D and I have taken to getting tickets. Tickets are brilliant because you can ask the other person to keep a date free and then surprise them on the day. There’s no wimping out on the day with, ‘I’m too tired.’ For Christmas, D got me really fantastic tickets…I was bowled over by Ronnie Scott’s. I really didn’t expect to be. When you live in London for a long time there are certain names that get bandied about so much that you just assume they are tourist traps.Inside it is gorgeous; like going back to the 1930s, all little lamps and velvet. Very intimate. There are tables, or if you are not too tall there are ‘the stalls’ but if you struggle with aeroplane seats don’t even think about booking one of these. Best thing is to get yourself a good ringside seat with a table. We were on the gallery, overlooking the action but not so close as to hurt our ears: Perfect.Generally I am against any attempt to mix pleasures. Briefly I thought in a theoretical way that I might enjoy festivals. I have since come to view them with suspicion – generally they seem to be umbrella excuses for lots of poor quality events. (OK, I know that’s a huge generalisation. Feel free to leave your comments telling me which festivals are fabulous below.)But Ronnie Scott’s mixes food with jazz, and amazingly enough it does both rather fabulously. The jazz it does extremely fabulously. I’m told that the programming team know everyone in the jazz world and nurture the best talent. The food is delicious. Not very delicious, as my friend Svetlana would say, but that is a very high accolade and this is certainly a lot nicer than most restaurants. And the cocktails are yummy too. It is an ultra glamorous, friendly place.Look, I’m not an expert on jazz. I like it, and I live with a jazz aficionado. I won’t attempt to tell you what the music was like. The singer, Sarah Jane Morris, was an eccentric red head, with a soaring, almost unhinged voice. Brilliant, if slightly unsettling. It all made for a wonderful evening. They go on jamming until 3 in the morning, so be prepared for a serious night out. If you’re looking for a night off from wedding planning, this might be a bit full on as it seems almost sacrilege to leave early, but for an anniversary present it would be fabulous. D and I went there for my Christmas present, and it is one of the best dates ever.http://www.ronniescotts.co.ukPhoto taken by assistant Kat de Sarigny, www.katds.com, at Nick and Haley’s wedding http://english-wedding.com/2012/09/a-unitarian-wedding-in-london/