Jayne Lee celebrates 25 years at Queenswood this month, and whilst for her it has gone by in the blink of an eye, there has definitely been some changes over the years and we can’t even calculate the number of girls who she has influenced, so we sat down with Jayne to ask her about her time at Q. 

How did you come to be at Queenswood?

After leaving Eton College in 1994 to take on a new exciting role as a private chef for a family in a stately home it quickly became very apparent that I had made a big mistake. My husband and I looked through the caterer and lady magazine job section and luckily spotted two vacancies at Queenswood, one for a full time chef and the other for a part time chef. We both agreed we should take these jobs, even if they were offered as a temporary measure, just to get us out of an unpleasant situation - 25 years later, I’m still here!

What were your first impressions/memories of Q?

I can only remember the beautiful drive up what is now called ‘Jubilee Walk’ and how beautiful the Chapel looked. Our interviews were short and sweet in the Catering department and we didn’t actually see much of Queenswood.

You started as Chef and now work in the Cookery Room?

Whilst working in the kitchen as Chef, I started cake decorating with the girls, we used the long dining tables that still exist today and I have fond memories of spending that time with the girls. 

The Head of Home Economics retired and the old room in Stamp was left empty for a few years. When the school decided to build the current Cookery Room, I was asked if I wanted to teach, and despite having never taught before I thought why not? And here I am years later, I love sharing my passion for food with the students.

What has changed over the last 25 years?

Wow, probably quite a lot. The first big change to mention is the wonderful cookery room which I have the pleasure of working in. It certainly is an improvement of the old Home Economics room which was situated in Stamp House, but then Stamp House itself has drastically changed and now houses our Year 7 and 8 boarders.  

I remember the very old, cold swimming pool which is now the Library. 

The dining room has mostly stayed the same but the servery has been refurbished twice that I remember and the food has definitely improved and continues to do so. 

I remember the corridor where my cookery room is, used to be carolls where study used to take place for most of the school but now houses Cookery, the Ballet and Dance studio, Business & Economics along with Speech and Drama. 

The Clarissa Farr Theatre was a huge change for the better as I’m sure Mrs Kelley would agree! 

25 years ago talks about Queenswood Hall  being rebuilt ‘soon’ happened often and it seems crazy to think that we now have a spectacular multipurpose sports facility.  

The main car park has been upgraded with lovely green landscaping surrounding Q Hall, a nice welcome for visitors to Queenswood. 

Lastly, I have to mention probably one of my favourite changes which are the beautiful grounds themselves, the entrance to main school driving through the electric gates with the manicured lawns on either side of Jubilee Walk is just lovely. Surely visitors can’t fail to be impressed.

What was it like meeting Gary Rhodes?

I was excited to meet Gary Rhodes at the official opening of the cookery room. He was one of the first ‘TV celebrity chefs’ and the chef everyone admired at that time. My personal collection of Gary Rhodes books were signed with ‘From one chef to another’ Love Gary! So that made my day. It was a very busy but enjoyable day. One of my daughters celebrated her 13th birthday on the same day so I remember having to rush home afterwards to celebrate her special day too.

Any stand out memories of students?

Over the years I have many memories of the girls I have taught, the cheeky ones especially! 

Rarely a term goes by without a funny quote from someone, here is a selection: 

“Miss, are these herbs vegetarian?”

“What kind of meat is pork?”

“Do I have to bake these cakes in the oven?”

 What is your favourite thing to cook? 

I’m a huge fan of Yotam Ottolenghi and couldn’t pick out just one favourite!

I’m almost vegetarian, love food from the Middle East and recipes which include pomegranate molasses. 

Portobello mushrooms with pearl barley and preserved lemons, cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yogurt, and chickpeas and spinach with honeyed sweet potato are just a few of my favourite dishes.