This week it’s half term, and we’re winning at parenting already. Yesterday we took the kids to Bletchley Park, the one-time secret base of the great World War II codebreakers.

Yeshi was mostly interested in the size of the catering operation: at its busiest point there were almost 9,000 workers at the Park (not everyone was a codebreaker – many were cooks, cleaners, mechanics and so on). A total of 22,257 meals were prepared every week.

This rather dims the achievements of Yeshi’s brother Nyima, Taste Tibet’s chief curry cook. We love to tell the story of how once upon a time, Nyima, as head chef at his monastery in India, was responsible for providing three meals a day for 5,000 monks at a time. But at Bletchley Park the canteen ran 24-hours, offering breakfasts, lunches, dinners, high teas and suppers. Suddenly Nyima’s duties pale by comparison.

Heck, we don’t even feed this many people even at Glastonbury.

Many of us have now heard of Bletchley Park (if not its canteen). But how many of you know about Camp Hale, another secret base over the pond in Colorado, USA, where, a decade or so after operations ceased at Bletchley Park, the CIA were busy training Tibetan freedom fighters in guerrilla warfare?

This was the Cold War era, and the Tibetan people were engaged in a solitary war against the Chinese Communists who had established control inside Tibet years earlier. The CIA provided arms and ammunition and schooled soldiers in political and propaganda techniques. It also secretly recruited 300 Tibetan soldiers to train at Camp Hale.

It may not surprise you to learn that most of these fighters were men from Kham, Yeshi and Nyima’s corner of Tibet. Its people, known as Khampas, are recognised as Tibet’s fiercest warriors. They are famous for their bravery and also their size: like Yeshi, many Khampas, men and women both, hover around the six feet mark.

Well, I have my own claim to fame. Walking around Bletchley Park I remembered how years ago I was offered a job at GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency. GCHQ operations grew out of the activities that were once based at Bletchley. Sadly I declined the offer. Happily, our momo empire was the result.

Taste Tibet is open all the usual hours this week, as follows:

Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday: 12-3 (lunch) / 5-9.30pm (dinner)
Sunday: 12-3 (lunch) / 5-9pm (dinner)

This week’s menu is up on the website – check it! Come by for take away, dine in or you can order home delivery through Deliveroo.

Our freezers are also packed with all the dinners you don’t have time to make yourselves, and we have fresh stocks of chilli oil this week too – pop in for yours or click here for online orders.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Julie and Yeshi

Opening hours this week:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm
Saturday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9pm
☏ 01865 499318

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