A Slice of History: Ian Dowding's Talk on the Truth Behind Banoffi Pie

The ES Office is in very busy mode with a clutch of events all happening at the same time. The latest offered a crucial sugar rush with banoffi pie on the menu. To add to the excitement, we had guest speaker Ian Dowding , the inventor of this delicious dessert, to talk about his time as head chef at the Hungry Monk in local Jevington, and, more crucially, how he came to produce his first banoffi pie and how it was named. His talk was also a fascinating and amusing insight into life behind the scenes of busy restaurants.

We were a group of about 30 who gathered for tea and were able to sample the banoffi pie made by Ian Wright, head chef of Holroyd Howe, the College caterers. True to the original recipe, the pie included a surprising ingredient: coffee. Who knew coffee played such a key role in this iconic dessert?