Getting into hot water over steak
I set up my outside catering business in 1974 with a wonderful team of ladies but as we often catered in village halls, many of which had primitive kitchen facilities, improvisation was a priority.
At one particular village hall function, for 104 covers, the main course was chicken sauté chasseur. One guest could not eat chicken, however, so I bought him a fillet steak to be cooked to order.
The mushroom soup had been heated on the gas cooker rings and with the service of the chicken dish under way, it was time to place the fillet under the eye-level grill.
On turning the fillet over to cook the second side, however, it dropped into the remains of the mushroom soup. One of my ladies retrieved the steak and rinsed it under the tap. But before she had a chance to return it to the grill, it slipped out of her hands and into the basin of hot soapy water.
Eventually I caught the steak, which was again washed and returned to the grill. But the slippery steak again fell from the hot grill tray, this time on to the gas rings where it got stuck between the burners. Once again it was retrieved, washed and returned to the grill.
The steak was at last placed on a dish with a garnish, straw potatoes and parsley butter, and served.
A little later, one of my staff told me that the gent with the steak wanted to speak to the boss. This, I thought, was the end of my catering career - I had only just started my business and it was about to finish due to a soapy steak.
"Did you cook this steak?" he asked.
"Yes I did, Sir, may I …"
"Well," he interrupted, "I must tell you that this is the best flavoured and most succulent steak I have tasted for quite some time. What is your secret?"
"Well, I, er, basted it frequently, Sir."
If you can relive the worst moment in your career in hospitality, send 300-400 words to: My Worst Moment, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Everyone who has an item published will receive the original cartoon, framed, which accompanied the article.
