The Editor's Hospitality Blog

Do you know the name of the captain of the 2002 Winter Olympics women's curling team? If so, we could done with you on our team at last night's Question of Sport fundraiser in aid of Hospitality Action.

The event was held at Wembley Stadium, whose Delaware North catering team produced a great tuna nicoise starter and a perfectly pink lamb main. Delaware North Companies UK MD Simon Dobson opted not to apply the one-hour blackout rule adhered to by many London restaurateurs between 9 and 10pm last night in support of climate change campaign, Lights Out London. Just as well - the vertiginous escalators at Wembley are hard enough to negotiate at the best of times, never mind by candlelight.

A great crowd turned up. I saw Ian Styles from Elior, who gamely brought along a real sportsman, Wasps and England rugby player Simon Shaw. David Field from Nestle was there; Malcom Plows from Coca Cola, Andy Kemp of 3663 and Arena, Peter Hazzard ...

In the event, the Coca Cola team won the event, but more importantly, £82k was raised for Hospitality Action.

By the way, the name of the curling captain was Rhona Martin.

I got my first taste of the new Wembley Stadium on Sunday, when I attended the Community Shield match between Man Utd and Chelsea. The place looked beautiful: blue sky, red seating and green grass combined to magnificent effect.

However, the People 1st representative who kindly hosted me for the day cannot have been too impressed by the bar staff that served us our pre-match pint of lager. Clearly, here was someone in dire need of a bit of skills investment ...

You might think that paying £3.50 for a plastic mug of lager would entitle you to a civil response to your order, perhaps even a smile. You'd be wrong.

The punter in front of us asked to have his pint replaced with one with a head of froth. The attendant instead sploshed the dregs from one of an array of half-empty beakers beside her into his pint, like a broke student minesweeping in the Nelson Mandela bar, creating all the fizz of an Anadin past its sell-by date.

As we stepped up to the counter, she scrutinised us wordlessly. Were we another couple of trouble makers about to make her life difficult by demanding lager with a suggestion of carbonation? the truth was even worse than that: I was about to attempt to settle a £7 bill with a £20 note. This flaming liberty drew a withering look and a silence that was broken only by an expansive sigh.

Now, I know that serving lager to 80,000 baying football fans must bring its own challenges. Still, I reckon visitors to our national stadium deserve a modicum of respect and civility. Having enjoyed the hospitality of the staff at the O2 Dome recently, I know it's not an imposssible ask.