Life support

The novelist Julian Barnes and chef Simon Hopkinson both enjoy fine wine, food and fireworks. But there the similarities end. Julian is organised and likes an early night, while Simon's likely to head for the casino

The Observer, Sunday February 24 2002

Article history

Simon Hopkinson: I met Julian at a dinner party about 15 years ago. I knew he was a writer, but knew nothing about his novels - we knew nothing about each other, but seemed to get on straightaway. Soon after, he and his wife Pat invited me round for dinner and now we meet up about eight or nine times a year, always around a dinner party - our friendship is based on fine wine, fireworks and food.

Every November we meet up for fireworks. We always have dinner at his place because he has a big garden. There are about seven of us and we are quite childlike about the fireworks thing. We usually have fireworks before dinner - proper ones, good rockets. I'm always drawn to the big boxes with big bangs - I think Julian is more of a rocket man and I'm more of a big bang man. I went a bit mad this year and took too many and Jules said, 'I think we'll keep some of these till next year.' It was embarrassing as I'd overdone it a bit.

A bond was struck between us over the appreciation of wine, as Julian's a mad collector. I do collect as well but not as much as he does. He loves entertaining. I usually put a dish together and take it over, and he always brings out fine wines from his cellar. We don't know what we're drinking, so it's a guessing game, which throws me.

I think our most similar trait is that we both like doing things as well as possible. We also share a great love of France and we've had a couple of meals together there.

I look forward to it whenever he invites me over. It tends to be the same people, which is very nice because the older I get the shyer I get, I think, and it just gets more and more friendly. On the last thank-you postcard I sent to him, I said they just get better and better and better - and they do.

Julian Barnes: My first impressions of Simon have remained my last impressions - he is charming and very good company, but he also has a secret side to him and I like that in friends. It was about five years into our friendship when he confessed to me that after he'd been here for dinner and we'd waved an alcoholic goodbye to him about midnight, that he'd gone off to a casino and gambled away the night for about four or five hours. And I remember thinking, 'Oh, there's a surprise', but how nice that there are areas you find out about slowly.

I think chefs are like actors in that they often work till late at night and then they are still on an adrenaline high and it takes them hours to come down, and I think Hoppy's still got that, whereas I tend to be earlier in my bedtime habits.

Another thing is I'm much more orderly, I suppose, and Simon is a great indulger, followed by a self-flagellator. He overdoes it, and then he purges - that's his approach to life, whereas I prefer regular intake.

We talk about all sorts of things - books or paintings - and then he'll go into a Monty Python or Black Adder routine. He's quite a performer. I think he's basically shy but it doesn't take long for what's bubbling under to come out.

I think it's one of those friendships where we both know that if we needed something we would be there. There are friendships early on in your life which are made out of difficulties and mutual support, and then there are friendships you make later on in your life where all that is implied. I think Hoppy knows that if he was in a hole I would pull him out of it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2002/feb/24/julianbarnes

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