A Nottinghamshire chef who worked for the royal household has paid tribute to the Queen as a ruler - and a "very nice employer". Des Sweeney was a junior chef amongst a 16-strong brigade in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace for four years.
Mr Sweeney, who now runs the Kitchen at the Cross Keys in Epperstone, recalled the first time he met Her Majesty in 1979. "When you first met her you were like 'oh my God that's the Queen'. I was leaning over the mixing machine making bread and I heard someone say 'Is the chef around?' softly spoken and I said 'he's gone for breakfast' and turned around and it was Her Majesty."
The chef was following the news all day on Thursday (September 8) and was at work when he learnt of her death. "It's very sad times. Someone doing their job for 70 years is quite an achievement. She was a lovely lady and a very nice employer, very polite, very formal. It was an honour and a privilege working for her."
