Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jnr did not know what to expect at the Langdon dinner "Everyone told me it would be typically Jewish fare."

As he'd heard of chopped liver, the starter bore no surprise and though the main course of lemon and rosemary poussin, potato kugel and red cabbage will probably not appear on the Le Gavroche menu any time soon, he "absolutely enjoyed it," he said. "I'm looking forward to the pudding as I've never tried – what is it called? – lokshen pudding."

Tuesday's dinner was not Roux's only recent experience of heimishe cuisine. "One of my apprentices is Jewish and he made an excellent chicken soup a couple of weeks ago."