Why you can’t trust supermarket cheese

We were celebrating the end of lockdown by talking about war and deer stalking — over a business lunch, naturally. My friend David Mathew, from a distinguished legal, military and political family, told a story about Churchill’s arrival in Athens at Christmas in 1944. David’s father, Robert, then a young officer, was sent to meet the great man, who was grumpy and preoccupied, with good reason. He had come to save Greece from communism, with little guarantee of help from the Americans, let alone left-wing opinion in Britain. The sucking-up to ‘Uncle Joe’ Stalin may have been necessary to win the war. It would not be helpful for winning the peace.

Robert and Churchill’s arrival at the embassy was heralded by sniper fire, and young Mathew shoved the PM through the door. They landed in a heap. Churchill: ‘Do you normally push prime ministers around?’ Mathew: ‘Sir, I’d rather have an angry prime minister than a dead one.’