Phil Parker

Military Service & Rank: Served 19 years in the Light Infantry

Yeoman at the Tower Since: 1997

Interests & Hobbies: Cooking

Phil Parker is one of the new breeds of Yeoman Warders having only been at the Tower since 1997. During his nineteen years service in the Light Infantry he has seen more than his fair share of global travelling. Among the country's he has visited are Canada, Cyprus, Germany and the Falklands. Upon leaving the army Phil became a newsagent but after a short period of time he heard that there were openings at the Tower of London for Yeoman Warders.

'I consider myself to be one of the luckiest and most privileged people in the world in being part of this amazing place,' says Phil. 'I was over the moon when I received notice that I had been accepted at the Tower and since I have been here things just keep getting better by the day. The Body of Yeoman Warders is made up of a great bunch of guys with everyone, especially the senior Warders being really helpful towards one and other. I love my new roll as a Beefeater of the Tower of London and my wife is just as overwhelmed at being here as I am'.

As with his fellow Yeoman, Phillip lives at the Tower with his family, which comprises of his wife, three children and two dogs. The smaller dog is a crossbred Jack Russell / Cairn Terrier and the other is a very buoyant Golden Retriever.

'The dogs love it here because they have a lot of freedom to run around the grounds after closing hours. The Retriever needs a lot of space so I tend to take him for long walks which in turn provides me with exercise'.

Perhaps Phil's greatest recreational pastime is cooking, with rumour having it that he makes the best curries in town.

'I became interested in cooking while I was in the army, simply because the food was disgustingly bad during one part of my career. I thought, I can do better than that and started reading recipe books. I became more and more interested and soon realised I had a knack for being creative in front of a hot oven. Before long I was doing all the cooking for the guys I was with and receiving no complaints from them at all. I started out just making different types of Indian curry but now I do all styles of food. Of cause, the best thing about being able to cook is that whatever you fancy eating you can probably have, providing you have a few ingredients and a bit of imagination'.

The next time you are in the vicinity of the Tower of London, you're feeling hungry and suddenly you notice the tantalising aroma of vindaloo or tandoori wafting around you'll know exactly where it's coming from.