Lunch at the bank

SIR – On April 13 1984 my wife and I enjoyed a magnificent lunch at the Pall Mall branch of Cox’s & King’s bank (Letters, May 3), hosted by the manager Mr Peskett. And yes, we were accepted as customers. John Maioha Stewart

Negombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka

SIR – Rupert Godfrey’s tale of his boozy job interview (Letters, May 1) reminded me of a similar experience I had some years ago, when I was invited to dinner with the area manager at a rather fancy restaurant.

He turned out to be something of a wine snob and, naturally, insisted on choosing the wine, telling me at great length how much better the Chilean was that year than the Australian.

As a young fellow whose knowledge of wine extended little further than the existence of white and red varieties, I nodded along and attempted to make the right noises.

When the wine arrived, and we had both tried it, he asked me enthusiastically if I was picking up on the woody accents, blackberry undertones and so on, explaining to me how that was so characteristic of the Chilean offering.

Again, I nodded politely. Then, taking rather more notice of the bottle we had been served, I pointed out that the waitress had accidentally brought us the Australian one instead.

To be fair, he took it well. I have always wondered, however, if he was simply too ashamed not to subsequently offer me the job. Chris Ash Cunningsburgh, Shetland

SIR – Rupert Godfrey recalls the lunch he received when interviewing (successfully) for a post with Allied Lyons in 1980. Like him, I have fond memories of those days, but can’t help noting that Allied Lyons didn’t last all that much longer.

Mark Robbins

Bruton, Somerset