My Dad’s hot buns made him so cross

THe easter celebrations under lockdown reminded me of a February day in 1978 when I went to london to take my father to lunch. I was saying goodbye before I went off to command my regiment in Germany. My father had just retired at the age of 74 and over lunch it became obvious he was not enjoying his new leisure time. Afterwards, as we walked along Upper Street in Islington, I noticed a sign in a shop window seeking a pastry cook. ‘there you are, Father, that will suit you perfectly,’ I said, only to be met by a grumpy reply. My father had never been trained as a cook, but could produce the most delicious cakes and bread. despite his protests, I dragged him inside and he was recruited. His task would be to bake a selection of cakes each day and deliver them to the shop by 10am. Pleased by my efforts, I flew off to Germany. little did I know just what I had started! A few weeks later, my adjutant arrived in my office in somewhat of a rush. ‘Have you looked at today’s daily Mail, Colonel? I took the liberty of sending your driver off to the NAAFI for a paper.’ With that, he unfolded a copy and there, above a full page story was the headline: ‘BIll’S BUNS Are BeSt!’ As easter approached, my father had been asked if he could make hot cross buns. of course he could, and they were so delicious that from then on, he was asked to bake nothing else. His fame quickly spread and without him knowing, one of his customers had entered him in the hot cross bun competition being run that year by the Mail. I got through on the phone to congratulate him, but received a pretty grumpy reply. I asked him why he was not pleased at his success. ‘oh, I was pleased about the competition, but this morning I arrived with my usual three dozen buns — and the queue was halfway down the road. It’s too much for me to manage, so I handed in my notice.’ A short, but successful new career as a pastry cook — thanks to the daily Mail.

Geoffrey Ransby, Shaftesbury, Dorset.