Zurich Legacy Kitchen Cookbook - Book - Page 69
L e g ac y K it c hen
Peter
Finnie
My father, John Finnie, was an Officer and
satay sauce. It was always a huge hit with
helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, flying
family and friends.
both operational missions and Search and
My father taught me both the recipe
Rescue (SAR), including a tour in Northern
and the technique, and I’ve since passed
Ireland and deployments overseas. He later
them on to my own children. Whenever we
became a captain with Bristow Helicopters
make the satay sauce, we think of him. We
and then British Airways Helicopters, flying
often send each other photos as the sauce
crews to and from the North Sea oil rigs.
develops in the pan, remembering the many
I also joined the RAF as a pilot, but my
occasions we shared it together.
training was cut short when I developed
My father died peacefully in a care
Type 1 diabetes.
home in Adelaide, Australia, in August
During a deployment to Malaysian
2024. I was fortunate to spend time
Borneo, my father helped a local Malaysian
with him before he died and, despite his
man learn English, who, in return, gave
dementia, we sat together reading through
him a recipe for satay sauce. He brought
his RAF flying logbook, which recorded
the recipe home, and it quickly became a
the training and missions he had flown.
family favourite. We would have barbecues
It was remarkable how vividly he could
throughout the year, even in the middle of
still recall many of those experiences.
winter, cooking chicken pieces on bamboo
We also laughed together about our family's
skewers that had been marinated in light
"secret" satay sauce recipe.
curry powder and oil, served alongside the
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