sportsman.” Also listed as a lavish spender, Buchannan-Michaelson was later bankrupted in November 1977 – though at the time he lived in grandeur at both at Churchbury Manor at Fairford, Gloucestershire and 26 The Vale, in Chelsea, London, SW3.

     

    In 1970, in the period between the international car race and his bankruptcy, Buchanan-Michaelson commissioned Rolls-Royce to build him a Phantom VI. After delivery to Jack Barclay Ltd. In June 1971, the vehicle’s chassis was sent to Frua of Torino, Italy to have bodywork fitted but for some reason work stopped and it was not until 1977 – and by now with a new American owner, James Leake, and new drawings of its eventual form – that the project continued.

     

    With Pietro Frua (1913 – 1983) retiring soon thereafter and Mr Leake’s death in 1983, the chassis passed to new ownership and it was only eventually completed as a finished motor vehicle in 1993.

     

    That year, the four-door ‘state cabriolet’ was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show and its boxy look must have surely either have wowed or horrified visitors. It is described as having “an elaborate multi-position convertible top allows the car to be configured as a sedanca de ville, landaulet or fully open convertible.” The interior is trimmed in burled walnut with sterling silver inlays and amongst other luxuries are front and rear heating, air-conditioning, fresh-air ventilation systems, a television, a video player, a radio and a cocktail cabinet. Underneath the seats is a portable Davidoff cigar humidor and even a matching silk-lined ladies’ vanity case. What more could anyone ever need?

     

    RM Sotheby’s will sell the Frua Phantom VI at their Monterey sale in California on 19th August and term it: “The last word in modern opulence.”

     

    A Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originallyA Con and A Cabriolet – 1971 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI all-weather cabriolet by Pietro Frua – To be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s at their Monterey sale on Saturday 19th August 2017 – Estimate of £308,000 to £462,000 ($400,000 to $600,000, €340,000 to €511,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2.2 million) – Owned by Robert ‘Bobby’ Buchanan-Michaelson originally

  • Canvassing a Con

    Canvassing a Con

    After a Chelsea chef who came out of nowhere named Michael Riemenschneider is revealed to be a “conman” in the ‘Mail on Sunday’, readers tell of his past form

     

    As can only be expected of a paper that loves a bit of sensationalism this week’s Mail on Sunday’s ‘YOU’ got rather carried away in an interview with a “wealthy widow” named Flora Mascolo – a woman who claims to be a victim of, mind the magazine’s gushingly cringeworthy description, a “delicious romance soon turned sour” with a Michelin starred chef named Michael Riemenschneider.

     

    Bizarrely, that Riemenschneider – a man whose first London restaurant, we noted in February 2014, was literally covered with images of his face and captions referencing his name – is lauded as a “handsome celebrity chef” in the feature by Margarette Driscoll is somewhat ambitious given several locals we contacted remember him as “podgy” and a “little bit greasy.” A well-known Chelsea restaurateur – where the Swiss born chef opened a replacement restaurant that few ever even got to hear of just months after opening and nigh on immediately closing his original Marylebone premises in summer 2014 – recalls an individual whose “ability to talk about himself and his achievements made me immediately question the truth of his claims.”

     

    That Driscoll lauds this individual as “talented and dynamic” is perhaps fair given his “experimental cuisine” most definitely had many merits, but that she describes a man Mascolo herself calls a “coward of a man” and “somebody who was a lie, from the beginning” as “destined for similar success” to Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay is nothing but far fetched. Here was someone who opened in bizarre off-piste locations, insisted diners fitted into limited time spots and ridiculously thought he could limit customers to a set menu priced at £275 per head or a ‘cheaper’ one at £95 per head.

     

    Riemenschneider, a man whose exploits are reported to have cost the widow of the co-founder of the Toni & Guy hairdressing empire some £2.27 million, is now supposedly bankrupt and living in Austria. Cars bought by him including a Mercedes-Benz GTS have reportedly been seized and of him Mascolo comments: “If you wrong me, you will remember my name. He didn’t know who he was messing with.”

     

    A wealthy female reader of The Steeple Times contacted us to share her thoughts on the interview. She did not wish to be named but stated: “This strange, anything but handsome individual, pestered me on social media. He messaged me one day out of the blue in 2013 and he told me that we had friends in common. I am glad I did not fall for his attempts to lure me. Plainly, Mrs Mascolo did and I am sorry for her.”

     

    She continued:

     

    “This man wasn’t a ‘celebrity chef’ but, in fact, a Facebook stalker of ladies he thought had a bit of cash. In his messages to me, I quickly realised he was an individual who’d come out of nowhere and brought with him an ego the size of Harrods.”

     

    “The journalist [Margarette Driscoll] gets rather carried away about his restaurant. It was in a sub-basement off Sloane Square and it didn’t even have a website. Nobody went there because nobody even knew about it. Where there’s money, there’s muck.”

     

    Michael Riemenschneider will no doubt reemerge someday. He was certainly a good cook, but sadly he turned out to be an even better conman.

     

    Canvassing a Con – Chef Michael Riemenschneider revealed to be a conman by the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine.Canvassing a Con – Chef Michael Riemenschneider revealed to be a conman by the Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine.

  • Charlot Malin (1969 – 2017)

    Charlot Malin (1969 – 2017)

    Oslo born, San Francisco based interior designer and philanthropist Charlot D. Malin had a day named in her honour by The City and County of San Francisco in November 2016. A mother of twins and the co-founder of Troon Pacific Inc. with her husband Gregory, “forward-thinking” Malin worked on properties for George Lucas and Robert Redford and supported everything from the San Francisco Opera Guild to the Voss Foundation. She considered “health the ultimate luxury” and loathed microwave ovens.

  • Nuno Goncalves – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Nuno Goncalves – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with executive chef Nuno Goncalves of 12 Hay Hill in London’s Mayfair

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    I am as stubborn as you can get. If I set my mind to something, I won’t stop until I achieve it. It’s what keeps me going.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today; life is too short for time wasting.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

    Boris Johnson leading the Leave campaign: It was clearly part of his political game to get to 10 Downing Street.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    A social life: It’s what you sign up for when you become a chef.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    A tranquil and peaceful life, surrounded by family, good friends, good food and, of course, good wine.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?

    Over-optimistic greedy bankers lending to over-optimistic under-achievers.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    Ignorance.

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    In my opinion it is everyone’s social and moral responsibility to help the less fortunate when possible. I support the British Heart Foundation; they are a fantastic organization helping people with heart disease all over the UK.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    They are a necessity in modern life, but at the same time reduce their user’s awareness of what surrounds them. Mankind is becoming a prisoner of its own evolution.

     

    Nuno Goncalves – What’s on your mantelpiece?
    Nuno Goncalves

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    My wife, son, close friends and family, my team, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Clarkson, Barrack Obama and Donald Trump.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    Probably my wife’s spaghetti Bolognese at home.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    Whatever time it’s necessary to get you through the day.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    Coffee.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    As long as there is a party, I’m not really bothered.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Probably me.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Chocolate and wine: In that order.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    Probably an atomic bomb mushroom cloud, but you do not want me to go off.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    A Mercedes-Benz.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    Hard on the outside but soft on the inside.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    A portrait of my wife and I; it reminds me of how we used to be. Time flies.

     

    Nuno Goncalves was born in Portugal and grew up in Toronto. He has worked at the Corinthia Hotel and Galvin at Windows and is now executive head chef of Shaun Rankin’s London restaurants and oversees the dining room at business members’ club 12 Hay Hill in Mayfair, London.

     

    Follow him on Instagram at @nunogoncalves84.

     

     

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  • Will and Calum Thompson (AKA “The Eat Wild Boys”)

    Will and Calum Thompson (AKA “The Eat Wild Boys”)

    Will and Calum Thompson Pictured with country sports PR guru Claire Zambuni, the Gloucestershire born co-founders of Eat Wild – Will and Calum Thompson – can be credited with shaking up how game is cooked. (more…)