NEW ZEALAND DINNER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19384, 20 July 1926, Page 14

NEW ZEALAND DINNER.

ANNUAL LONDON GATHERING. TAUPO TROUT AND TOHEROAS. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON, June 15. The New Zealand annual dinner was revived last year after a break owing to tha war. It was a great success, but this year's event, held on June 8, was still more successful. This perhaps was only natural, seeing that the Duke of York was the guest of the evening. Moreover, the function was rather in the nature of a farewell to Sir James Allen. The dinner was held in the spacious main banqueting hall of the Victoria Hotel, and 400 guests were present. The great majority of these were New Zealanders resident in London, but many business men entertained their friends of the city. Thus, the shipping industry, the meat industry and the dairy industry were well represented, and considerable judgment was exorcised in placing the guests. The tables were decorated with pink carnations, irises and trails of delicate foliage. Last year the cook made the unfortunate mistake of sending in an ice model of a kangaroo which caused great amusement. He had been carefully instructed this year, and a fine model of a kiwi standing 2ft. in height appeared with the last course. Other features of the dinner itself were the Lake Taupo trout, sent by the New Zealand Governments The consignment, which was carried by the New Zealand Shipping Company without charge, arrived in good condition, and was much enjoyed by the guests. There was toheroa soup as wttll. The fruit salad was of real New Zealand quality, for passion fruit had also been sent over by direction of the New Zealand Government. Passion fruit juice has been sent to London previously in bottles, but this is the first occasion on which the fruit itself has been forwarded in cool store. It arrived in excellent condition, and the shipment may be treated as a very successful experiment. Dessert apples and pears were a present from the New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Federation. "Agneau de la Nouveile Zelande a la Broche"—in other words, saddle of Canterbury lamb —was another course which helped to give the dinner distinctly New Zealand character. Sir James Allen said that the club was founded 28 years ago, and it was interesting to note that they had among them seven of the members who were present at the first dinner—Sir Thomas Mackenzie (who was chairman of the committee), Mr. H. C. Cam-iron (who was the hon. secretary), Mr. W. Pember Reeves (who was then Agent-General for New Zealand), Mr. J. C. Hanna, Mr. W. A. Wigram, Mr. J. K. Campbell and Mr. W. B. Daniels. A summary of the speeches j&t the dinner was given in the cabled report of the dinner, published in the Herald of June