IT’S not a bad way to arrive at an event and be greeted by a flypast by a Lancaster bomber and a Spitfire.
Modern technology makes these relics of World War Two look positively antediluviun but I defy anyone to not look up and be impressed when the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight take to the skies.
Last Saturday they were flying over the lush countryside near Middleham in North Yorkshire where a charity lunch to commemorate the Battle of Britain was hosted by businessman Nigel Corner, who is an honorary Air Commodore in the RAF.
Nigel lives at stunning Coverham Abbey.
Where most of us have a compost heap or a shed in our back gardens, he has the ruins of the abbey which was established in 1190.
The charity lunch was held in a marquee and there was a parade by the RAF Regiment beforehand where Jo Ropner, the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire took the salute.
She is married to Robert, son of the late Bruce Ropner, the indefatigable bobsledder who I wrote about in last week’s blog.
I was invited by David Richmond, a partner at Armstrong Watson accountants, who has counted Nigel Corner as a client for many years.
It was a lovely day which began with Pol Roger champagne on the lawn and then featured speeches by Sir Nicholas Soames, grandson of Sir Winston Churchill and historian writer and broadcaster James Holland.
The event, to mark the 80th anniversary of the RAF’s successful defence of British skies against the German Luftwaffe over the summer of 1940, was due to be held two years ago but, like many things, was delayed by the pandemic.
One of Nigel’s fellow Honorary Air Commodores and who also serves with him as a Deputy Lieutenant for North Yorkshire is Countess Charlotte Peel, granddaughter of Churchill and Nicholas’s sister.
Which explained why Sir Nicholas Soames was speaking at the lunch and Pol Roger – Churchill’s favourite champagne, was a sponsor.
Hearing the great war leader’s grandson speaking his rousing and inspiring words was something to behold.
James Holland, who has written what is considered the definitive book on The Battle of Britain, gave a fascinating account of how Spitfires wreaked havoc amongst the Luftwaffe which led Churchill to proclaim: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
After the speeches there was an auction to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund and the Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice in Headingley, Leeds.
There were only three lots but they were a week in a ski chalet in Courchevel for 10 people, a grouse shooting day for eight guns in North Yorkshire and a flight in a Spitfire.
Having seen the Supermarine Spitfire IX MH434 made at Vickers in Castle Bromwich spinning and weaving across the sky above the lunch piloted by Paul Bonhomme, the Red Bull Air Race World Champion in 2015, I wasn’t sure I could cope with that.
It attracted a bid of £7,500 and the grouse shoot at Grinton and Melmerby was won by a knockout bid of £20,000 – by a well known Yorkshire businessman who already has his own shoot.
David Richmond is always great company and it was nice to meet his wife Gail who works for the successful Yorkshire tailoring business Brook Taverner.
One of the directors of Brook Taverner, Andrew Booth, was a guest on the table and I was chatting with him and his wife Jo-Anne about meeting his fellow director Jason Scott who I knew through his wife Rebecca who worked for the investment business Newton in Leeds and was a regular diner at La Grillade in Leeds.
Through them I met Jason’s father Brian Haggas who bought the mills that produce Harris Tweed in Scotland.
Andrew and Jo informed me that Brian – or “Mr Brian” as he was known at Brook Taverner – is now retired but fit and well and recently celebrated his 91st birthday.
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TALKING of La Grillade, I got a message last week from the much missed restaurant’s former patron Guy Martin-Laval.
Guy was visiting Leeds to see his son Antoine and we met for lunch on Monday to which I invited our old friend Jonny Hick, the founder of Directorbank and a man whose stories suggest he’s doing more deals than Bruce Forsyth on Play Your Cards Right.
It was great to catch up with the pair of them and you can see from the accompanying photograph, Guy hasn’t changed much at all.
Eight weeks of skiing this winter and cycling and sailing in the spring (please don’t notify the French tax authorities) have left him looking slim and tanned and certainly a lot less stressed than in the years leading up to the demise of La Grillade.
But some things don’t change and when Jonny and I reminded Guy of some of his more eccentric behaviour – such as banning the entire staff of Barclays Bank from his establishment and falling out with nearly every accountant and lawyer he took advice from – he looked at us like we were barmy.
He then went on to explain why he was perfectly justified doing what he did and threw in a rant about Leeds City Council’s environmental health staff who visited his restaurant and told him he was free to serve steak tartare but it would have to be cooked first.
“Cooking steak tartare!” he exclaimed as his face reddened and I’m sure steam came out of his ears.
Jonny and I looked at each other and realised what for both of us was a bit of fun was still going to bring Le Grand Fromage out in a Gallic rage.
So we moved the conversation on to the much easier and very memorable subject of Guy’s 30th birthday dinner for La Grillade when playwright Alan Bennett was the guest of honour with his partner Rupert.
Last time I mentioned meeting Guy in this blog I suggested organising a tribute lunch for his old friends and customers.
There was a great deal of interest in this and we are now planning to arrange that lunch for October and Guy is going to confirm a date very soon.
We may even persuade Jonny Hick to pen one of his famous poems for the occasion.
A number of people have already registered their interest in coming to the lunch, which will be in Leeds.
If you haven’t and you are interested, then just drop me a line.
But if you do come, please don’t mention Barclays Bank, advice from lawyers and accountants…and definitely not steak tartare.
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