Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
So it's farewell Noel Botham, dead with a glass of Champagne in his hand:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9848502/Noel-Botham.html
Noel was the kind of character one mostly reads about or sees in a movie, larger than life, outrageous, spirited, joyous, hideous ... seedy even, . Such people exist and play-out their parts in an alien world.
I entered Noel Botham's world briefly one summer day 21 years ago. Me and Mrs FF were invited to lunch with him and Lesley (a former stripper). As it happened they lived 50 yards up the road from our first flat in Sutton, Surrey, but that wasn't why we were invited .... Mrs FF's father was his Bank Manager.
The reception was warm, copious amounts of Champagne were served on arrival from a top-hat ice bucket, a fabulous lunch washed down with fine red and white wine whilst stories were told. Then he whipped-out his new toy, one of the first Karaoke machines, almost unheard of in the UK and we all drunkenly sang along. Whilst we chatted the background music was 'Songs Elvis would have sung' a cassette made by him and Dave Lee Travis of songs of the day sung as Elvis might have treated them (Elvis impersonations were Noel's party piece) and we were all duly given a copy. The afternoon gave way to evening - alcohol, stories and bonhommie flowed until we finally managed to get away by Midnight. Quite a lunch! I have to say one of the most enjoyable and entertaining days I can remember. They were fabulous hosts who knew how to live and entertain well. Sadly we only really saw him one more time and he came into our flat for a coffee. He was spending more time in Soho than Sutton and soon after we moved away and that was that ... until yesterday when my MIL showed me his Obituary and we remembered that warm drunken day in his company.
I don't know whether people like him still exists, living life like it was going out of fashion ... I hope they still do.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9848502/Noel-Botham.html
Noel was the kind of character one mostly reads about or sees in a movie, larger than life, outrageous, spirited, joyous, hideous ... seedy even, . Such people exist and play-out their parts in an alien world.
I entered Noel Botham's world briefly one summer day 21 years ago. Me and Mrs FF were invited to lunch with him and Lesley (a former stripper). As it happened they lived 50 yards up the road from our first flat in Sutton, Surrey, but that wasn't why we were invited .... Mrs FF's father was his Bank Manager.
The reception was warm, copious amounts of Champagne were served on arrival from a top-hat ice bucket, a fabulous lunch washed down with fine red and white wine whilst stories were told. Then he whipped-out his new toy, one of the first Karaoke machines, almost unheard of in the UK and we all drunkenly sang along. Whilst we chatted the background music was 'Songs Elvis would have sung' a cassette made by him and Dave Lee Travis of songs of the day sung as Elvis might have treated them (Elvis impersonations were Noel's party piece) and we were all duly given a copy. The afternoon gave way to evening - alcohol, stories and bonhommie flowed until we finally managed to get away by Midnight. Quite a lunch! I have to say one of the most enjoyable and entertaining days I can remember. They were fabulous hosts who knew how to live and entertain well. Sadly we only really saw him one more time and he came into our flat for a coffee. He was spending more time in Soho than Sutton and soon after we moved away and that was that ... until yesterday when my MIL showed me his Obituary and we remembered that warm drunken day in his company.
I don't know whether people like him still exists, living life like it was going out of fashion ... I hope they still do.
