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Picks of the Week: 18th February 2000

The Perfect Dinner Party
"Oh dinner parties, darling. Love them or hate them, one's just got to have them, don't you think? It's so essential that one finds a good selection of guests. They must be diverse, they must be interesting, and most essentially, they must love to chat. Whether they be cowboys, aliens or mummies, they've got to be colourful and able to talk about anything.
"Remember, one must accept any gifts with a smile, regardless of how tacky they may be. That's why it's simply essential your guests are 'good eggs', if they're cheapskates they won't offer much on their arrival. Those who supply unique gifts can be trusted to enliven any dinner party, whether it be a Grand Silver Pod Torque or a Giotto Colour Umbrella Stand.
"No, no, I haven't forgotten darling... Yes, I'm just getting to it... It's so crucial. One must get it absolutely right. Make a wrong choice and one can wave goodbye to one's social life. Luckily, my husband and I are members of a rather exclusive club. A Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 Ardèche VdP should slip down beautifully, with its deep, dark core of blackcurrants and liquorice. Also we were fiercely impressed with a Domaine Servin 1997, Les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru AOC with ripe citrus fruit flavour and its 'minerally' complexity...
"Of course, the food must be exquisite. Serve your guests unsatisfactory dinners and you will be shunned from polite society for ever more - believe me, it's happened. I find it's best to start your guests off with a gentle tomato, mozzarella and basil terrine then, enchant them with a Berner Rösti with a quail's egg and a teaspoon of caviar. Golly! Listen to me! Anyone would thing I'd employed the services of Anton Mosimann.
"Obviously, one can't serve such fine wines and food without ending things on a high note. I remember when Hilda De Quincey-Corsé made the unforgivable social faux pas of not even giving us a whiff of fromages when we dined there last Summer. We've never seen her again, obviously. One must never clutter one's cheeseboard, gentle stilton should sit next to seasonal leaves and never, ever use too much fruit."

Sites Featured in Picks of the Week:

DoBeDo - colourful chat.
Alternative Gift Company - different gifts.
The Sunday Times Wine Club - red or white, vintage or modern.
Anton Mosimann - super chef.
British Cheese Board - it's a bit runny, sir...

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Previous Weeks' Picks:

[ 11th February 00 | 4th February 00 | 28th January 00 | 21st January 00 ]