Food writer Skye McAlpine is a regular visitor to the Royal Ballet and Opera, drawn back by the way performance can lift even the most ordinary evening. For The Making, she welcomed friends into her London home for supper, conversation and a live performance from artists of Royal Ballet and Opera’s Jette Parker Artists Programme. Afterwards, we spoke to Skye about food, gathering, memorable evenings and the rare experience of welcoming live opera into her home.
Ballet and opera have long been part of your life. What keeps drawing you back?
I just find it incredibly uplifting.
One of the wonderful things about living in London is having the Royal Ballet and Opera on your doorstep. Over the past few years, I've really tried to make space in my life for it. I try to see every ballet production, and as much opera as I can too.
Quite often I'll arrive after a day of meetings, feeling completely exhausted and thinking I'd actually quite like to go home and go to bed. Then the curtain goes up, and there hasn't been a single time I've left the theatre without feeling incredibly energised, inspired and uplifted.
There's just something magical about it. I don't quite know how to explain it. You leave with this incredible feeling of awe. My goodness... that's a person who can do that. They've trained for so long and they're doing something so extraordinary.
What does a memorable evening at home begin with?
Fundamentally it's all about the people.
I love planning the menu and thinking about the table, but what you're really trying to do as a host is create the circumstances for people to relax, connect and become the best versions of themselves.
There's something lovely about inviting people into your home because people behave differently there. They kick off their shoes, curl up on the sofa with another cup of tea and, before you know it, lunch has somehow become early evening because nobody wants to leave.
That's always what I'm hoping for.
How do you create atmosphere when you're entertaining?
The magic that you can create around a dining table really draws people in. I love thinking about flowers and the table, but I don't think atmosphere comes from spending lots of money or making everything look perfect. It's really about making people feel comfortable enough to relax.
You don't need a perfect house or a perfectly laid table. You can still create that sort of magic in quite an everyday way.
And I think more of it in life makes life better.
How do you think about creating atmosphere when you're entertaining?
The magic that you can create around a dining table really draws people in. I love thinking about flowers and the table, but atmosphere is really about making people feel comfortable enough to relax.
There’s something about being at home that lets people stay longer, talk more freely and let the evening find its own shape. That's what I'm always hoping for.
One of the ideas behind The Making is that people rarely see everything that goes into creating a memorable experience. Does that feel true of hosting, too?
I do.
I spend a lot of time thinking about logistics and getting those out of the way. The one thing that kills a party is a stressed host. People are incredibly sensitive to that, even if it’s never said out loud.
The dream is that it feels as though it’s being catered, even though it’s just me. By the time people arrive, I don’t want to be thinking about logistics anymore. I want to be with them.
That's really what my cookbooks are trying to do as well. They're full of little shortcuts. Readers might never notice them, but that's rather the point.
Is that something you learn through experience?
Definitely. The more you do it, the more instinctive it becomes. You start to know what really matters and what doesn't.
A lot of what I try to do with my books is encourage people who haven't got that prior knowledge, or who feel nervous about hosting, to take that first step. Once you do, you very quickly figure out an even better way of doing it for your own home, your own taste and your own friends.
Do you think we can sometimes make both hosting and experiencing opera feel more intimidating or exclusive than they really are?
I do.
I think we sometimes have this perception of opera and ballet as rather formal or intimidating, when actually the emotion of it is completely universal. You don't need to know everything about it to be moved by it.
I feel the same about hosting. There's this idea that you need to have the perfect home, cook an elaborate meal or get everything exactly right before you invite people over. But actually, there are so many ways to do it without all of that.
You can still create that sort of magic in quite an everyday way.
And I think more of it in life makes life better.
What did welcoming live opera into your home bring to the evening?
I don't think any of us will ever forget it.
It really was such an incredibly special evening. We all felt so privileged to be in the presence of such extraordinary talent. The voices, the skill, the artistry of the singers and the pianist were something magical that I'll certainly never forget.
My favourite moment actually happened before the performance. The singers arrived a little early and I was still downstairs cooking. I could hear them rehearsing upstairs while I was finishing supper. It was just so surreal, so memorable and so magical.
How did it feel to experience opera so close up?
Once we were all gathered together, sitting on the sofas to listen, it became completely immersive.
Of course you appreciate those voices in the theatre, but hearing them from only a few feet away was something else entirely. You suddenly realise the sheer scale of what they can do. I had goosebumps.
Was there a moment, or response from a guest, that stayed with you afterwards?
Some of the arias were old favourites of mine, particularly from La Bohème, so hearing them performed so close up was incredibly moving. But there were also pieces I hadn't heard before, which made the evening feel like a real journey.
One of my closest friends, Alice, was standing beside me throughout the performance, and by the end she was literally in tears. I think we all just felt incredibly moved by the beauty of it and so uplifted afterwards.
Finally, what do you hope people leave with after an evening around your table?
I often think about how I feel when I leave the Royal Ballet and Opera. However tired I've been when I arrived, I always come away feeling uplifted, energised and somehow more hopeful.
An incredible performance can do that. I genuinely think a good home-cooked meal can do the same thing. So can a really good conversation with a friend.
They're different experiences, but they all have this wonderful ability to bring people together and leave you feeling a little better than when you arrived.
Those are the moments that stay with you.
Continue exploring
The Making
Explore the stories, films and people behind our collaboration with the Royal Ballet and Opera.
Curtain Call
Watch the final film celebrating the people and moments behind the collaboration.
