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Wales Online
06-07-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
'I'm 106 years old - this sweet treat every day is the secret to my long life'
'I'm 106 years old - this sweet treat every day is the secret to my long life' Great-great grandfather Leslie Lemon was born in 1919 106-year-old Leslie Lemon eats custard every single day (Image: SWNS ) A Second World War veteran who has just celebrated his 106th birthday revealed the secret to his long life - eating custard every single day. Great-great grandfather Leslie Lemon favours Bird's but says he always has a tin of Ambrosia's ready made in the pantry for emergencies. His preferred pudding is rhubarb with custard, but he doesn't turn down a good trifle either, enjoying his custard cold. Born July 1, 1919, Mr Lemon said: "The secret to a long life is custard. Rhubarb from the garden and custard." Custard isn't just an occasional treat for him; it's a daily indulgence. He said: "I eat it every day. I prefer it cold. It's nice in a trifle. You can't beat it." Even in moments when preparation time is scarce, he's prepared. "I usually have the powder but I've got a ready made Ambrosia in the pantry for emergencies," he continued. "You should always have a pudding." Leslie celebrated his 106th birthday on July 1 this year (Image: Lemon Family© SWNS ) Leslie, from from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, 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. Article continues below Throughout the Second World War he served as a corporal and he received the Légion d'honneur medal from the French government five years ago. But Mr Lemon said he remains youthful at heart despite his centenarian status. "I don't feel older at all,' he said. Remarkably independent for his age, he said: "I've got no aches and pains. I don't take any tablets or medications. I never see a doctor." With eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, the veteran also has a soft spot for Britain's favourite takeaway, considering fish and chips his second choice after desserts. However, Mr Lemon's he added: "Everything in moderation." For his 100th birthday, Mr Lemon was gifted a special Bird's custard jug. He also received a card from Queen Elizabeth II. Leslie received the Légion d'honneur medal from the French government five years ago (Image: © SWNS ) Since then he has also been recognised by King Charles and Camilla for his 105th and 106th birthdays, with the cards displayed on his mantelpiece. He noted the biggest change in his lifetime as video calls, admitting, "The thing that has changed the most is video calls. I can't work it myself. I'm a bit old fashioned." Mr Lemon and his late wife Doreen were married in 1944 and shared their lives until her passing in 1999. Their family included three children, Michael, Mary, and Richard; although Mary passed away at 10 due to hepatitis from polluted seawater. Leslie Lemon married Doreen in 1944 (Image: Lemon Family© SWNS ) Richard, now 73, reminisced about their childhood: "When we were growing up, we always had fresh fruit and veg - no one froze things in the 50s." He added that his father has always been an advocate for dessert, especially custard, which has been a staple for as long as he can remember. Supermarket Asda has celebrated Mr Lemon's love for custard by awarding him a year's supply free of charge. An Asda representative commented: "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." Article continues below "When life gives you lemons add custard!". The Lemon family said: "He's absolutely delighted. He'll probably put it all under his bed."
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
106-year-old puts his long life down to eating one thing every day
A WWII veteran celebrating his 106th birthday has revealed the secret to his long life - eating custard every single day. Great-great grandfather Leslie Lemon, from Aylesbury, Bucks., favours Bird's 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." READ MORE: Diogo Jota's wife and recent wedding as Liverpool forward dies in tragic accident days after tying the knot READ MORE: Disgraced Cold War veteran 89, may die in prison after he is unmasked as paedophile 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 Queen 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."
Metro
03-07-2025
- Health
- 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
Spectator
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Heaven is Angel Delight
I once heard an American complain that, being married to an Englishwoman, he was regularly baffled by the contents of his kitchen cupboards – salad cream, Ambrosia custard and Robinsons barley water. It was 'like industrial processed food but from the Shire'. It is probably this quality of baffling foreigners that allegedly enabled drug runners to use sachets of Angel Delight – the ultimate English ultra-processed food, surely to be found on many a table in Hobbiton, if only for second dinner – to smuggle cocaine into Indonesia. What could be more natural than an Englishman carrying real artificial flavours in his luggage so he didn't have to make do with nasi goreng and chicken satay? (When I went to Japan for a year, my luggage was filled with proper tea bags.) The Balinese police have, however, got wise to their MO, and three Britons have appeared in court charged with drug smuggling, for which they could face execution by firing squad if found guilty. Angel Delight was invented in 1967 in the research department of Bird's in Banbury – right in the heart of the Shire. The market research showed that there was a demand for a bland, creamy-textured instant pudding; and, of course, the dessert company bosses didn't get where they are today without knowing a good thing when they see one. It hit sales of £2 million in the first year. I'd be lying if I said that it tastes as good as I remember it; but whenever I eat Angel Delight I am taken back to my childhood in the 1970s. It's not the flavour in itself – back then, Bird's experimented with blackcurrant, peach and coffee-and-walnut flavours, which have rightly been consigned to the memory hole – so much as the memory of a midweek treat. No one ever planned to have Angel Delight, so there was never any burden of expectation on it; and we would often be 'allowed' to make it ourselves, which made it taste even sweeter than an Arctic roll from the freezer compartment. Attempts to add to it – I have heard tales of crumbling flakes over the chocolate version, or taking a blowtorch to demerara sugar over butterscotch for Angel Delight brûlée – only take that memory away. (I am not even going to mention the decadence of ready-made pots which I saw in the supermarket last week.) The chef Kirk Haworth, winner of The Great British Menu, says that it is the combination of all these factors that gives Angel Delight its power: from the colour and the 'mainstream' flavours to its being 'very attractive textually on the palate', along with the fact that you don't need to be a chef to make it. And, he says, everyone comes back to the first flavours that entered their palate. Last year, as part of a project to reinvent nostalgic classics, his evolution of Angel Delight was as a drink: 'We aerated the flavours, and then we made the colours with desiccated coconut; it was playful and inner-childish but super light and fluffy, when we put gas into the mixture, almost like air.' Kirk runs Plates London, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Old Street, with his sister Keeley. He has no children, but his sister does; has he introduced them to the delights of Delight? He pauses. 'No.'
