I LOVED having the chance to launch the whole Restaurant Australia Campaign

‘Restaurant Australia’ in London on September 22nd. South Australia was the first night of six where each state (except Tasmania who are to have the big bonanza later in the year) put on a dinner in Australia House for 170 people over 6 nights.

Our room was enclosed by olive trees with beautiful wild flowers on the table; so many wine glasses that I had to fight for room for bread, salads etc… but it did transform into a restaurant in this stately house.

As each guest entered I poured them a glass of Jantz with the help of the team ferrying empty Sparkling bottles to allow me to welcome everyone in that Aussie way, and the night began.

It's not the easiest thing in the world to put a dinner on without any kitchen, or your own team, but I had amazing support, firstly from the caterers Jackson Gilmour and their team – a great story to tell later when I do my newsletter about this, and also from Skye Gyngell, the famous Australian chef in London, who lent me her kitchen and a team of 5 passionate chefs from her about-to-open restaurant, ‘Spring’ in Somerset House, which is just across the way on the Strand.

I’ll write more about the actual food with my newsletter, but suffice to say for the moment, is that given it's impossible to control every little thing in such circumstances with trestle tables set up to serve the food; with warming ovens to keep things hot and camp like facilities, but the food, the wine, the celebration on the night all came together and at about the main course stage I did a live cross with Channel 9, and having viewed it myself just this last Wednesday I was so excited I realise some might have thought I had my fair share of the Jantz – but excitement and relief in equal measures that we’d pulled it off.