Charity deliciousness

(by peter & susie)

A few weeks ago we co-hosted a particularly tasty charity event in aid of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

This very deserving cause, which has flown over 3,000 missions since its launch in 2007, many of them life-saving, was represented at the event by its Chairman of Trustees, Cllr Barry Lipscomb, Mayor of Winchester.

This was in addition to the life-size helicopter simulator which was being trucked onto site – The Myers Touch show-room in King’s Worthy – on the back of a large lorry when we arrived earlier in the evening.

The event was a huge success – a great combination of wine, food and fun, with cooking demos courtesy of acclaimed local eatery The Bangkok Brasserie and us talking about wine pairings with the food (among other things).

The invitation had somewhat embarrassingly billed us as ‘celebrity Masters of Wine’ – which to our ear made our day jobs sound like a cross between Strictly Come Dancing and a Roman orgy – but we just about managed to live it down on the night.

Everyone seemed to have a great time – especially to judge by the subsequent emails as well as photos from the night, which were taken by the very talented Philip Green.

The evening kicked off with a very welcome glass of Trevisiol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry (£8.95 down from £12.20, BBR).

Chef then rustled up a deliciously coconutty chicken penang – one of the favourites of the evening – which we paired with the creamy, cherried CVNE Rioja Rosado 2009 (£6.85 down from £9.10, BBR).

This was followed by vegetables in oyster sauce, whose crunchy yet intensely savoury charms we offset with the succulent, gently spicy La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux (£6.25 down from £8.35, BBR).

Our final pièce de resistance came with the superb Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (£14.95, BBR) paired with the prawns in tamarind sauce.

All of the wines were very kindly supplied free of charge by Berry Bros & Rudd, while the raffle was supported by Waitrose donating a case of wines and spirits and the Winchester Holiday Inn stumping up dinner for two. Our sincere thanks to them and all those who helped make the event such a success.

The total amount raised from the event was in the region of £1,500, which we’re delighted about.

We’d like to say a personal thank you to everyone who came and made the event so enjoyable and successful. Also to our co-hosts Keith at The Myers Touch, Roger at Roger Walker Travel, Miff, Suraya and chef at The Bangkok Brasserie. And the fabulous team who worked so hard on the night.