On July 2 Lakewood resident Alan Rolfe finally got to eat his favourite dish.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Alan has visited Miss Nellie’s cafe every Sunday to eat lunch in the same spot at the window for the past four and a half years.
The love of his life Mary used to sit opposite him but since she passed away 18 months ago Alan has been visiting the cafe on his own.
Every Sunday Alan would ask if owner Jenelle Nosworthy would make him rabbit pie.
Alan said eating rabbit reminded him of his childhood.
“When I was young my grandfather used to live in a village in England and he used to send these rabbits up to our place and some watercress,” he said.
Alan and his siblings would fight over their favourite part of the rabbit which was the brain.
“We used to get the end of the spoon to dig it out,” he said.
“It was lovely.”
In June Mr Rolfe celebrated his 90th birthday by parachuting out of a plane in Melbourne.
Jenelle decided to surprise Alan and cook him rabbit pie for his birthday.
“I had been putting off chopping up bugs for so long,” she said.
“I had a complex about it but I finally worked up the courage.”
Alan said he enjoys going out for his Sunday lunch as it saves him from having to cook anything.
He thought it was a lovely surprise to be served up rabbit pie.
Alan has now requested that Jenelle make him an Iranian love cake.
“I gave her the recipe,” he said.
Jenelle said Alan is one of her most loyal customers.
“Alan has probably been the longest standing customer since we opened five years ago in November,” she said.