Our New Year’s Eve, was as normal, quiet but normally we watch the London fireworks as we can see them from our living room window. The Willowy brunette who is in our bubble was with us and brought along Champagne and an amazing cheesecake. She, ( who doesn’t cook) in fact made two of them and dropped one off for her sister in Finchley before heading off to look at teeth( she is a dentist).

My normal Christmas dinner insists of Seafood, Seafood and more seafood, as I don’t cook on Christmas Day, but this year I broke my own rule and cooked, so in my mind, Christmas Day became New Years Eve and as I cast my eye around the various options for this day/ night of dubious celebrations I came upon Bibendum a restaurant in London, run by Claude Bossi, and with 2 Michelin Stars. The restaurant is house in what was once the iconic Michelin Building and is divided into 2 sections, the main restaurant and the Oyster Bar.

The Oyster Bar was offering a New Years Take Away, Seafood Platter and so I ordered on for three people. It looked amazing and cam complete with extras, sauces and dips as well as a wonderful dark brown loaf and a roll of butter.

The only thing it lacked was the cocktail sauce.

I think most people in The UK ( and I could be wrong here) eat shrimp and prawns with a Marie Rose sauce, a pale pink creation of dubious provenance. Having lived on the Gulf Coast of the USA, I have to admit to preferring the American version, a red cocktail sauce, also I suspect of dubious origins, but however, very easy to make a simplified version at home.

Himself had pottered on down to Selfridges, where he had on order 24 oysters ( just in case the platter didn’t live up to hype) and then wandered over to Chelsea to collect our platter. It was then decided to delay our Oysters Rockefeller until New Years Day ad the was more than enough on the platter.

So here we are on this pretty dreary day, me writing this and Himself shucking 2 dozen oysters. No mean feat, if you haven’t had to do it for a living! The man who runs the Selfridges Champagne Bar, Paxton, often enters the Oyster Shucking competition at the Whitstable Oyster Festival and wins! A good shucker, shucks 24 in about 2 minutes! Himself, well a little longer, but improving!

Have never actually eaten in Bibendum but will now do so as we were duly impressed with our seafood platter.

For those of you who want to make your own Cocktail Sauce, then follow this easy peasy cheats recipe.

• 1 Cup of Ketchup ( yes ketchup)
• 2 tabs hot horseradish sauce, use more or less to your own taste
• A good squirt of of lemon juice
• And if you want a bit more spice, a squirt or two of hot sauce , like Tabasco.

Mix all together until well blended.