SCANDAL and gossip are the dish of the day as a Leyland author spills the beans about his life as a chef in a new book entitled Get a Life.

Swapping recipes with film star Audrey Hepburn and preparing hors d'oeuvres at 3am for eccentric artist Salvador Dali was just part of life for John Werrell, who went from humble beginnings to becoming a culinary wizard to the stars.

John, 60, who now lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with partner Pauline, and has a cookery portfolio of Hollywood stars that would make Max Clifford green with envy, including Peter Sellers, Cary Grant, screen siren Kim Novak and film goddess Audrey Hepburn.

Mr Werrill said: "Audrey was absolutely gorgeous, and was always interested in my meals. She asked for my bread recipe but my boss wasn't very keen on giving it out, so I had to change it a little and told her to put more yeast in.

Apparently her oven exploded but she still rang my boss and complimented my cooking."

But success has not come easy for the former pupil of Leyland St James' Church School, Slater Lane, and Worden High, Westfield Drive.

After graduating from Blackpool Technical College, with a French cuisine qualification at 18, he worked on P&O cruise liners and private charter boats for the rich and famous.

He said: "I was on call 24/7 and had a buzzer at the side of my head.

"Salvador Dali pressed it at 3am wanting food for himself and an entourage of six women. He was an extremely eccentric man, it didn't surpise me he wanted hors d'oeuvres at that time."

John's favourite job was working on-shore for James Swchwabacher, a tenor for the San Francisco Opera.

He said: "He left the house for a couple of days. I invited people around but he came back early. All he said is 'next time you're having a party, make sure you invite me'."

Despite his decadent lifestyle, he has not forgotten his Fox Lane roots. "I'll never forget Leyland," he said. "It was a great place to grow up."

He last visited Leyland in 2001 when he spent three months with his mother, Louise, who was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease prior to her death last year. He said: "We walked for miles on Worden Park and I visited all my old friends and went to the pub and talked for hours."