Tale of Johnny Lane from Ray in New Zealand

THE life of legendary Weymouth chef Johnny Lane is one Looking Back story that refuses to go away.

We ran several stories about him last year and now Johnny’s son Ray, who lives in New Zealand, has been in touch following a visit from some friends from Portesham. They showed him the articles about his dad and he felt compelled to put pen to paper.

He writes: “The photograph of chef Johnny Lane (Looking Back, November 22) is my father. His first name was Donald but he preferred to be called Johnny. I don’t know who the mystery man of your August 2 article is.

“The cake with the football nets had something to do with Stanley Matthews, but I can’t remember specifics.

“The cake with the crown was the biggest and best cake Johnny ever made – it was the year of the Queen’s coronation.

“Everyone’s mind was on the coronation that year. Perhaps the Reylands wanted the theme to reflect the year they were married.

“I can tell you that the cake was baked at the Dorset Cake Company due to the size. But just about all the icing was done at our home, 5 Lansdowne Square, Wyke Road, Weymouth.

“Our family lived in a basement flat, which was a disgusting place in winter.

“The walls were always damp, causing the paint to peel and the one fireplace was useless.

“Dad bought an oil heater and decided we didn’t need coal or wood any more. He and I cleaned out the room at the back of the house where the coal was stored.

“We spent hours cleaning and scrubbing, before we whitewashed the walls and lined the floor. This became Dad’s work place for cake making.”

Ray also lets us into one of Johnny’s trade secrets. One of his cakes was in honour of the Queen’s coronation and was studded with ‘jewels’ made of boiled sweets It looked stunning – but Johnny’s methods of decoration weren’t always the most hygienic.

Ray remembers: “I watched him ice all of his cakes. It fascinated me and I’ll let you into a little secret. To get the shiny jewels on his cakes, he used boiled sweets that he sucked until they were gleaming!

“Few of his cakes matched the coronation cake. In fact, when it was finished he displayed the wedding cake in St Thomas Street.

“There was such a huge crowd trying to get a glimpse of it, they spilled into the road and dad was warned by the police that they might have to remove it.

“Apart from the coronation cake, another one stands out in my mind. There was an American submarine berthed at Portland.

“I think it was the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine, which was touring the world.

“Somehow the crew heard about Dad’s cakes and asked if he would make a cake for their big farewell party as they were returning to the States.

“They left the design up to him and dad came up with a replica of the Nautilus crashing through the waves. The waves were made of fondant. I was about 15 at the time and was very impressed.”

As well as being renowned for his cakes, Johnny also ran Weymouth’s first burger bar and outlet. Another interesting story about Johnny happened one eventful night in Weymouth and involved an old mobile canteen he’d bought.

Ray recalls: “We gave it a paint and decked it out with hot plates for hamburgers. We parked it outside the Burton Dance Hall to catch the sailors coming out at closing time as this would ease the pressure at our Park Street shop, which overflowed with queues well past the Blue Dolphin.

“Some people said they queued as far as the bus station, but I can’t confirm that.

“I helped at the mobile canteen outside the Burton and Dad hired a friend, Fred, who ran it. I was too young to drive, but old enough to show Fred the ropes.

“The band playing this particular night was Harry Gold and his Brass Band.

“At the close of the dance, Harry’s truck turned up next to us to pick up all the instruments. Fred and I were sitting in the van ready to take off for home.

“Fred turned the ignition but the motor wouldn’t start.

“He saw that we were out of petrol so I told him we had a jerry can in the back. We both got out to put the petrol in the van.

“As Fred started to pour, he complained that he couldn’t see where it was going. I told him not to worry because I had a lighter!

“Out came the lighter and suddenly a huge woosh of flame raced up the side of the van, taking both of our eyebrows and Fred’s fringe with it.

We backed away, but Fred dropped the can. He tried to kick it out of the way, causing petrol to spill along the gutter.

“It flowed straight underneath Harry Gold’s truck. Bravely, the driver of that truck leapt in and backed it away at great speed, saving the truck and all the instruments.

“But our mobile van wasn’t so lucky. The new paint seemed to feed the flames and within minutes it was a skeleton.

“The Echo took a photo of that event. I think the article was titled ‘Johnny Lane’s Hamburgers Well Done’.”