The most informal (but by no means least) of the Company’s post-Court dining, the February Court Supper was held at Carmen’s Hall in Fleet Street on Thursday 15th February.
 
The Master Entrepreneur, Mr Mark Huxley, was delighted to welcome Freemen and guests to this very friendly event - a welcome antidote to a drab February evening.
 
Following a Freedom Ceremony, members of the Court, Freemen and their guests repaired to the Museum Room to enjoy cheerful flutes of fizz whilst the Court Room was reset. It was a remarkable transformation, as the functional furniture was rearranged to become a quaint buffet servery with restaurant-style seating.
 
It all added to the conviviality of the evening as dinner was called, and Freemen and guests thronged the tables, and conversed amiably in the cosy hall.
 
The Hon. Chaplain, the Reverend Sophia Acland, pronounced grace - an homage as much to the dwindling wintertime as to the example and legacy of St Dunstan (Carmen’s Hall is the former parochial school building of St Dunstan’s in the West) - and then the diners set-to. A feast of perfectly cooked cod (with chorizo and butter beans), boeuf bourguignon, and vegetables (in a delectable Malaysian-inspired sauce) was enjoyed heartily by all, and, with second helpings under most belts, further goodness appeared in the form of dishes of buttery tarte tatin and sweet cool cream. With all by now replete and with glasses refilled, the Master was persuaded to speak. Mr Huxley repeated his welcome to the Company’s newest Freeman, and expounded on his plans for the months yet to come - to a rapturous reception. Expectation is justifiably high for this most historic of years.
 
Ms Beatrice Hackett replied on behalf of the guests. In the very briefest of speeches, Ms Hackett fulsomely praised both the warmth of the Company’s generous hospitality, and the inclusive and vibrant companionship of her fellow diners. Exhorting all to join her, and to an uproarious response, Ms Hackett earnestly proposed the vitality and perpetual prosperity of The Company of Entrepreneurs.
 
Glasses were charged and tables commingled to round off an exceptional evening. Sincere thanks are due to the Master Carman for the use of Carmen’s Hall, and to PortfolioEC2 for the impeccable food and service.

 NOTES: the Court meets to discuss the business of the Company five times a year: December, February, April, June, and September. In February each year, the meeting is followed by a simple buffet supper, which any Freemen and their guests may attend. Unlike the more formal events, the seating is unreserved and diners wear day dress.
The February Court Supper 2025 is on Thursday 20th.