The Steeple Times

Tag: wealth

  • Jon Ingram: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Jon Ingram: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks Blue Boar Smokehouse chef Jon Ingram: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Seasonality, traceability and simplicity.

     

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

    K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?

    Green peppers and bad personal hygiene. They both stink.

     

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

    My family.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    I don’t have any wealth. I’m a chef

     

    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?

    Overpaid people that gamble with our money and still get a bonus.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “Jambalaya”: I worked with a chef who had it on the menu. I think it is the worst dish I have ever seen or tasted.

     

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

    I donate to Cancer Research every month.

     

    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?

    I love my phone. It goes everywhere I do, except for my days off. Then, it generally sits there until I go back to work.

     

    Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar chef Jon Ingram
    Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar chef Jon Ingram

     

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

    It would be a real eclectic mix of people such as Tommy Cooper, Burt Bacharach, Marco Pierre White, Jonnie Boer, Dynamo, Lionel Richie, Frank Bruno, Russell Howard, my kids and most importantly my wife.

     

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

    Blue Boar ribs to start and a huge roast beef dinner and chocolate

     

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

    Pubs open at 11am.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    Tea: white peony.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    I’m normally cooking for them, so anyones’.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    My wife.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    A croissant stuffed with a Cumberland sausage.

     

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

    My motto: K.I.S.S.

     

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

    A Morgan: a small fish in a big pond.

     

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

    I’ve got a 100-metre swimming badge.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    If I had one, I would put my 100-metre swimming badge on it along with a picture of my wife and kids. I would most definitely not put a carriage clock on it though.

     

    Jon Ingram is the chef of the Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar in Westminster.

     

    Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar, 37 – 45 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9LQ. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3301 1400. Website: http://www.blueboarlondon.com

     

    Follow Jon Ingram on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/ChefIngram

  • There are only two classes now

    There are only two classes now

    Our reaction to the BBC Lab UK’s Great British class calculator

     

    Yesterday, Twitter and Facebook were abuzz with talk of a new class calculator created by the BBC Lab UK and a pair of academics that claimed it could grade the position of each and every one of us in society.

     

    Gone, they say, are the 20th century definitions of working, middle and upper classes and the restrictive Downton Abbey type pigeonholing of individuals by birth and social standing. In their place, modern Britons, they suggest, are identifiable by an astonishing seven categories that range from the “elite” to the “precariat”.

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  • Diego Bivero-Volpe: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Diego Bivero-Volpe: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks nightlife entrepreneur Diego Bivero-Volpe: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle.

     

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

    Get there on time.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?

    Racism and injustice. I travel quite a bit and I am always taken aback by how prevalent both are everywhere in the world.

     

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

    My family. They are all spread out, far away in different corners of the globe. It is difficult to see them often.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    The wellbeing of my loved ones.

     

    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?

    I love that quote but sadly it is indicative of how failed the system is. I used to work in the equity derivatives arm of RBS’ investment bank and I can tell you first-hand it is a cowboy’s game, with a lot of cavalier moves being made at the expense of the general public.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    Racist slurs.

     

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

    This is probably true but I think all humans have a primal desire and need to help each other. I personally support Nordoff Robbins and Kids Company, both charities that help and provide support and protection for children.

     

    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?

    Unfortunately I am incredibly addicted to my Blackberry. Thinking about it, I don’t think it one has ever been more than 5 feet away from my in almost 10 years. That is disturbing.

     

    Diego Bivero-Volpe
    Diego Bivero-Volpe

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

    So many… A random list off the top of my head: All of Led Zeppelin, Marcus Aurelius, Michelangelo, Rodin, Picasso, Piranesi, Buddy Holly, Hobbs, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and maybe Daniel Tosh because he’s hysterical. It would certainly make for quite the journey all around.

     

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

    It’s hard to say, I am a lover of food, but I recently have developed a new obsession with steak, so maybe that and a spinach, avocado and mango salad.  In any case, let’s just hope this situation never happens.

     

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

    The conventional wisdom would dictate after 5pm. If you are on holiday somewhere sunny, a glass of wine or an Aperol Spritz (if in Italy) with lunch is always acceptable.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    Vodka martini, dry, 3 olives.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    It’s a toss-up between very close friends and big luxurious bashes thrown by film studios and such. Both have their perks and are fun in different ways.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    I am fortunate enough to have quite a few very positive people in my life.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Lazing about in Tuscany for 2 weeks every summer, doing nothing but eating pasta and tanning.

     

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

    I strongly dislike tattoos.

     

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

    A classic Ferrari.

     

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

    I have a masters in journalism and finance.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    Lots of pictures of my family, a handmade sculpture made by Amazonian natives and some invites for events this week.

     

    Diego Bivero-Volpe is a partner in Conduit Brands. For more information, go to: http://www.conduitbrands.com
    Follow him on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/DiegoB_V

     

  • Baroness Gabriella Langer von Langendorff

    Baroness Gabriella Langer von Langendorff

    Baroness Gabriella von LangendorffThe widow of the creator of White Shoulders perfume is well known in New York for both her “amply proportioned figure” and for being “highly made-up”. This resident of The Pierre loves bright colours and once told the New Yorker: “I never wear a watch at night. I don’t want to know what time it is at night”. The New York Social Diary suggests she even has her “fur coats dyed to match her emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and sapphires”. They add: “The baroness is one of those individuals of indeterminate youth and age, to put it politely, whose legend, long having departed reality, provides a rich lore that may be more enticing than the facts”.

  • Hugh Warrender: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Hugh Warrender: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks financier Hugh Warrender: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    I was tempted to put something rude that would be true enough, but there’s a great poem by Rainer Maria Rilke called ‘As Once the Winged Energy of Delight’ (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/as-once-the-winged-energy-of-delight/) that informs pretty much everything I do or think.

     

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

    If you haven’t tried it, you’ll never know.

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  • Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks thrice Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Sir Winston Churchill and all he stood for and to win an Oscar for the best “song” as a songwriter.

     

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

    Immediately forget timewasters.

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  • Jackie Branston: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Jackie Branston: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks concierge Jackie Branston: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Inner strength.

     

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

    Fair play.

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  • Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks Welsh National winning racehorse trainer Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Grandad Scu, a tough man when he was riding and an absolute gentleman. He is the person that dad, Tom and I look up to the most.

     

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

    “Keep a leg either side and his head off the floor” – Michael Scudamore Snr.

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  • Who's next?

    Who's next?

    Russians in London up their security

     

    Following in the wake of the death of Boris Berezovsky, a number of his friends and acquaintances have stated that they believe he did not commit suicide.

     

    Berezovsky, like many other London based oligarchs, was always surrounded by bodyguards. Both he and his former associate Roman Abramovich were accompanied to court by them last year and on the occasions I saw either man elsewhere, they were never far away either.

     

    The late Boris Berezovsky arriving at court last year with his entourage of bodyguards
    The late Boris Berezovsky arriving at court last year with his entourage of bodyguards

     

    Today, as I walked through Knightsbridge’s Lennox Gardens and Belgravia’s Eaton Square, I saw two separate sets of bodyguards accompanying two separate sets of wealthy looking Russians as they walked nervously along.

     

    Though the sight of Russians with protection in the area is not uncommon, today the mood was markedly different. In the past, the bodyguards of the elite were discretion personified. Today, they openly displayed their walkie-talkies and when a passerby got, as they perceived it, too close, they agitatedly shoed them away.

     

    However Mr Berezovsky met his end, the thoughts of the most elite Russians in London must now be: “Who’s next?”

  • “Where are they now?” – Monica Lewinsky

    “Where are they now?” – Monica Lewinsky

    What has become of the world’s most famous intern Monica Lewinsky?

     

    Monica Lewinsky, it seems, is making a return to public life. The world’s most famous intern was spotted at the birthday party of Heather Kerzner at the Downton Mayfair restaurant last Tuesday night. In the company of amongst others the Duchess of York, Princess Eugenie and her former Admiral Codrington barman boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, Donna Air and the Duchess of Cambridge’s brother, James Middleton, the Daily Mail described her as wearing “dark layers with gem-laden accessories”.

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