Star Quality

I spent much of last week tasting wine in a professional capacity and therefore, sadly, having to spit it out. But there was one particular event that didn’t require any spitting. In fact, I pretty much gawped open-mouthed throughout (thank god I wasn’t tasting wine; could’ve been messy). As you know – because I’ve gone on and on about it – I was a judge for this year’s Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards so got to go to the Awards ceremony. Claudia Winkleman hosted, Prince Charles made a surprise appearance, Mary Berry and Nadiya from Bake Off won awards as did my food writing crush Diana Henry. Also spotted: Chris Evans (so tall!), Dame Judi Dench (so small!) and countless famous chefs and critics. The other stars were, of course, the canapés (mini scotch eggs!) and the champagne. No spitting required, thankfully.