TV celebrity chef Rustie Lee will be cooking up a recipe for laughter when she sails on Saga Pearl II’s all-inclusive Grand Caribbean Adventure cruise this November. Rustie, who has also a cabaret background, will be singing and baking her way through lively cookery demonstrations aboard the 449-passenger ship. Master baker Rustie says there will be ‘fun, fun, fun’ all way. She said: “I love people so I will be making sure there’s lots of audience interaction while I am cooking. We’re going to have a lot of fun together; I’m a joker and I want everyone to join in - for a start, they’ve got to try my Caribbean cocktails!
“I won’t be cooking up anything too spicy, but there will be lots of new ideas for passengers to take home. I’m a generous cook – I don’t go for little bits of meat or tiny measures; I trained in food production so I cater for lots of people. I may also whip up some cakes as we’re all talking baking at the moment.”
Rustie, who was born in Portland, Jamaica, moved to Birmingham in the late 1950s. She says she does not get back to the Caribbean enough so when the opportunity came up she was delighted to join the Saga cruise. She said: “I was so pleased, so really pleased because I love to be in the Caribbean, in the sunshine and on a cruise. I haven’t been to Trinidad and Tobago, it’s the home of the carnival, so I can’t wait to sail in. Some people do not realise how wonderful it is to go on a cruise. There’s never a time when you are hungry because there is always somewhere to eat, or you can call room service.
“There’s no putting your hand in your pocket every five minutes to pay for meals, it’s all there and I love that because I am such a foodie.”
Rustie added: “It’s the calmness, too, that’s special, sitting on a balcony watching the world go by. I like to read and spend time in the library and perhaps watch a film. I’ve been so busy lately that I will enjoy those long, relaxing days at sea, floating along with everything catered for.”
Passengers can join Saga Pearl II’s 42-night Grand Caribbean Adventure from Southampton or choose the 14-night sailing from Southampton to Tobago. Twin Inside Cabins for sole occupancy are available on the full voyage only, at no extra charge.