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Virginia McKennas Birthday Cake

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Coghlans create Virginia McKenna's 80th Birthday cake for a star studded event at the Savoy Hotel, London

Its not very often that a business in the North of England receives an invitation to guest at the Savoy Hotel in London but for Coghlans Cookery School of Sheepbridge Chesterfield, they are preparing for one of the biggest nights of their culinary lives when they prepare the dessert and Chocolate Birthday cake for Virginia McKenna’s 80th Birthday party this Friday, 17th June 2011.

“Both myself and Simon have spent our lives both cooking and teaching people the art of cooking and I am passionate about what we do. This is a fantastic opportunity to show the great and the good of London and the South what we have to offer and I personally am hoping that our contribution will make a difference for Born Free, a charity that I care deeply about. We are also very proud that we will be serving as guests chefs a dessert for such a prestigious function at one of the Country’s most respected Hotels”

Virginia McKenna with her birthday cake by Coghlans

The list of celebrity guests attending read like a whos who of entertainment

Celebs attending the event included Joanna Lumley, Helen Worth, Rula Lenska, Jenny Seagrove, Nick Knowles, Donal Macintyre, John Altman, Kerry Ellis, Nicholas Parsons, Don Black, Lauren St John, with a private concert by Brian May, stand up performances from Martin Clunes, Ronnie Corbett and Leslie Phillips. The charity auction was hosted by James Lewis of cash in the atic and bargain hunt fame.

Janet Coghlan had been asked to supply a special 80th Birthday cake for Virginia and it was brought to the stage to oohs and aahs from the audience, a huge Chocolate Ganache and fresh Raspberry cake surrounded by leopard printed white chocolate flames and a large solid chocolate centrepiece depicting Born Free on a white chocolate plinth.

Although the cake would have served most of the 400 guests on its own there were an additional 12 enourmous chocolate cutting cakes supplied for the Savoy staff to plate and decorate as the dessert.

Both Janet and head chef Simon declared themselves to be well pleased with the results, particularly the warm thank you from Virginia in her Birthday Speech and the standing ovation from the gathered crowds.

Celebrities admire Janet Coghlans cake

left to right : Donal McIntyre, Bill Kenright, Jenny Seagrove, Don Black, Martin Clunes, Joanna Lumley, James Lewis, Lesley Phillips, Virginia McKenna, Nick Knowles, Rula Lenska, Kerry Ellis, John Altman