MANAN’S BLOG BRAG

Our eldest grandson is a chef at The Three Horseshoes in Maddingley, Cambridge. If you are ever in the area call in and say Vinnie’s Nan sent you, I'm sure he would love to see you. It is an amazing restaurant which this weekend received a glowing review from the Weekend Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/13/restaurants.

His boss trained at the River Café and apart from being a highly acclaimed chef himself, is also passionate about passing his skills on to his talented team. All chefs have a few days training at the River Café and then regularly go out with Richard on away day visits to sample the culinary delights of the great restaurants throughout the country.

A couple of weeks ago they went to http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/ in Islington, then on to http://www.lanima.co.uk/pg/contact.html in Old Street via a pub in Farringdon. Next month they go to California for 10 days. Nice work if you can get it.

Now I could go on about Vinnie all day. I may be biased but he is such a great guy and I’m not the only one that thinks so. The ladies go wild for him. He is 28 years old, extremely good-looking, sensitive, caring, not at all arrogant, a wonderful cook and a good housekeeper. In other words ladies a very eligible singleton who loves his Nan.

OK, here is an example of how much he loves me. I have two great passions - bananas and beetroot. Whenever he visits he bring me copious supplies. A couple of months ago I had a dreadful experience. The supermarkets ran out of pickled beetroot because of last year's wet summer. Mon dieu. Vinnie to the rescue. With his own fair hands he pickled beetroot harvested (do you harvest beetroot?) from his own garden and sent it over with my granddaughter this weekend. No greater love hath man than the love he has for his grandma.

And while I’m bragging I have another grandson, Morgan, who is headed for the big time too. He graduated from Edinburgh University with an MA(Hons) in economics, went to work for a year in the City of London, then on to Cambridge University for year where he graduated with an M.Phil, worked as an analyst for another year in the City while he waited for his placement on the RBS graduate programme.

This week he and 20 others on the programme are being flown to Edinburgh for a black tie dinner at which they will be introduced to the Chief Executive. (Wow!) Morgan is also single ladies although he is no good around the house and can’t cook. But one day he should have to where-with-all to “buy in” all the household help any future wife’s pretty little heart should desire. But more important, like Vinnie, he is an all round “Mr Nice Guy”.

I should also say that I am equally as proud of all the other children who are a great credit to the family. They are all caring, wonderful individuals and so good looking every last one of them but this particular blog is especially for the boys.

I sometime have to pinch myself to think that these two talented boys and all the other great children are of my bloodline.

And finally……….I believe that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.