MasterChef star Jay Rayner has shared a heart-warming – if not slightly mischievous – tale of how he scattered his late parents ashes at their favourite places across London earlier this year.
The 53-year-old food critic posted a lengthy thread to his 273,000 Twitter followers detailing the final resting places of agony aunt Claire Rayner, who died in 2010, and her artist husband Des, who died in 2015.
Rayner described how, along with his sister Amanda, he’d made the special journey in April this year to ensure the couple’s ashes were left in places they would heartily approve of – but encountered some bizarre twists along the way, including retired politician Kennneth Clarke accidentally treading in his father’s ashes.
Television personality Jay Rayner shared the unique way in which he and his sister Amanda decided to scatter their parents’ ashes earlier this year
MasterChef star Jay on stage at the London Playhouse with his sister, far right, and friend Andy Nyman, centre, who offered to put some of the ashes of Claire and Des Rayner in a milk churn prop that would appear on stage during the show’s London run
Rayner’s late parents Des and Claire, who died in 2015 and 2010 respectively. Television personality Claire would have loved her ashes being on a West End stage, says her son (The couple pictured in June 2008)
Another stop on the way was the Royal College of Nursing, where Rayner’s mum Claire, a popular agony aunt before her death in 2015, had trained
He wrote: ‘Though my ma, Claire, died in 2010 and my dad in 2015 my sister and I weren’t able to get their ashes together until earlier this year (for reasons I won’t bore you with). We’d long planned to scatter them in appropriate places.’
The television personality headed first for Tate Britain where, just as he was putting the ashes on the building’s steps, he looked up to see the former Tory politician, who strode right through his dad’s remains, saying: ‘…he stomped straight through my dad’s ashes and walked him into the Tate on his hush puppies. Excellent. Job done. And thank you Ken Clarke.’
The couple also made an appearance in West End show Fiddler on the Roof, after an actor friend of Rayner’s, Andy Nyman, offered to put them in a milk churn prop that would appear on stage.
Rayner explained: ‘He took us up on stage @ThePlayhouseLondon to show us the magnificent set. He showed us Tevye’s cart. He showed us Tevye’s milk churns and how the lids came off. And when no one was looking we decanted my parents in to the churn.’
The food expert revealed that he’d also slipped some of his mother’s ashes behind a seat in the Ivy in Covent Garden, one of her favourite restaurants
Other stops on the route included the Royal College of Nursing, where agony aunt Claire, who was a regular face on daytime television, had trained.
Lunch at the original Ivy in central London, a family favourite, proceeded to see Rayner pour some of his mother’s ashes behind a banquette – a padded seat – in the restaurant.
He wrote: ‘We raised a glass. At one point, I discovered there was a gap down the back of a banquette. It seemed only right they should stay there for ever. So…’
Hundreds of people have since responded to the TV star’s thread, saying they loved the final journey of Des and Claire.
Radio 2 presenter Dermot O’Leary said Rayner’s post had ‘made my heart soar’.
@Jeanm86Jones wrote: ‘What a wonderful, living thing to do. Claire would have absolutely loved it. I remember her with affection, always fighting for the best for patients when I worked in the NHS.’
@CChettleburgh added: ‘That was a lovely tweet Jay Rayner! I’m sure that your ma and pa are having a real giggle together!’
Jay Rayner is on tour across the UK in Spring 2020, visit jayrayner.co.uk for tickets
