At the ambassador’s
Michael is invited for a special afternoon in Poland
The ambassador was spoiling us, as he does. No tailcoated waiters with mountains of chocolates on silver salvers. Or munroes of Scotch eggs, which I understand will be preferred should lunch follow independence.
This particular ambassador has a Scots name, Charles Crawford, but he also represents England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He was offering the hospitality of three nations and one province.
The United Kingdomâs coat of arms, flanked by the lion and the unicorn, was embossed and printed in gilt at the head of the menu. Beneath was the legend: âLunch on the occasion of Mr Michael Jacksonâ.
I recognised the name. Her Majestyâs Ambassador in Poland had invited me to lunch with myself.
âHome-made pasta with prawns, aromatised with mintâ was to be the starter. Angel-hair pasta, to precise. Light, but spicily appetising.
âSea-bass with Thai fresh saladâ was the main.
A lunch beautifully judged for a busy day was completed by fresh fruit and ice-cream. Cool Britannia.
I appreciated the welcome from the Ambassador, as a gesture of moral support. After an afternoon of media interviews I was to present a Scotch whisky dinner at the new Warsaw Hilton.
As an aperitif, I often serve Bladnoch. I find in it a lemongrass note that I feel works well in that role. The distilleryâs location, first across the border and southernmost in Scotland, makes a good start to an exploration of the countryâs whiskies.
And the story of its revival, against the odds is a .....
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By Michael Jackson
Section : Musings with Michael Jackson
Page number : 11
