For my last meal we’d sit out among the temples and trees of Angkor in Cambodia – one of the most magical places I have ever been. The way nature has taken over there is truly amazing. We’d have background music, but something simple that wouldn’t distract from the beauty of the place.
This last menu would be a tricky one for me to plan, because it is so very important. It would have to be something very simple – like a perfect roast chicken with a beautiful pomme puree, topped with black truffle shavings.
What I love about a roast chicken is the simplicity of really good meat; you don’t need to do anything to it.
For dessert I would have a vacherin, a French dessert which is everything I love all in one! A perfect meringue, whipped cream, ice- cream …
And there’d be a beautiful cheese board, with the best cheeses from everywhere in the world. A Saint-Marcelin, a Saint-Félicien, a camembert, some comté, a Mont d’Or, some stichelton …
To drink we’d have an aged Romanée-Conti, or a good Rhône Valley wine. And to end the meal, I’d have a coffee as I like it best – a double espresso: no milk, no sugar; just as it is ...
... and a beautiful cigar with a glass of my father’s poire williams – I always have a bottle of this at home; it’s an eau de vie he’s been making for years with his friends.
My parents would join me for this meal, along with my brother, my partner and my children. It would be in the springtime: not too hot; just warm enough to be comfortable sitting outside.
