It's fair to say, I know a good party. I've been to my fair share. But I've never travelled out of town to a swanky do and come home having made firm celebrity friendships, but that's what happened last weekend when I returned from Cape Kidnappers. My little black book
now proudly sports the personal details of celebrity culinary guru Rick Stein and his Australian fiance, publishing PR whiz, Sarah Burns.
We flew down on Saturday morning to the luxury resort in Hawke's Bay. Later that night we exchanged contacts and arranged to have dinner at an Italian trattoria in Pimlico, London (Rick's favourite local) when I visit next month.
Stein was a special guest at the lavish Cape Kidnappers as part of their Winter Food and Wine Weekends. He designed the sumptuous menu for dinner on Saturday night where we feasted on crayfish salad with chive dressing; fragrant Indonesian curry with snapper, prawns and baby squid; crab, ginger and coriander consomme; braised grouper with slivers of potato, mushrooms and truffle oil; and Hawke's Bay apple tarte tatin with Chalky's Bite ice cream made from beer Stein brought from England.
All the courses were matched with gorgeous Trinity Hill wines. It was such a privilege to be invited - and to be staying at the award-winning boutique lodge.
Stein and Burns were a delight to meet and incredibly down-to-earth and at ease with each other.
They confided their nuptial plans: Rick wants a big white wedding in Chelsea next year, followed by a party at The Groucho Club; Sarah's obliging but would be just as happy with something small and intimate, she said.
The date has been set for July, "to allow the rellies in Australia to save up and make the trip over".
It will be a second-time-around wedding for both. They made headlines in 2002 with their steamy affair that led to the demise of Stein's 27-year marriage to his wife Jill.
Sarah and Rick had originally met on a book tour of Australia and later Stein is said to have proposed in a car outside an internet cafe. Jill did not take the news well and reportedly exchanged blows with the woman who'd stolen her husband's affections.
The former Mrs Stein told the Daily Mail in 2006 that she hit boiling point when she ran into her husband and Sarah in their neighbourhood and let out a torrent of abuse, then slapped her rival in the face. "It was a woman thing," she said. "I feel better for it. I called her a ****ing bitch and I smacked her in the face. Then Ricky said something like 'that was a bit stupid', so I smacked him on the face as well."
Sarah, 20 years Rick's junior, has two teenage boys and Rick has three adult sons. They told me stories about Sarah's kids who, rather understandably, are rather spoiled when it comes to eating well. Their father is a cook, and Stein, their stepdad-to-be, is one of the world's most celebrated chefs. "It's so embarrassing," Sarah said, "my kids will go to their friends' parties and say things like, 'is that sour dough? I only eat sour dough bread!' I tell them they have to eat what everybody else is eating."
Stein runs a successful business employing 300 people in his local Cornish village Padstow, including a restaurant, cafe, hotel, deli, patisserie, gift shop, fish and chip shop and cookery school.
Click here to see photos at Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay.
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Former celebrity couple Claire Chitham and Mikey Havoc, who announced in April that they were separating after three years of marriage, have put their Waitakere Ranges home on the market and walked away from their life as Mr and Mrs Michael Roberts (Havoc's real name). The couple's house will be sold at auction on site at midday on Saturday through estate agent Harveys in Parnell.
The property has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a study, lounge and two car parks. It is described in the Harveys marketing blurb as having "stunning panoramic city, bush and harbour views" and a "divine garden setting filled with original outdoor art and sculptures".
Photographs of the house show a modern open-plan living area that spills out onto a wide expansive timber deck. Black leather sofas with red upholstered cushions sit dominantly on a white shagpile rug. A white leather recliner, a green fern and ornamental balls of a minimalist design show flair in what is otherwise a stark and bare lounge. There is no room for clutter.
Only weeks before the couple announced their shock break up, they posed lovingly for Woman's Weekly in various outfits and expressions around the house. They talked about their wedding day and eating a home-cooked meal on their anniversary and reminiscing about marriage. On plans to start a family, Havoc turned to his wife and said: "Um, Claire... I turn 39 this year, so please hurry up," the magazine reported.
The next month they split and Havoc reportedly moved out of the matrimonial home. How's that for a hurry, Havoc? The NZ Companies Office website shows the couple still retain directorships of their joint company Boo Ha Ga Ltd which they started in 2006 - the same year they got married at an exclusive beach retreat in Hawke's Bay.
Their West Coast Rd property in the Waitakere Ranges is still listed as their address on the Companies Office website. No amendments have been made.
Rachel Glucina
Pictured above: Rick Stein and Sarah Burns. Photo / Craig Bell
It's fair to say, I know a good party. I've been to my fair share. But I've never travelled out of town to a swanky do and come home having made firm celebrity friendships, but that's what happened last weekend when I returned from Cape Kidnappers. My little black book
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