After university, I went to work at a literary agency, Murray Pollinger. The last job I held there, before I moved on, was to be responsible for all rights that were not book rights in England and America. In other words, film, TV, radio, theatre, foreign, serial, etc. It was exciting work, because the agency represented some of the most astonishing names in children’s literature in particular, and numerous award winners, from Carnegie Medal, to Whitbread and Booker Prizes and 3 Children’s Laureates.
Their most famous author was Roald Dahl. A fascinating man. Very fair, very straight, he didn’t suffer fools gladly. He seemed happiest in the company of children, because they saw things so clearly and could usually be relied upon to give you an honest answer. Above all, he could be very generous.
Whilst I was at the agency, Danny, The Champion of the World was filmed for TV and came out in 1989. A stellar cast, including Jeremy Irons and his son, Sam, Cyril Cusack, Robbie Coltrane, Lionel Jeffries, Michael Hordern, Jimmy Nail, Ronald Pickup, Jean Marsh, et al, all gathered for the preview. I showed up, a trifle later than I’d intended, to be greeted by Roald, who was holding court. He introduced me to all these people, plus Sinead Cusack, who had accompanied her husband and son, as “the best bird in the business”.
Flash forward a month or two, and I told Murray and Gina Pollinger, and all our authors that I was getting married and taking a month’s honeymoon. Roald announced that he wanted to give us a wedding present. He duly came into the office and handed me an envelope. He said it did not look much, but I was a foodie, so he thought I’d like it. He instructed me to open it that evening with my fiancé and then act on its instructions.
I carefully stashed the envelope in the inside pocket of my jacket, so as not to lose it. I took it home to Malcolm and explained what it was. We unfastened the envelope with real excitement and a great deal of curiosity. Inside was a card which, when opened, read:
“To Caro, the best bird in the business!
This entitles you to a meal at my favourite restaurant. Ring and book a table under your own name. Show up on the night, tell them who you are, and my credit card will do the rest. I expect you to eat and drink the very best of everything, including drinking champagne all night, if you want to.
Roald “
We chose a date when we knew we weren’t busy. This was an evening to savour. I rang the next day and booked a table. I told them, as I always have to, that they needed to know that I was desperately allergic to mushrooms. The date was set for a few weeks later, when we knew we had nothing planned for that day or the day after and could deliberately keep them clear.
The appointed night came. We dressed to kill. We showed up. I stepped through the door and when the mậitre d’approached us, I told her my name. She smiled broadly. She led us to a table in the window that was undoubtedly the best spot in the restaurant. She poured us a glass of champagne that was already waiting for us on ice in a bucket at our table.
The meal was an absolute dream. We didn’t actually order a thing… They told us that they wanted us to have a gastronomic experience. That the chefs were each wanting to showcase their special skills. That they would bring us appetiser-sized portions of everything to try. Was that OK? Would we trust them? We told them that indeed we would.
Dish after tempting dish arrived. And despite the fact that the champagne was permanently on tap in its bucket, every one was served with a different wine. The sommelier brought each wine over and told us a little about its provenance. There was a glass wall into the kitchen, so we could see the chefs at work. We could also see them studiously avoiding being too obviously interested in our reaction to the food, if the dish that they had cooked came out.
Time seemed to telescope outward, other diners came and went. And through it all, we were clearly the source of a great deal of speculation. Just WHO were we? We didn’t look like anyone they recognised…. but? Surely, the treatment we were getting, we MUST be? I mean, for heaven’s sake! Why were WE getting such special treatment? There was quite a lot of discreet whispering behind menus….but, for obvious reasons, no one could quite place us…. The waiters, who had all entered into the spirit of the evening, weren’t letting on… So, by the end of the evening, the other diners were still none the wiser. No conclusion had been reached.
However, when we got up to leave, CLEARLY without PAYING…well…
………you could have cut the air with a knife…
The astonished silence lasted until we exited the building. And the door closed behind us…Then the crescendo of noise, followed us up the street. I occasionally idly speculate just who it was I was mistaken for….
energyfun said:
What a classy gift! And you clearly recall every thrilling moment.
caroness1 said:
Hi honey! How the heck are you?
Nicky Kriel (@NickyKriel) said:
WOW, what a story to be able to tell! Love it.
caroness1 said:
…thanks Nicky! It was ruddy marvellous!
Anita-Clare Field said:
What an absolutely wonderful blog bird,
caroness1 said:
..thanking you kindly!
Denys Kelley said:
talking about being wined and dined! Wow.
Now don’t you wish you could play it forward?
caroness1 said:
…it was the BEST present!And yeah, I’d love to be able to!
cairnr said:
What an amazing experience! Your description of it was perfect, I felt like I was sitting next to you 🙂
caroness1 said:
Thanks Cairn! It was very cool! It would be goo to be able to do that for someone else!
Chef WIlliam said:
What a great way to enjoy wines and different foods. As Chefs, we also get great pleasure when we present a dish that is truly enjoyed. Actually those moments are what we work for. Cooking is both an art and a science, and when done correctly, it can be a wonderful moment in time. Thanks for sharing this memory with us.
caroness1 said:
Thanks for your lovely comment, William. I always think eating is a 2 way street – an exchange between diner and chef… It’s important that the chef knows just how appreciated his/her food has been!
Amanda said:
Splenderooooso and lovely. I was “there”…I wasn’t, of course, but the telling of it is so evocative of the moment that I was transported. A platinum present, what an evening and, hey, you silenced AN ENTIRE RESTAURANT!!! X
caroness1 said:
Thanks Amanda! Glad you enjoyed it! It was a platinum present indeed!
Debbie Young said:
Wow! What a wonderful story and what a thoughtful, generous gift! All the more surprising, too, given Roald Dahl’s favourite pudding was a simple bar of chocolate (Kitkats, I think!) Thank you for sharing!
caroness1 said:
He was an extraordinarily generous man! What a present that was!
Debbie Young said:
I work part-time at the Readathon charity of which Roald Dahl was the original chairman. It was founded by author Brough Girling who was a personal friend of Dahl’s and he has lots of great anecdotes – always a joy to hear more!
caroness1 said:
That’s really cool! Thanks for sharing!
Debbie Young said:
Hello again, Caro! Funnily enough, I just emailed the link to this post to Brough Girling and he says he was at that film premier too! What a small world! Sometimes it feels like “all worlds lead to Roald Dahl”! Have put a link to your lovely post on Readathon’s Facebook page and Twitter timeline today to share it with our friends and supporters.
caroness1 said:
I actually remember him being there! That’s immensely generous of you to post a link on Twitter and FB! Thank you so very much
Debbie Young said:
I’ll tell him! Thanks, Caro! Have just followed your blog and I’m looking forward to reading more. 🙂
caroness1 said:
Thank you so much!
Carol Tomany said:
Fascinating story – how fortunate
caroness1 said:
…we were!
Alex Hurst said:
What an amazing experience. The way you related it was also so palpable, I could feel every moment of it. That’s really awesome. It’s great to learn more about you!
Alex Hurst, fantasy author in Japan, participating in Blogging A-Z April Challenge.
caroness1 said:
Thank you Alex! Glad you enjoyed it! I certainly did!
Cathrina Constantine said:
How truly amazing and generous of Ronald. I wish to do the same some day!
caroness1 said:
It was! An incredible gift gratefully received and consumed!
Muriel said:
What a fantastic present! And it is such a nice gesture. Seriously, what’s not to love about Roald Dahl?
caroness1 said:
It was.
helenvalentina said:
How cool is that??? What a wonderful story about a wonderfully creative way to be generous from one of the most creative of writers!! Excellent, thanks for sharing!! 🙂 🙂
caroness1 said:
You are welcome!