By Chris Jones - 15th December 2005
Tony Blair’s EU budget proposals may be unpalatable to many of his fellow leaders, but the British premier will be hoping that the food will prove easier to swallow.
Thursday’s summit kicks off with a formal dinner, the first time that the heads of state and government from all 25 member states will meet to chew over the latest proposals.
And Blair will be hoping to force arch-rival Jacques Chirac to eat his words after sampling the best of British cuisine.
The French president has been outspoken in his criticism of the British food served during the UK’s six-month presidency of the EU.
Chirac spurned Blair’s attempt at European diplomacy on a grand scale by declining a dinner invitation at the Hampton Court summit in October.
And he has added further spice to a budget recipe that is already hot enough with claims that Britain could not be trusted because its food was so bad.
His claims will be put to the test on Thursday, with a range of British dishes to tantalise and challenge even the most discerning palate.
EU leaders will kick off their dinner with Cullen Skink, a Scottish fish soup made from haddock which presumably tastes nicer than it sounds.
But while other EU leaders are looking for Blair to beef up his budget proposal, there will be no British beef on the menu at the dinner.
France’s ban on British beef imports lasted well beyond that of the rest of Europe, despite the fact that the UK has some of the most rigorous food safety tests in the EU following BSE.
But Chirac and the other leaders will be served rack of Northern Irish lamb as their main course, with the beef issue perhaps seen as still too much of a hot potato.
A selection of British cheeses, coffee and Scottish shortbread will follow.
As for the wine, Blair will be hoping that the selection will be more to the taste of his fellow leaders than the 2005 vintage budget proposal.
A white from Wales - Tintern Parva - and a red from Devon - Sharpham Beenleigh - are unlikely to have featured on Chirac’s wine list in the past.
But Blair is perhaps hoping to draw parallels with budget proposals that, at first glance, seem unlikely to appeal but which in the end may have a surprisingly appealing bouquet.
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