A glorious last supper of Titanic proportions
Conor McClelland serving two customers the Titanic meal at Rayanne House, Holywood
As the world commemorates the centenary of the launch of the Titanic, Helen McGurk visits a Co Down restaurant which has reproduced the sumptuous last meal enjoyed by first-class ticket holders on the ill-fated liner
IT may seem a tad macabre to mimic the Titanic’s menu, to reproduce a supper which would be the last so many would enjoy, but that’s exactly what one Holywood couple have done at their upmarket establishment, Rayanne House.
According to chef and owner, Conor McClelland, people enter into the spirit of the feasting without dwelling too much on the tragedy. Indeed, diners and unabashed ‘Titanoracks’ flock from all over the world for the nine-course banquet and to immerse themselves in Titanic nostalgia.
‘‘It’s a bit of fun, everyone enjoys it. There’s a bit of history and storytelling with your dinner,’’ he says.
‘‘Some people come in period costume, some in big feather hats and boas, and some come in jeans and a tee-shirt, and that’s grand. There was one party, only a few weeks ago, and when we opened the door they were all wearing life jackets, but only for a bit of fun.’’
I was invited along to the restaurant, which overlooks Belfast Lough, to sample a flavour of the epicurean delights those first-class passengers would have enjoyed on that fateful evening of April 14, 1912.
Thankfully Conor has tweaked the menu to suit modern taste buds, but it is still a foodie extravaganza, with all sorts of rich dishes including foie gras and roast squab (that’s pigeon).
One tiny problem - I’m a vegetarian! Were there any squeamish non-meat eating sorts around in 1911 I ask Conor?
‘‘I can’t imagine there would have been many vegetarians then,’’ he laughs.
‘‘They were big meat eaters. If you think back to that time they were all big game hunters.’’
However to accommodate today’s more pernickety palates, Conor can offer vegetarian variations.
Titanic has often been described as the ‘‘floating Ritz’’ and first-class passengers would have feasted on a flawlessly prepared 13-course meal in the rarefied, silver service atmosphere of the first-class a la carte restaurant.
Second-class passengers would have eaten a less elaborate but beautifully served dinner in the second class dining saloon. And on F deck, in what would be called steerage in lesser vessels, third-class passengers ate simply prepared, hearty meals served in their own spartan dining saloon.
But unbeknownst to all diners, death was waiting in the wings. In the early hours of April 15, the Titanic sank taking more than 1,500 passengers and crew - many well fed and lubricated - to their untimely deaths.
Conor and his wife Bernie spent months researching the first-class menu that originally included items such as roast duckling and spiced peaches with jelly and ice cream.
The couple became interested in the subject when they discovered links between their guesthouse and a local artist named JW Carey, who painted both Rayanne House and the Titanic.
Some changes have been made to update the menu, including trimming the number of courses from a gluttonous 13, to a less gargantuan, but still belly-busting, nine.
Conor says: “They had nowhere to go on the ship, so they spent hours over dinner, and in those days prosperity was measured in girth.”
He also, thankfully, abandoned the custom of serving foie gras before dessert, which was the norm in those days.
Conor has thoroughly enjoyed the undertaking. “It has been a lot of fun and it was quite easy to adapt the menu for a modern cuisine,” he says. “I was surprised at how advanced they were.’’
The elegant repast served at Rayanne House is something else. From hors d’oeuvres to cream of barley soup finished with Bushmills Whiskey and cream, to poached salmon and filet mignon, with some local cheeses and chocolate fancies to round things off.
I heard one fellow diner describe the unusual flavours of the rose water and mint sorbet as being like eating ‘‘your granny’s talc,’’ and I would concur that it is reminiscent of a Yardley scent, but it was lovely nonetheless.
Overall the meal was an amazing four-hour eat-athon, the food exquisitely prepared, the courses never-ending, and the conversation constantly flowing.
It is overwhelmingly sad to think of all those people on board the Titanic enjoying their meal, happily oblivious to the nightmare that lay ahead.
Sadly, whatever they ate, whether it was the finest filet mignon, or some plain soup and bread, for many they had little time left to savour living.
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