Ah Lin has been working as Head Cook in the Residence of the British High Commissioner for 34 years. When she retires at the end of July, she will have worked with eight High Commissioners and their wives.
he has served HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (twice!), HRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex, HRH The Duke of York, countless members of the Malaysian royal families, Malaysian Ministers and literally tens of thousands of other guests.
I recently had the honour to present Ah Lin with an Honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) in recognition of this loyal service. Let me quote what some of my predecessors have said about this remarkable lady:
• She is an excellent and efficient cook, who gets a meal to the table at the appointed time whatever the circumstances
• Her human qualities are as superlative as her professional ones
• She has a wide repertoire of international cuisine; we never reached the end of her store of recipes
• her kitchen is the real heart of the household and the Residence staff are lucky to have such a warm heart and stout champion to turn to in times of stress or trouble
• Ah Lin is quite the best cook in Kuala Lumpur…I will miss her very much indeed; she is irreplaceable.
My wife and I agree wholeheartedly with this final comment. We too will be leaving Kuala Lumpur soon and will miss not only Ah Lin’s cooking, but also the friendliness of her smile and the warmth of her heart.
We wish her all the best for the future and trust she will have a long and happy retirement. She certainly deserves it!
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