At the Observer food Monthly Awards earlier this year I met the great and the good of the food world. I was rather nervous and Matthew Fort gallantly took me under his wing and introduced me to many fascinating people, one of whom was Henry Harris of Racine.
The only problem was that I rapidly became a gabbling drunk. A few weeks before I’d had a foot operation to fix a childhood problem and was still unable to wear shoes. But on this night, the night I was getting an award from Mariella Frostrup after she had handed one to Jamie Oliver I thought I’d better.
I spoke to my surgeon and he said- take some painkillers and you’ll be fine in shoes for one night. So I did. And then I had a glass of champagne. You can imagine the rest. I was so overexcited and nervous and elated I really didn’t need that heady cocktail.
When I was introduced to Henry I rambled incomprehensibly. (Poor Nigel Slater was so dumbfounded by my ebullience that he sadly shook his head and turned to speak to someone sane).
Amazingly Henry didn’t hold it against me. Surely a true gentlemen, he never mention what a bore I’d been and allowed me to come to his wonderful restaurant and do a tasting of my Rare Teas.
Yesterday I chatted to all the staff about the teas and how best to serve them and now they are available at surely one of the best restaurants anywhere.
Racine Restaurant
239 Brompton Road
London
SW3 2EP
+44 (0) 20 7584 4477
