“Fifty Not Out” Dinner

Date: Wednesday 6th March 2024

Venue: Edgbaston Golf Club

Menu designed & printed by Roger Hale

As well as honouring fifty years of membership, the evening paid homage to many of the most memorable dinners enjoyed by Roger during his time with the Club

50 Not Out Dinner – Minutes

Roger Moore, Roger Daltrey, Roger Federer, Fred Rogers, Ginger Rogers, Kenny Rogers, Roger de Courcey … and Nookie Bear, Roger Archdeacon of Barnstaple (from 1136, if any of you are struggling to remember him), Roger Taylor, drummer in the band Queen, Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, Roger Vadim, Buck Rogers, Roger Rabbit … there are many Rogers, maybe even more than this but to us Bucklanders there is only one Roger, apart from Roger Brown – may he rest in peace, of course and that is Roger Hale.

‘Roger that’, dates back to early days of radio communications, meaning that a message has been received and understood, Roger being the early phonetic term for ‘R’ This was changed to Romeo in the phonetic alphabet in 1957 due to Roger Moore suing for royalties every time ‘Roger’ was used. Roger Wilco means received and will comply, as we all did with our invitation to the “50 Not Out” meal. We gathered at Echo Golf Charlie on 6th March to celebrate the amazing achievement of Roger Hale’s 50th year of Buckland membership. To truly get this momentous feat in perspective we should cast our minds back to 1974 when Roger first joined. It was the time of the 3-day week, which I’m still working to, like the Japanese soldier coming out of the jungle 50 years after WW2, nobody told me it had ended. Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, President Nixon resigned, and Gerald Ford became US President. Rumble in the Jungle with Muhammad Ali and George Forman took place in 1974. Paper Lace were number 1 in the hit parade with Billy Don’t be a Hero. Ford Cortina Mark 3 was the best-selling car in UK in 1974. But perhaps the biggest event of 1974 was that the most Irish of Irish products, Baileys Irish cream was invented … in London by an Englishman. This unique product was born either out of a desire to invent a product that would swell the heart of any loyal Irish person … or to take advantage of a surplus of cream from a subsidiary company, Express Dairies and a last-ditch attempt to turn a profit on a loss-making distillery. This traditional fake Irish drink consists of alcohol, surplus cream and surprisingly, Nesquik powder. The entire production process takes 45 minutes as it’s a slop it in and mix process. Even the name is fake, Baileys taken from a random restaurant at the time. Vegan friendly confectionary Skittles were first sold in 1974, as were Skips the tapioca starch-based snack. I always used to buy Skips when out with my young children as they didn’t like them, so I had the whole packet to myself, despite not liking them either. I’m an only child, also selfish and horrible.

The name Roger is derived from the pre 7th Century old English name Hrothgar which means famous spear. The first mention of the name being in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. The German derivation of Roger means ‘fame’ or ‘renown’. From around 1650 to 1870 Roger was a slang word for penis and appears in Under Milk Wood. Jolly rodgered, which I think is having sex with a pirate in 19th Century England. Roger was also slang for the toxic cloud of green gas that swept through chlorine bleach factories, bizarre name for a likely deadly phenomenon. Luckily for us there were no signs of Roger the toxic Green Gas or maybe worse, Roger de Courcey and Nookie Bear.

The menu for our meal was lovingly designed by Roger, picking out some of the highlight meals of the last 50 years, such as the 1977 Silver Jubilee Picnic, the Gout Dinner, expertly designed by Professor David London to give us all a reasonable chance of developing his beloved disease, or the Black Dinner where I accidentally ate the Leach table decoration, mistaking them for an amuse-bouche. So many happy memories. Professor London gave a speech reminiscing about previous dinners over the decades, including the cancerous horse course at a Mongolian Dinner, accidental mole in red wine, rotten lamb, missing chefs, missing sponsors and useful advice to avoid fermented asses milk if you ever see it on the shelves at Tesco’s. The food for the evening was a greatest hits of the last 50 years, starting with one of my favourites, Smoked Eel, from the 2003 meal. Eel was one of my favourite foods growing up as it was free and involved savage cruelty in the killing and preparation. Devils on Horseback from 2013 were perfectly complemented by the Stuffed Olives making a comeback from a recent 2020 meal. My personal favourite was the Chef’s Sourdough Bread with Butter Dripping, the bread much lighter than I’m accustomed to and all the better for it. The first course of Squid Ink Risotto was another triumph. I’m a big fan of cephalopods, my theory is that octopuses were pilots of alien spacecraft millions of years ago that crash landed in the sea, and therefore they are one of the very few foodstuffs that I avoid eating, as I’m uneasy about eating a creature that is possibly more intelligent than me. Sadly, not the only animal that comes close on that score. Although I am partial to squid, which I consider to be the mongrel offspring of octopuses and …. er some other 8-legged creature. The risotto was swiftly followed by an appearance of a Penny Lick from 2014. Technically ‘Penny Lick’ refers to a receptacle that ice cream is placed in. Customers would lick the glass clean and return the glass to the vendor to be used by the next customer. This practice was ended in 1898 due to a ridiculous nanny state clampdown on the spread of cholera and tuberculosis as the glass was often not washed between customers. No such problem here though as, to my knowledge very few Buckland members have contracted cholera for quite literally a few years, or certainly since we started washing the dishes.

The Penny Lick was swiftly followed by …

AT THIS POINT OUR DINNER MINUTES SECRETARY WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS – POSSIBLY IN SPACESHIPS PILOTED BY OCTOPUSES – REGRETABLY HE MISSED THE MAIN COURSE; HOWEVER, ITS APPEARANCE WAS CAPTURED ON CAMERA.

Main course: Roast Saddle of Venison with Mushroom Cream Sauce, Dauphinoise Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables (Image AM)

…a Cheese course of Single Gloucester making its first Buckland appearance since 1991 and it’s more flamboyant stablemate Double Gloucester accompanied by Membrillo. Literally hot on the Cheese course meal was a simple but delicious dessert of Baked Apple and Ice Cream from a 1994 meal. As if all this wasn’t enough, we were treated once again to Hazel Riggall’s aromatically superb Ginger Parkin. It was a truly wonderful evening to celebrate, not only Roger’s remarkable half centennial anniversary but for us to celebrate our Buckland comradeship of a truly wonderful man. I feel that to truly encapsulate such a remarkable achievement needs a reasonable level of empathy and emotion, two qualities that I sadly lack – so I engaged the services of something with more human feelings than I possess, yes … a robot. Here’s some heart-warming words about Roger from Artificial Intelligence … Throughout it all, Roger has been the epitome of what this club stands for: camaraderie, good humour, and an unwavering dedication to fine dining – even if, let’s be honest, some of those dinners may have been a little too fine for their own good. He’s always been there to welcome new members with a twinkle in his eye, offer sage (and often hilarious) advice, and make sure the wine glass never stays empty for long. But jokes aside (and believe me, I’m trying), Roger is truly the heart and soul of The Buckland Club. He’s been here through the ups and downs – he’s survived the Great Wine Shortage of ’85, the infamous Steak Knife Rebellion of ’97, and let’s not even mention the time someone tried to bring quinoa to a meeting. Roger was, of course, quick to veto that travesty – “No seeds,” he said, “unless they come in a bread roll.” It was now the end of the night and I can honestly say that we all felt well and truly rogered. So tonight, let us raise our glasses to Roger, let us not just celebrate his 50 years of membership, but also the laughter, the joy, and the slightly questionable culinary experiments he’s brought to the Buckland Club.

Dave Travis

Dinner Minutes Secretary

13^th November 2024

The evening’s running order… largely a work of fiction

Chairman’s Opening Speech

In the beginning was Buckland… William Buckland… famed theologian, dinosaur hunter and foodie but most important for us father of fellow Victorian eccentric, Frank, after whom our glorious Club was named. Both men actively set out to consume the weird and wonderful. Indeed, a recent BBC piece on Radio 4 about William was called The Man Who Tried to Eat Every Animal on Earth, while Richard Girling’s excellent book about naturalist Frank was titled The Man Who Ate the Zoo.

Move forward to 1952, with a country still enwrapped by the gastronomic stranglehold of rationing, and the Club was formed. The algorism attracted ‘fishermen, doctors and clubbable MEN of a literary bent’, however they also needed to be living or working in close proximity to Birmingham. Fast forward to the early Seventies and despite going from strength-to-strength natural deselection made the ever-pragmatic Harlan Walker voice the need for new blood amongst the membership.

A young whippersnapper, named Roger Hale, was identified and came to be one of the most inspired nominations for membership in the Club’s history. Roger has sponsored numerous tremendous dinners himself, while attracting a wealth of fascinating speakers to entertain and educate us. He has acted as Secretary, written minutes for dinners and contributed heavily to the website… his Marmite bread recipe still regularly attracts far more hits than any nonsense I’ve added. For many years he was our Chairman, a position that he refused to accept unless women members were accepted as the norm, rather than an occasional novelty, at dinners. In the Club’s 70+ year history I consider this to be, possibly, the most important achievement by any single member. He has contributed heavily to every dinner since becoming a committee member, and it is only his natural modesty that regularly plays down his own involvement. Once again, Roger’s impressive artistic talents have been put to good use in creating our menu card and there are plenty of examples around the room of his previous efforts.

I love spending time with Roger. He is always great company with a dry sense of humour that is never unkind. His knowledge of food and wine is phenomenal, and I always leave feeling that I know more than when I arrived. Although that is possibly a reflection on my own ignorance rather than his understanding. Roger is a true friend, so much so that I even forgave him when he decided to open a bottle of Dow’s Jubilee Port that I had entrusted in his care. For the record the Jubilee was Queen Victoria’s in 1887 and Roger informed me that the port tasted magnificent. I had to take his word on that.

I will briefly say a few words about Nina. On behalf of the Club thank you for allowing Roger to indulge himself so thoroughly in one of his many passions. Without your unwavering support of Roger, we would all be much poorer. I am really glad that so many of your family could join you both here.

Roger & Nina Hale (Image DT)

I am sure that tonight will live up to expectations, and for many surpass them. To those that are here as guests I would urge you to consider becoming a member – the Club will probably always need new faces. Hopefully you will leave this evening having enjoyed a splendidly different occasion, one that you will be keen to repeat. I suspect that for many of us the opportunity to dress up, mix with a range of fellow guests and sample unusual fare while being entertained and informed on a range of subjects is not a regular event. It is a tradition that is definitely worth continuing, and it happens because of the efforts of people like Roger. “Fifty Not Out” is an unbelievable achievement; Roger we can’t thank you enough for everything that you have done, and continue to do, for the Club.

AM

6th March 2024

“Fifty Not Out” – Roger Hale’s Speech

Good evening everyone and welcome to 50 not out. Not a TV game show nor anything to do with cricket. Just the number of years I have been a member of this extraordinary gastronomic society, as i call the Buckland Club.

It is also 10 years since Andrew Morris generously allowed me to retire as Chairman and become President, a title invented for the incomparable Harlan Walker, the remarkable gentleman who introduced me to the Buckland Club in the first place, 50 years ago. For President, read: ” Person without power or responsibilities”.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to Andrew for enabling me to occupy that position for the past 10 years. As Chairman, he has brought to the Club, many new and promising ideas, has inspired and sponsored most imaginative and sometimes challenging dinners and has built a splendid website. This is already a first-class resource for anyone interested in the history and current state of the Club as well asthe channel of communication for the future.

The Pepys Dinner, Oct 1974 was my first introduction to what was at that time essentially an old gentlemen’s eccentric dining club. My perception changed when the sponsor, Prof. Robert Latham, told us: “To be authentic, we would probably have had cow’s udder, eaten at noon, wearing our hats, using no forks, putting sugar in our wine and having had no breakfast”

I felt I was entering a new world where eating was nourishment for the mind as well as the body. I was amongst people who lived to eat, not ate to live, even if their average age appeared to be around 80.

We have had triumphs and disasters and at least one event which combined both. I refer to the Desert Feast at Mass House, then the property of our member, Philip Hamilton.

The culinary triumph of barbequed goat, anointed with a small fortune in saffron, was paired with a meteorological disaster as the heavens opened, turning the event into a desert flood, some thought, in sympathy with Princess Diana who had perished in Paris earlier that day in August 1997. Prof Bryer, the Minutes Secretary, wrote: “It was a quintessentially absurd and truly authentic Buckland Summer Party. It was a great occasion. I think our best.”

Top of my list of triumphs is probably the Trans Siberian Railway Dinner of March 2013, sponsored by the food and travel writer Sharon Hudgins from Texas. A whole evening could be devoted to that single event but instead, you will find a replica of the menu on your table, just to give a flavour of the occasion.

We have dined on locusts, horsemeat, sea slug, bison, fiddle-head fern, barbequed goat, elvers from the river Wye, Ras-el-Hanout from Marrakesh and stuffed milkfish from Indonesia. We have drunk fermented asses milk, falooda, Singapore Gin Sling, and a vast range of wines and other beverages too numerous to mention -justifying the club’s motto “Semper in Ventrem Aliquid Novi” – Always something new in the stomach.

Speaking of flavours, I will say something about this evening’s menu after you have had a chance to taste more of it and David London, himself a long-standing member, will give you his side of the story.

Since the English language still has no equivalent phrase, I wish you all “Bon appetit!”

RH 1.3.24