Tips for making fondue

When I told my friend I’d found a couple of old fondue sets while I was cleaning out my late aunt’s garage, she got very excited and said we should dress up in 1970s clothes and have a fondue party. She’s quite a bit older than me and I have no memories of these sorts of occasions at all. It sounds like fun, but what do we need to make it a success?

Fondue parties can indeed be fun and the idea of dressing up is a great one. Basically, you will all sit around a table, looking like aging members of ABBA, dipping bits of bread into a delicious cheese fondue made with emmenthal, gruyère, garlic, wine and beer, and cooking little pieces of seasoned meat on the end of skewers in a fondue of sizzling oil. Give guests a glass of sherry on arrival, then drink Blue Nun (a German wine brand) with the meal if you want a really authentic 1970s vibe. Finish the night by dipping strawberries, marshmallows and nice bits of cake or brioche into a chocolate fondue.