Last Saturday night, November 21, was the yearly Playden Quiz which has become for many, like me and my friends, a must. The reason is three fold – to raise funds for the hall for which Playden Women’s Institute (WI) is responsible, have a laugh when your brain matter gets challenged, and (best of all) the curry bonanza which John and Margaret Holbrook from Rye provide.
John (photographed above at Friday morning’s Country Market) told me that in the past he had helped cook in a relation’s hotel in Scotland when he was on leave from the Navy, which developed his love for cooking. So, when five years ago the Playden WI president talked about the need for funding to keep up with the hall maintenance, he suggested a curry quiz and offered to cook it.
John said:” I specially love the idea of all the different flavours curry meals can deliver” and, sure enough, we had choices of lamb, chicken, chick peas, aubergine, potato with cauliflower, cabbage/carrots and macaroni cheese. John said, still smiling: “It took me all week to cook and I then had to beg and borrow various friends’ freezers to store the food in.” And, as if that was not enough, we had the choice of lemon mousse or toffee pudding for afters.
While enjoying the food we did some brain work to answer the three page quiz hoping for the best. I have been to quite a few quiz nights and want to give credit to the person who set the questions as they were eclectic, but not too esoteric. All in all it was obvious from the buzz that the people, a mix from Rye and Playden, were enjoying the evening.
Everyone helped clear up at the end and had the option of taking home a “doggy bag” with left overs of the delicious food.
Anyone who wants to sample John’s curries should come to the Community Centre Market on Friday from 10am onwards. He is usually there, taking the money for all your purchases and handing out the change, as well as providing a few containers of meat or vegetable curry.
Photo: Rye News library