FATHERS AND SONS DINNER, 9th February, 2001
Record turnout for Fathers’ & Sons’ Dinner
Fathers and sons (usually, but very often not, both having been to Haberdashers) gather every year for this event. The clubhouse played host once again to the annual Fathers’ & Sons’ Dinner on Friday 9th February, welcoming a record forty-three guests to an evening of fine food and company.
We sat down to a meal of the remarkably high quality which we have come to expect from the Clubhouse steward, Mel Howard: goat’s cheese salad was followed by home-made vegetable soup; this lead on to breast of chicken in a piquant sauce served with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Belts were loosened for a pudding of profiteroles with chilled dark chocolate sauce and remained loose for cheese and crackers. Coffee and port rounded off an exceptional meal and made way for the loyal toast and a few words from the President, Harold Couch. Harold first explained why Viagra was good for gout (answers on a postcard, please…) and proceeded to recite an ode on European integration, which was vastly funnier – trust me – than this description makes it sound.
Andrew Tarpey then mentioned the thank you’s of the evening, starting with one to Rodney Jakeman for having resurrected and managed the event so successfully over the last few years. Special mention was given to Paul Heasman who is a denizen of San Francisco and was flying back the next day, thereby scotching Simon Alterman’s hope of claiming the long distance prize as he had merely come from Brussels! The best news of all, however, was that Andrew Parker had been made a father in the previous fortnight (special arrangements will be made at next year’s dinner for gourmet Cow & Gate to be available).
Andrew went on to tell a tale of paternal woe when he recounted how a friend of his had asked his own father to dig out a stubborn rhododendron bush from the front garden. Having bent the tines of the fork in failing to dig up the bush, the father showed great initiative in tying the bush to the tow-bar of his car and gently driving away. All did not go to plan, however, as the tow-bar was wrenched form the back of the car and (since the bush had bent over during the operation) was catapulted through the kitchen window. Father-son relations were further strained when the father tried to cheer his son up by saying, "Well, at least you’ll get a new pane of glass out of it".
A toast to "family" rounded off another fine evening, with everyone lingering long afterwards and some well into the wee small hours. May next year’s dinner be equally successful.
Andrew Tarpey
It is by no means essential for both father and son to have attended Haberdashers. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this dinner, please e-mail Andrew Tarpey on ajt854@bham.ac.uk or telephone 01727 752299.