Second World War hero says secret to reaching 106 is classic UK food he eats each day
A Second World War veteran who just celebrated his 106th birthday attributes his impressive longevity to a daily dose of one classic food. Leslie Lemon, a great-great-grandfather from Aylesbury, Bucks, has a penchant for custard, particularly Bird's custard, but keeps a tin of Ambrosia's ready-made custard on hand for emergencies.
His dessert of choice is rhubarb and custard, although he's also fond of trifle with custard, served cold. As he celebrated his 106th birthday - he was born on July 1, 1919 - Mr Lemon, who served as a corporal during the Second World War, said: "The secret to a long life is custard. Rhubarb from the garden and custard.
"I eat it every day. I prefer it cold. It's nice in a trifle. You can't beat it. I usually have the powder but I've got a ready made Ambrosia in the pantry for emergencies. You should always have a pudding."
Having retired from his role as an 'office boy' at Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue and Customs, in 1979 at age 60, Mr Lemon has enjoyed retirement longer than his working years. His service from 1939 to 1946 earned him the Légion d'honneur, France's highest and most prestigious order of merit, five years ago.
Despite his advanced age, the great-great-grandfather-of-two insists: "I don't feel older at all. I've got no aches and pains. I don't take any tablets or medications. I never see a doctor."
Mr Lemon, who has eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, expressed his fondness for fish and chips as his second choice of meal. He said: "You can put custard with apples, gooseberries, any fruit from the garden."
Upon reaching his centenary, Mr Lemon was presented with a special Bird's custard jug. His mantelpiece boasts three Royal correspondences – a letter from Queen Elizabeth II for his 100th birthday, alongside two from King Charles and Camilla commemorating his 105th and 106th milestones.
When asked about his secret to longevity, the Ealing-born centenarian advised: "Everything in moderation. I'm so lucky and I'm quite happy." But he's not a fan of all new innovations. "The thing that has changed the most is video calls," he said. "I can't work it myself. I'm a bit old fashioned."
Mr Lemon and his late wife Doreen, who passed away in 1999, married in 1944 and had three children together: Michael, Mary, and Richard. Tragically, Mary succumbed to hepatitis caused by polluted seawater at the age of ten.
Youngest son, Richard, now 73, reminisced: "When we were growing up, we always had fresh fruit and veg - no one froze things in the 50s. Dad is a believer in that you should always have pudding and he's had custard as long as I can remember."
Asda has awarded Mr Lemon with a year-long bounty of complimentary custard. A spokesperson for Asda said: "We'll all be taking a leaf out of Mr Lemon's book and enjoying more custard going forward, we hope he enjoys a free year's supply on us.
"When life gives you lemons, add custard!" Mr Lemon's loved ones confirmed: "He's absolutely delighted. He'll probably put it all under his bed."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
106-year-old man gives secret to long life and he eats a mug of it everyday
A centenarian has put the key to a long life down to a simple combination — rhubarb and custard. Leslie Lemon, who turned 106 on Tuesday, attributes his good health to a daily fix of his favourite pudding. 'That's my secret to a long life: custard, custard, custard; rhubarb from the garden and custard,' he said. 'You can't beat it. I have it every day and I want it every day.' The great-great-grandfather, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, favours Bird's but always has a tin of Ambrosia in the pantry for emergencies. He said he has no aches or pains, sleeps well and is not taking any medication or seeing a doctor. The World War Two veteran is free to indulge his sweet tooth after helping to see Britain through some of its darkest days. He served in the Army throughout World War Two, signing up in 1939 and leaving as a corporal in 1946. He was awarded the French Légion d'honneur medal in recognition of his contribution to the country's liberation during the war. Born in 1919, he was the fourth of five children in Ealing, west London. The Luton Town fan told the BBC that he had a 'bossy sister, who taught me right from wrong' and loved playing cricket. He was encouraged by his father to enlist as the war loomed, and he joined the Royal Engineers, where he found 'comradeship'. 'In the trenches, we had a young lad,' he recalled. 'He was scared, he asked me to pray and that saw me through, looking after him. 'We were all scared, but we took it in our stride and accepted it. We were lucky we came through it – it was touch and go at one time.' The soldier was stationed at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as the end of the war approached. 'It was terrible,' he said. 'The Germans left and the British soldiers took over. We helped as much as we could.' He met his future wife, Doreen, while stationed in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, in 1943, and they married a year later. She died from dementia in 1999. The couple had two sons, Michael and Richard, and a daughter, Mary, who died aged 10 from hepatitis contracted from polluted seawater 'You never get over it,' Mr Lemon said. After being demobbed in 1946, he worked as an 'office boy' at the Inland Revenue in Luton, while his wife was employed at the Vauxhall car factory. He retired in 1979 aged 60 after his family had moved Aylesbury. More Trending Mr Lemon is often visited by his family, including eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. He plays cards, including whist, with the younger generations. Sixty relatives gathered for his birthday celebrations when he turned 100. Mr Lemon had the following advice for anyone wanting to live to a ripe old age: 'Take things as they come and be prepared to adjust; not to be too set in your ways. I am quite happy as I am.' MORE: Want to live to 100? One single factor could be the key MORE: 100-year-old woman says the secret to a long life is 'not speaking to strange men' MORE: There are three secrets to hitting 100 – and they work at any age
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Second World War hero says secret to reaching 106 is classic UK food he eats each day
Leslie Lemon celebrated his 106th birthday recently and has shared what he believes is the reason for his long life. A Second World War veteran who just celebrated his 106th birthday attributes his impressive longevity to a daily dose of one classic food. Leslie Lemon, a great-great-grandfather from Aylesbury, Bucks, has a penchant for custard, particularly Bird's custard, but keeps a tin of Ambrosia's ready-made custard on hand for emergencies. His dessert of choice is rhubarb and custard, although he's also fond of trifle with custard, served cold. As he celebrated his 106th birthday - he was born on July 1, 1919 - Mr Lemon, who served as a corporal during the Second World War, said: "The secret to a long life is custard. Rhubarb from the garden and custard. "I eat it every day. I prefer it cold. It's nice in a trifle. You can't beat it. I usually have the powder but I've got a ready made Ambrosia in the pantry for emergencies. You should always have a pudding." Having retired from his role as an 'office boy' at Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue and Customs, in 1979 at age 60, Mr Lemon has enjoyed retirement longer than his working years. His service from 1939 to 1946 earned him the Légion d'honneur, France's highest and most prestigious order of merit, five years ago. Despite his advanced age, the great-great-grandfather-of-two insists: "I don't feel older at all. I've got no aches and pains. I don't take any tablets or medications. I never see a doctor." Mr Lemon, who has eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, expressed his fondness for fish and chips as his second choice of meal. He said: "You can put custard with apples, gooseberries, any fruit from the garden." Upon reaching his centenary, Mr Lemon was presented with a special Bird's custard jug. His mantelpiece boasts three Royal correspondences – a letter from Queen Elizabeth II for his 100th birthday, alongside two from King Charles and Camilla commemorating his 105th and 106th milestones. When asked about his secret to longevity, the Ealing-born centenarian advised: "Everything in moderation. I'm so lucky and I'm quite happy." But he's not a fan of all new innovations. "The thing that has changed the most is video calls," he said. "I can't work it myself. I'm a bit old fashioned." Mr Lemon and his late wife Doreen, who passed away in 1999, married in 1944 and had three children together: Michael, Mary, and Richard. Tragically, Mary succumbed to hepatitis caused by polluted seawater at the age of ten. Youngest son, Richard, now 73, reminisced: "When we were growing up, we always had fresh fruit and veg - no one froze things in the 50s. Dad is a believer in that you should always have pudding and he's had custard as long as I can remember." Asda has awarded Mr Lemon with a year-long bounty of complimentary custard. A spokesperson for Asda said: "We'll all be taking a leaf out of Mr Lemon's book and enjoying more custard going forward, we hope he enjoys a free year's supply on us. "When life gives you lemons, add custard!" Mr Lemon's loved ones confirmed: "He's absolutely delighted. He'll probably put it all under his bed."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I've lived to 106 thanks to eating one thing every single day'
"I've got no aches and pains. I don't take any tablets or medications. I never see a doctor" A WWII veteran celebrating his 106th birthday has revealed the secret to his long life - eating one sweet food every single day. Great-great grandfather Leslie Lemon, from Aylesbury, Bucks., favours Bird's custard but always has a tin of Ambrosia's ready made in the pantry for emergencies. His current favourite treat is rhubarb and custard - but is also partial to trifle and custard - and prefers his sweet treat cold. He celebrated his 106th birthday this week - having been born on July 1, 1919. Mr Lemon, a corporal in WWII, said: "The secret to a long life is custard. Rhubarb from the garden and custard. "I eat it every day. I prefer it cold. It's nice in a trifle. You can't beat it. I usually have the powder but I've got a ready made Ambrosia in the pantry for emergencies. You should always have a pudding." Mr Lemon has now been retired for longer than he worked - having worked as an 'office boy' for Inland Revenue, now HM Revenue & Customs until he was 60 in 1979. He served as a corporal, from 1939 to 1946, throughout WWII and received the Légion d'honneur medal from the French government five years ago. The great-great-grandfather-of-two said, despite turning 106: "I don't feel older at all. "I've got no aches and pains. I don't take any tablets or medications. I never see a doctor." Mr Lemon, who has eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, said his second favourite food was fish and chips. He added: "You can put custard with apples, gooseberries, any fruit from the garden." For his 100th birthday, he was given his own Bird's custard jug. He has received three cards from royalty which sit on his mantle - a letter from Queen Elizabeth II on his 100th birthday and two from King Charles and Camilla for his 105th and 106th birthdays. As for his advice for growing older, Mr Lemon, originally from Ealing, London, said: "Everything in moderation. I'm so lucky and I'm quite happy. The thing that has changed the most is video calls. I can't work it myself. I'm a bit old fashioned." Mr Lemon married his wife Doreen in 1944 and remained together until her death in 1999. They had three children - Michael, Mary and Richard - but Mary sadly died from hepatitis caused by polluted seawater when she was ten. Youngest son Richard, 73, said: "When we were growing up, we always had fresh fruit and veg - no one froze things in the 50s. "Dad is a believer in that you should always have pudding and he's had custard as long as I can remember." Mr Lemon has also been honoured with a year's supply of free custard from Asda. An Asda spokesperson said: 'We'll all be taking a leaf out of Mr Lemon's book and enjoying more custard going forward, we hope he enjoys a free year's supply on us. "When life gives you lemons add custard!' Mr Lemon's family said: "He's absolutely delighted. He'll probably put it all under his bed."
