David White – Why I became a chef

I was coming in from school and doing my best to help my mum.

Then the times that my mum was in hospital with her mental illness, sometimes we, the Council would give dad a Carer, and some of them were lovely and some of them were just indifferent and never, ever anyone bad, I was lucky like that but again it fell upon me to do some cooking and that’s … and I found I quite enjoyed it.

Now whether I enjoyed the cooking or I enjoyed the praise that I got afterwards and the odd half crown, you know, ‘well done son that was a good dinner, you know, go and get yourself something’ but I think that’s what leant me to, to that.

Also, of course it’s not rocket science to work out that if you’re working down in the Galley, it’s nice and warm, you ain’t going to be working up top and you’re never going to be hungry and if you’re any good at your job you can make yourself very popular.