00:00:03 My name is Mike Grubb and I am Northeast Lincs Schools Librarian. On a day to day basis, I am responsible for supplying specific subject material to primary schools within the Local Authority plus a selection of junior fiction into each school library.
00:00:21 In my previous career, I was a lecturer in hospitality management and so cookery now plays a huge part in my role as a librarian and I would think probably 50% of my time is spent within schools. So most of the curriculum, there is a cookery element in there somewhere that can bring the subject to life.
00:00:43 I’ve been a lecturer within the further education field for very many years and I was lucky enough to take early retirement and I got a part time job in a school library and then this vacancy became available and I came for an interview and I was lucky enough to be appointed. So this is, if you like, a second career with a very close association to the first career.
00:01:08 I wasn’t very academic and from a very early age, I would think possibly before I was ten, I always wanted to be a chef. It was just the one thing I wanted to be. As soon as I could leave school and go to catering college, then I did.
00:01:24 I went to catering college when I was just turned 16. I loved every single minute of it and I found the lectures very, very inspirational. The lecturers had such enthusiasm for their subject and such a huge knowledge of their subject. It was inspiring.
00:01:42 My first job within the catering industry was on the Cunard Line, sailing backwards and forwards across the Atlantic relentlessly six weeks at a time. So I spent the first year of my working life on a Transatlantic liner in the first class dining saloon which was an amazing experience because we were used to serving caviar, [inaudible]. All the classic dishes that I’d heard so much about at college were there.
00:02:11 I think to be truthful, I discovered girls really. That was my...should I say that? And I wanted to be ashore, on land where there were girls because you were forbidden to mix with the passengers and I wanted to come ashore. I’d had enough of force 8 gails in the middle of the Atlantic, for my life anyway.
00:02:33 I worked for various hotels for a period of something like six or seven years before I started my first teaching job at Swindon College in 1968.
00:02:48 I worked within catering colleges for 30 years and we worked up to HND level and one of my other areas of expertise or specialty, if you like, is wine and spirits and I still, even though I'm working in the school’s library service, I still run evening classes in wine appreciation.
00:03:12 One of the high points was looking after the Royal Family on several occasions, Prince Charles in particular and the Queen, Prince Phillip and the other high point was I took a group of students to France and we were awarded a gold medal by the Association Culinaire for our English meal in adverted commas, which we presented at a college ceremony. It was a great highlight that being complimented on your food by a Frenchman is always...is always a highlight.
00:03:45 My job is my hobby is my job. I love reading, I love cookery and what can be better than being a school’s librarian doing cookery demonstrations.
00:03:55 Well I was due to retire three weeks ago as I was 65 but I was lucky enough to be asked to stay on three days a week and hopefully I shall stay on for three days a week until the last day! END
Mike Grubb
Mike Grubb
My name is Mike Grubb and I am Northeast Lincs Schools Librarian. On a day to day basis, I am responsible for supplying specific subject material to primary schools within the Local Authority plus a selection of junior fiction into each school library.
In my previous career, I was a lecturer in hospitality management and so cookery now plays a huge part in my role as a librarian and I would think probably 50% of my time is spent within schools. So most of the curriculum, there is a cookery element in there somewhere that can bring the subject to life.
I’ve been a lecturer within the further education field for very many years and I was lucky enough to take early retirement and I got a part time job in a school library and then this vacancy became available and I came for an interview and I was lucky enough to be appointed. So this is, if you like, a second career with a very close association to the first career.
I wasn’t very academic and from a very early age, I would think possibly before I was ten, I always wanted to be a chef. It was just the one thing I wanted to be. As soon as I could leave school and go to catering college, then I did.
I went to catering college when I was just turned 16. I loved every single minute of it and I found the lectures very, very inspirational. The lecturers had such enthusiasm for their subject and such a huge knowledge of their subject. It was inspiring.
My first job within the catering industry was on the Cunard Line, sailing backwards and forwards across the Atlantic relentlessly six weeks at a time. So I spent the first year of my working life on a Transatlantic liner in the first class dining saloon which was an amazing experience because we were used to serving caviar, [inaudible]. All the classic dishes that I’d heard so much about at college were there.
I think to be truthful, I discovered girls really. That was my...should I say that? And I wanted to be ashore, on land where there were girls because you were forbidden to mix with the passengers and I wanted to come ashore. I’d had enough of force 8 gails in the middle of the Atlantic, for my life anyway.
I worked for various hotels for a period of something like six or seven years before I started my first teaching job at Swindon College in 1968.
I worked within catering colleges for 30 years and we worked up to HND level and one of my other areas of expertise or specialty, if you like, is wine and spirits and I still, even though I'm working in the school’s library service, I still run evening classes in wine appreciation.
One of the high points was looking after the Royal Family on several occasions, Prince Charles in particular and the Queen, Prince Phillip and the other high point was I took a group of students to France and we were awarded a gold medal by the Association Culinaire for our English meal in adverted commas, which we presented at a college ceremony. It was a great highlight that being complimented on your food by a Frenchman is always...is always a highlight.
My job is my hobby is my job. I love reading, I love cookery and what can be better than being a school’s librarian doing cookery demonstrations.
Well I was due to retire three weeks ago as I was 65 but I was lucky enough to be asked to stay on three days a week and hopefully I shall stay on for three days a week until the last day! END
Mike's first career was in the catering industry and he worked on board a cruise liner after leaving catering college. Highlights included looking after members of the Royal Family. He then went to work as a lecturer before joining the library service where he can incorporate his love of cookery with his love of books. "My job is my hobby is my job". He is now past retirement age but hopes to stay on "until the last day".
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