Saturday 14th April 2012 7.30pm to 1am Price £60.
To mark the centenary of the sinking of RMS Titanic, The Centre for Life, Newcastle, www.life.org.uk, will be recreating elements of the 21 course lavish menu that was served to first class passengers on that fateful evening.
Guided by contemporary reports and historical evidence, Head of Education Noel Jackson will share fascinating anecdotes which put the food, the ship and its passengers - in context.
First things first, there is of course a dress code. 'First Class Dining!' says Noel, who will be donning, either, his best bib and tucker kept for the popular Life cocktail events, or an authentic captain's uniform!
The narrated dinner, a specialty of the house, will touch on the social history of the time as well as… a little science…
"I'll be talking about the construction of the ship, the communications systems, the weather forecasting methods of the time and we'll be doing a few playful science experiments at the table. It would be churlish not to talk about iceberg construction, destruction and displacement!”
"100 years ago we were at the height of the British Empire" says Noel "the social emphasis was on our Britishness and our close European and Russian Royal family ties. The class system was very firmly in place and a post war song by Flanders and Swann 'The English are best I wouldn't give tuppence for all the rest' totally personifies the mood. Of the mood on board the Titanic? "Think Downton Abbey at sea!" he says.
With champagne and canapés on arrival, the menu, much of it locally sourced, of a terrine, a consommé, a salmon dish, a palate cleanser, a lamb dish and an extravagant sweet, with especially chosen wines to accompany, has been created by Chef Colin Bowden as reminiscent, in terms of presentation and taste, of the original menu.
To book: call 0191 243 8216 Conference & Banqueting, Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle NE1 4EP www.life.org.uk