The celebrated vodka and tomato juice cocktail was first concocted in 1921 by Fernand “Pete” Petiot, an American barman at Harry’s Bar in Paris. When Petiot moved to the King Cole Bar at the St Regis Hotel in New York he adapted his recipe to the American palate, adding lemon and worcestershire sauce.

Place a big cloth over a table – any old sheet will do and collect all the silver around the house. I recommend the use of Goddard’s Long Term Silver Polish and Silver Foam.

Returning from a party recently, my employer commented that although he had gone out looking smart, his evening suit now smelled somewhat of tobacco, and enquired as to how the problem could be remedied.

The cardinal rule when cleaning glass or crystal is to steer clear of very hot water, which will rupture the glass. I once witnessed a young footman break an exquisite crystal bowl by plunging it into scorching hot water.

My earlier years as a butler, making coffee was a long, drawn-out process. At some point during the evening I would place some ground coffee into an aluminium saucepan, add water and slowly bring it to the boil. The coffee would then be left to stand, then strained through a thick felt bag during the night. The following morning it would be reheated ready for breakfast.

I first became aware of the importance of carving meat properly as a young steward in the Royal Navy. My Chief Petty Officer instructed me to carve an 181b York ham on the bone, apportioning 4oz of meat for each of the 44 officers.

My employer recently returned from a shooting weekend and informed me that many of his fellow guests had commented on how exceptionally smart and shiny his shoes were. I was delighted by the compliment.