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An afternoon in the garden at the Goring.

We were delighted to hold our first President's afternoon tea at the Goring. This wonderful hotel opened in 1910 and has a beautiful garden where members were welcomed with a delicious glass or two of Ayala Champagne served from magnum. Although Ayala comes from the village of Aÿ, famous for its Pinot Noir grapes, the Ayala NV is a Chardonnay-dominant cuvée.

This was a great start to our afternoon before we were invited into the Garden Room where we were served a full afternoon tea: classic sandwiches, currant and plain scones and a selection of cakes with all those essential ingredients — chocolate, fruit and cream. For the President's charity of the year, The Drinks Trust, there was also a Champagne raffle with a very tempting magnum of Laurent-Perrier as the main prize.

"In an industry that never stands still, it is easy to let time pass without catching up with the people you've shared so many experiences with over the years. Events like the Gastronomes are a great reminder of just how valuable those friendships and professional connections are."

Many thanks to David Morgan-Hewitt and the fantastic team at the Goring for looking after us so brilliantly and sharing their wonderful hotel with us.

A classic fish menu in the heart of Mayfair.

We enjoyed a memorable evening at Richard Corrigan's Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill. Founded in 1916 by Bill Bentley, the restaurant has been a London institution for more than a century; Richard Corrigan took ownership in 2005, restoring Bentley's and maintaining its strong connection with seafood, provenance and traditional hospitality. Our dinner was held in one of Bentley's elegant private dining spaces, providing an intimate and relaxed setting for the forty guests and members.

The chef had organised a classic fish menu, beginning with Bentley's smoked salmon, potato blinis and crème fraîche, followed by fillet of halibut with asparagus, hollandaise, prawn, spinach and wild garlic purée. Dessert was a beautifully fresh Sicilian lemon tarte with crème fraîche.

Champagne was generously sponsored by Champagne Pommery, with Pommery Apanage served from magnums and presented by Brand Ambassador Sara Hicks. The wines were supplied by Vinothentic: the Rioja Alta Blanco D.O.Ca. Lagar de Cayo 2025 providing a fresh opening to the dinner, the halibut paired with Mâcon-Charnay Les Chênes, Domaine Manciat-Poncet 2022 from Burgundy, and the lemon tarte accompanied by a Classic Selection Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2019 from Hungary.

It was a highly successful evening, with £750 raised for the President's Fund — thanks to Adam Tallis for his excellent selling technique and contribution to the evening's success.