Breakfast for Jennifer D'Abo-CEO Rymans

Jennifer and I were bridge partners. I used to let her do what she liked and we still won. Perhaps we had telepathy. An exquisite person - some say “The Woman of Substance” was based on her. The first woman to launch a takeover bid for a company – and also voted Businesswoman of the year many times. She lived in the most amazing places – later in life she had a cottage in the grounds of Blenheim Palace and a weekender at the Anchorage in Palma De Mallorca.

She loved to entertain maybe 3 or 4 times a week. And many. She however never went to shows or theatre and generally spent NYE in bed with a book. Our ritual was to get together on Boxing Day at her cottage.

On finding out that she had a terminal illness she bought a hotel in France but sadly departed aged 57. I was in Australia at the time and had no way of knowing except the telepathy came into play again. Something pushed me to check the obituaries in the English papers.

I miss her and as it is Christmas, I think of her.

For breakfast I would give her

Indian Tea with spices

Parathas like the punjabis make them

Hot mango pickle

Fresh mangoes

And a kiss

I know this would compare with the best of breakfasts she would have had at A list Homes and Hotels.

She was a true Yorkshire girl at heart- simple and harworking. Her three husbands may have been  bad picks but she left a legacy of colour for me at least

Her book “Jennifer D’Abo at home” – fast food for stylish people in a hurry still available and my recipe there with many others

As we would eat our breakfast slowly, I know that she would appreciate that we can go to each other’s homes even in pyjamas.

Her children Joel Cadbury and Mrs Charles Farr( Sophy) carry the D'Abo sparkle...