The crowd, a mix of British expats, local Thais and nationalities from all over the world, gathered for a full day of festivties including games, a range of delicious food dishes and some rip-roaring renditions of the British national anthem.
The British contingent may have been several thousand miles away from Buckingham Palace but that did not stop them from displaying their royalist pride as they donned patriotic dress, headwear and masks and sang loud enough to be heard all the way back in London!
The day started with a passionate and erudite speech from Phuket’s British Honorary Consul Chantal Fernandes who paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth, highlighting all the fantastic and selfless work and service she has given over the decades in her role as monarch.
The crowd then indulged in its first rendition of the national anthem before indulging with equal passion when the sumptuous buffet opened.
The scale and variety of food on offer was truly impressive, with a range of mouth-watering delights constantly produced throughout the day. Trying to sample all was a task nigh on impossible but dishes of note included Grenville Wilson’s chicken consommé, Andy Dowden’s sweat-inducing Massaman curry standing tall against Steve Butterworth’s fellow curry, Big Man Cain’s secret recipe sausage rolls, Lara Gaane’s caramelised onion, leek and swiss cheese quiche and Victorian sponge cake, Lynda Bolland’s bean-less chilli, Peter Carpenter’s cheese platter, Mark Ashman and Steph Williams’ joint trifle and Carol Dux’s chocolate swirl cake.
The sheer amount of food, thankfully, put paid to any dancing shennanigans although the plethora of TV screens scattered throughout showed a replay of Saturday night’s concert at Buckingham Palace with the likes of Rod Stewart, Queen and Andrea Bocelli, amongst others, providing a bouyant musical background all day long.
There was further fun with interactive bingo entrancing all into a rare silent period on the day, as well as horse racing and other televised sports events, all overseen by host extraordinaire Steve Barrett who had donned a delightful frock to honour the occasion, thus becoming Peppers’ very own queen for the day!
As the day drew to a close, people started to head home, well fed, well watered and full of cheer. Even those with no prior vested interest came away admitting that it had been a fantastic occasion, maybe even with a little quiet respect and admiration for a 96-year-old woman who, incredibly, first took to the throne way back in 1952.
One thing that everyone agreed on, however, is that men of a certain age donning a dress and showing a little too much skin, be they the host or not, is perhaps something best kept behind closed doors!
Well done and a huge thanks to Claire, Steve, Khun Ae and all the brilliant staff at Peppers for a great and truly memorable day.