As Freemasonry moves ever away from the millennium and rushes head long into another decade, it is quite obvious that things are changing. No more so is it evident that the food offering chosen for our festive boards is becoming stayed, predictable and expensive.

Gone are the 4-course dinners at installations, wine with the meals and a price tag that would make a Saga tourist happy.

I know that within our centres, we have a number of very talented chefs, who would be delighted to be released from preparing roast beef and yorkshire pudding, or steak pie and even fruit crumble

Over the past few years, I have been approached on a number of occasions by various Brethren of the Province with a view to looking at the possibility of setting up a Masonic dining club.

The idea would be to begin by meeting twice a year, once in a masonic centre, where we give the chef the opportunity to show us what he can do and the other to be at a different venue showcasing either innovation or a different concept to the norm.

Initially this is an approach to see if this is something that would be of interest. The details need to be worked out, but we could propose a president for the year, who can decide on menus, venues etc. Involve our partners in the events, even choose a food-based charity to support. At present, the ‘paper is blank’ and we can discuss and see where we go with it.

Broken down to the basics, it will be a great meal, in good company, giving us the opportunity to perhaps influence the catering of the province for a number of years.                

Hopefully, we can begin to influence the offerings our centres have and the expectations of our brethren

If you’re interested, please drop a note to davidgreenwood@warwickshirepgl.org  and we’ll see what the interest is like.

Thanks for your time