Steam Packet Warns Of Disruption To Sailings

[dilligaf]

4 minutes ago, John Wright said:

I wasn’t dissing. I’m neither a fan nor a critic. I frequently defend when plain wrong or derogatory comments are made. Likewise I criticise where it’s due.

The buffets were truly dreadful. But they were closed 35 years ago, thank god.

I was not including you in my post. I know you are probably one of the most frequent users of the SPCo and quite an authority on said company.

Maybe worded my post wrongly, again.

 Sorry.

Edited January 30, 2018 by dilligaf

[quilp]

40 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Just remember the menu cards, that didn’t change for 30 years.

Neither did the chip fat... 

[Tempus Fugit]

On 30/01/2018 at 7:55 PM, P.K. said:

On the Ben atm.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were more crew than pax!

isn't wednesday 'haardous cargo' night - usually just enough pax for a rugby match

[Hillside]

On 30/01/2018 at 9:26 PM, John Wright said:

Wasn’t there a first and second class dining saloon pre the one class sideloaders?

And wasn’t the catering, even in the dining saloons, pretty basic. Poached Greenland Halibut. Kippers. Apple pie and Ice cream, ham salad, manx broth. Breakfast was ok tho’.

The deck buffets were dire. Curly sandwiches, meat pies, strong tea, terrible coffee and Genoa cake and fruit cake slices.

Maybe my memory is playing tricks but I seem to remember being served roast beef dinners in the dining salon with silver service quality in the late 60's/early 70's?

[GD4ELI]

7 minutes ago, Hillside said:

Maybe my memory is playing tricks but I seem to remember being served roast beef dinners in the dining salon with silver service quality in the late 60's/early 70's?

Same here

 

[NoTail]

No, I remember that too

[John Wright]

I wasn’t listing the whole menu. But it wasn’t extensive, or particularly well cooked. Yes there was overcooked beef.

The main reason the dining saloons were kept when the side loaders were introduced was to provide the food, and somewhere to eat, for the officers.

And another reason was that because there is a specified number of certificated lifeboatmen for the number of passengers it gave something for them to do.

there was crew dining somewhere in the bowels. Typical of Manx/British class and status division at the time.

Silver Service for that type of meal was outmoded and old fashioned in the 60’s and 70’s. It was part of the Steam Packet marketing itself as offering mini liners cruising the Irish Sea, the whole raison d’etre of Lady 1 and Ben 4.

I even remember the signs for steerage passengers ( on the pre sideloaders ) and still have a sign from one of the sisters that second class passengers found in the lounge would be charged Saloon fare.

I also remember the first class dining saloon being at water level in the bow, on the Ben and Lady and the sisters. With huge domed silver serving platters. But the menu was always the same, even if the announcement was made on the tannoy that the commodore chef was on board.

Edited February 1, 2018 by John Wright

[monasqueen]

There used to be signs saying that part of the deck space was dedicated to x number of steerage passengers or x number of cattle!

When dining, you could tell how rough the crossing was going to be by the consistency of the soup - if the spoon stood up in it, you were in for a rough time!

Bread and butter pudding was also a rough weather "treat".

The old Ben had someone behind the scenes who was nicknamed "the pepper chef".

Those were the days.......

[Barrie Stevens]

No one believed me when I told them that the café staff would line up all the teacups about fifty of them on a metal surface pierced for drainage and then pour a huge teapot over the lot filling the cups to the top and letting the overflows go through the pierced plate. They sort of waved the pot over the cups like using a watering can in the garden.

[John Wright]

29 minutes ago, monasqueen said:

There used to be signs saying that part of the deck space was dedicated to x number of steerage passengers or x number of cattle

I remember those, and sheep pens on open deck, and calves, hobbled and sewn into hessian sacks in the covered passageways.

[twinkle]

3 hours ago, GD4ELI said:

Same here

 

I was in he dining saloon alongside my old man in 1963,the menu was extensive and expensive I was used by my old man as a gofer [ my job description was buffet boy] setting up tables with a hell of a lot of various cutlery  while he enjoyed hanging out in the bar with his buddie the chief steward, the food was FIRST CLASS.

[quilp]

A diver mate of mine reckons there is a trail from Douglas bay all the way to the Bar Light Ship created by passengers and staff lobbing teacups and saucers overboard from the tens of thousands of journeys made over the centuries. 

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, quilp said:

A diver mate of mine reckons there is a trail from Douglas bay all the way to the Bar Light Ship created by passengers and staff lobbing teacups and saucers overboard from the tens of thousands of journeys made over the centuries. 

One journey I was on  a young lad ( not me ) went round collecting cups and saucers. Passengers thought he was returning them to the buffet, gave him coppers. He was flinging them off the back.

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, twinkle said:

I was in he dining saloon alongside my old man in 1963,the menu was extensive and expensive I was used by my old man as a gofer [ my job description was buffet boy] setting up tables with a hell of a lot of various cutlery  while he enjoyed hanging out in the bar with his buddie the chief steward, the food was FIRST CLASS.

It was certainly expensive. It was never more than one side of an A5 ( or the imperial equivalent, quarto ) card printed (typed ) on one side. The food was average, at best.

Edited February 1, 2018 by John Wright

[quilp]

Brown Windsor soup, 1/6d (or something like that), with a roll and butter. Even then my old man had a moan. That would be mid-sixties...