My name is John I am 59 years old and have been married to Maureen for 39 years; we have lived, worked and kept each other company for most of that time. For over 10 years we worked for Lord and Lady Hanson here in the UK at Their town house in London and country cottage in Berkshire and in Palm Springs, California I was Chef & Butler and Maureen was Senior Housekeeper. I suppose you could say that I can cook a little and know something about wines, etiquette, Butler’s & Chef’s tips and tricks.  For Lord Hanson's 70th birthday in Palm Springs I cooked (believe it or not) Lancashire Hotpot for about 50 guests which included Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Kirk Douglas and so many more, and every time a dinner party was coming up everyone asked for it. In this our first recipe book we are trying to include the recipes we have used from the years we have both been cooking, this could be recipes that we have cooked from early age learning from our parents and grandparents. Maureen (Molly) will include the basic and classic dishes from her time at college and I wish to integrate the essential, classic, and traditional recipes from my days with the Army Catering Corps School of cooking to all the hotels, restaurants, and private clubs we have been involved with. Especially from the times, that Lord and Lady Hanson used to ask the great and good chefs of London’s kitchens to teach me how to prepare cook their favourite dishes. Establishments such as La Gavroche where under the guidance of Albert and Michel Roux I learnt so much and had a great time, and being instructed by Anton Mossiman at his restaurant, especially his Christmas pudding. Other restaurants included Santini’s on Ebury Street where Gino Santini made sure that I learnt how to cook Lord Hanson’s favourite dishes to perfection. And my culinary education would not have been finished without a few days instruction at San Lorenzo on Beauchamp Place, these journeys into a culinary dream were only from half a day to one day sometimes 2 days at a time but I did learn many things.

We like so many cuisines it is somewhat easier said than done to select just one that we couldn't live without, but if I have to it would be seafood, I can’t speak for Maureen she does like her meat though. When working in country house hotels I specialised in seafood and game and Maureen was always at the front of house we have been very lucky to have worked in some of the most stunning parts of the United Kingdom. The cuisines of China are among our favourites as are the regional foods of Lancashire and Yorkshire. We like the cuisines of Europe especially the foods from the Mediterranean in fact as with many things it would be easier to list what we don’t like.