Margot Henderson’s Fantasy Dinner Fit for Queens

In a column about her fantasy dinner for the Financial Times “pioneering New Zealand chef [Margot Henderson invites ‘four beauties’ to dine at her favourite Paris restaurant. Dress code: no corsets.”

“I’m inviting Sarah Lucas, Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II and Nina Simone, and I can feel the ground shaking with their brilliance,” Henderson says.

“Paris, we must be in Paris. Lunch at my favourite Parisian restaurant, Le Baratin. Raquel Carena cooks traditional French food with little gentle twists. Her partner Philippe runs the bar, which is stocked with yummy French wines. It’s quite a hike up there. Picture the scene: these four beauties heading up to 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve.”

The menu?

“Veal brains, wobbly, like clouds of joy floating in butter, chives and new potatoes. Food for queens.”

Wellington-born Henderson, 57, is the co-founder of London’s Rochelle Canteen. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to the culinary arts.

Original article by Margot Henderson, Financial Times, September 25, 2021.

Photo by Lizzie Gill.