Retro: One of the popular plays in the 1970s on television was Abigail's Party by Mike Leigh

Serving Spam at a dinner party? Better attend a Spam tasting session

Starring the wonderful Alison Steadman, it was described as a suburban comedy and was a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the newly emerging middle classes.

It is said that everyone can see someone they know in at least one of the characters. It was entertainment at its best!

After its London stage run it appeared on BBCs Play for Today' in 1977 and is still popular.

In fact, the 1970s has been described as the era that taste forgot.

Spam - the luncheon meat was a staple of military diets and the subject of much merriment

Not the UKs gastronomic highpoint, featuring such delicacies as ‘Smash’ potato and ‘Spam’ fritters! With Angel Delight as dessert!Dining out was becoming a more popular leisure pursuit.

That was, for those whose husbands could be persuaded that it was much more fun than drinking in the pub all evening, or who could be talked round to the idea that rice wasn’t just something their mothers had made puddings from!And having a supper party in your own home suddenly became the ‘in’ thing.

After all, the ‘must have’ home accessories of the 1970s included hostess trollies, fondue sets, cocktail makers, and soda siphons.

How else would you show them off if not by inviting your friends and neighbours to see just what degree of affluence you had attained.The centre piece of any supper table was always the half grapefruit, covered in tin foil into which were stuck cubes of cheese and pineapple.There would be cheese straws, vol au vents, mini-Scotch eggs, silverskin onions, crisps, crudites and dips,

Twiglets and possibly prawn cocktails, a throwback to the 1960s but still popular!Quiches always made an appearance, usually Quiche Lorraine, nothing too ambitious.

The food was the fore runner of canapes, French finger food, which eventually started to become popular at parties in the UK.

The fondue set came into its own with people attacking the cheese sauce with a long fondue stick complete with square of bread on the end.

As a dessert Arctic Rolls were brought out although the men in the party said that its taste conflicted with the taste of beer!It was usual to provide a Watney’s Party Keg so that the beer didn’t run dry and for the ladies bottles of Blue Nun, Black Tower and Mateus Rose which you’d acquired a taste for in Salou!

Any empty bottles from a previous party would be used as a table decoration complete with candle! If a toast was appropriate, bottles of Asti Spumante provided a very convincing ‘pop’ when the cork came out!A nice touch would be’ Snowballs’, carefully prepared by the host in the kitchen and brought out to end the evening, or so he thought! Or possibly the ‘in’ drink of the 70s, Martinis – sweet or dry! Shaken, not stirred!We certainly knew how to enjoy ourselves in the 70s although fondue sets didn’t seem to last long.

Too much faffing about! Not to mention half cooked food!In fact, some people may remember a pub called the ‘Red Lion’ at the back of the City Hall.

At some point possibly in the 1980s they introduced a ‘cook your own food on slate slabs’ idea which wasn’t a million miles from the fondue concept.

Diners like to be served with food they haven’t had to prepare, and the innovative way of dining disappeared before long!