Sir Desmond John Britten (27 December 1937 – 13 February 2020) was a New Zealand

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

, radio broadcaster, television chef,

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

writer and

Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. He served as Wellington City Missioner for 17 years, and was knighted in 2012.

Early life and family

Britten was born in

Ōtāne Ōtāne is a town in the Central Hawke's Bay District and the Hawke's Bay region, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The small village, has a school, general store, cafe and pub, and is located just off State Highway 2. History ...

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

on 27 December 1937. The son of a sheep farmer, he was educated at

Napier Boys' High School Napier Boys' High School is a secondary boys' school in Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of approximately pupils. The school provides education from Year 9 to Year 13. Headmasters The following is an incomplete list of Na ...

, but left without any qualifications and then worked for a few years on the family farm.

Career as broadcaster and restaurateur

Britten began his broadcasting career as a disc jockey in Napier and then

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. After two years in Australia, he joined the

NZBC The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a State-owned enterprise, publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BC ...

as an announcer on

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

radio station

2ZB 2ZB was a radio station based in Wellington, New Zealand. This station was run by Radio New Zealand (formally the NZBS/NZBC/BCNZ) and eventually spawned a second FM station called B90FM. Today 2ZB and B90FM are part of a nationwide networks Ne ...

. His dances for children at the

Wellington Town Hall The Wellington Town Hall () is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand, which opened in December 1904. It has been closed to the public since the 2013 Seddon earthquake for extensive strengthening work, and ...

, known as the "Coca Cola Hi-Fi Club", proved popular. In 1964, Britten and his wife Lorraine opened their fine-dining restaurant, "The Coachman", in Courtenay Place, Wellington, which they ran for 28 years. In the 1970s, Britten presented two cooking shows on New Zealand television: ''Thyme for Cookery'' and ''Bon Appetit''. In 1995, Britten received the Restaurant Association of New Zealand's Hall of Fame award.

Priesthood

Britten was ordained an Anglican priest in 1983 and became the vicar of St Barnabas Roseneath, in Wellington.Knighthoods awarded for community work
National News, TVNZ, 31 December 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2013. He was then head of the Wellington City Mission from 1994 to 2011. Following his retirement, he was made a Canon Emeritus in the Wellington diocese and was named the 2011 "Wellingtonian of the Year". In the

2012 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2012 were announced on 31 December 2011 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand,Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

, for services to the community.

Later life and death

In 2018, Britten was predeceased by his wife, Lorraine, Lady Britten, after more than 50 years of marriage. He died in Wellington on 13 February 2020 at the age of 82.

Books

Britten wrote a number of cookbooks, including: * ''Cooking with Des Britten''. Wilson and Horton, Auckland (1971). * '' Thyme for cookery''. Hicks Smith, Wellington (1973). * ''The Des Britten cookbook''. Woolworths, Auckland (1977). * ''Gourmet cooking for babies''. Reed Methuen, Auckland (1987). * ''Des Britten's foodie fables & other just desserts''. Grantham House, Wellington (1996).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Britten, Des 1937 births 2020 deaths People from Hawke's Bay People educated at Napier Boys' High School New Zealand restaurateurs New Zealand cookbook writers New Zealand television chefs New Zealand radio presenters Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand Anglican priests 21st-century New Zealand Anglican priests Deaths from cancer in New Zealand