The 21 course blow-out meal

"This," announced Vicki, who eats two eggs every morning, "is the perfect superfood meal. From this one egg, a whole duck would have grown, so you can imagine how nutritionally rich it is. This will keep you going all afternoon." But would it see me through a further 16 courses, I wondered?

Thankfully, a mouse-sized apple-andendive concoction with a zingy dressing arrived next; but the ensuing series of shellfish dishes almost defeated me. A single scallop that was presented on its little heap of morels seemed vast and threatening, and I actually left half of it.

As for the béarnaise sauce, stuffed into a cherry tomato that accompanied the langoustine - "butter, butter, butter and butter," said Vicki; the same applied to the Thermidor sauce. "Shellfish is very rich and high in cholesterol," she explained, " however it's one of the richest sources of zinc, which is essential for male libido."

By now, the room had started to spin a bit, so we decided to go out for some fresh air. "That's interesting," said the waiter, who had been surveying us with a professional eye, "the two people who ordered the menu yesterday took a break in exactly the same place." It was 3.30 and we were still less than halfway through.

We returned to a much lighter offering of Dover sole with leek marmalade, accompanied by some baby lettuce leaves slathered in truffles. I started to feel cheerful again. "That's because the sole has B6 in it, which is an antidepressant," Vicki explained.

The duck four ways was also blessedly tiny and came with tiny mouthfuls of exquisite vegetables. With each bite, I felt my energy returning. "This is most nutrient-rich," said Vicki. "It'll balance your blood sugar levels fantastically. It's the perfect preparation for pudding."

And so it proved: at any rate, the pear sorbet, chocolate millefeuille and mango salad slipped down effortlessly, although Vicki shook her head a bit at the vanilla soufflé and we chickened out of the petits fours and chocolate.

By now, we had been sitting at table for five and a half hours. Strangely, though, neither of us felt bloated. In fact, I found myself full of energy. I had eaten 21 courses, but I had also ingested my entire day's ration of fruit and veg, and something like 45 different foods, all of the finest quality, covering every major food group.

I was as stuffed with vitamins and minerals as food. "It's a great immune-boosting meal," said Vicki as we waddled off into the night, "and complementary to the digestive system. It's been very cleverly designed."

Most astonishingly of all, when we totted up the approximate calories, it turned out we'd had about 1,800 calories, including two glasses of wine. I could eat those 21 courses every day, and actually lose weight. Or to put it another way, that's the equivalent of four large margaritas and perhaps a bag of peanuts - an average night out at this time of year.

Roussillon, 16 St Barnabas Street, London SW1W 8PE, 020 7730 5550 www.vickiedgsonnutrition.co.uk

YOURS FOR £180 - A FEAST OF FLAVOUR, VITAL NUTRIENTS AND JUST 1,800 CALORIES...

1 Mrs Beeton's Prince of Wales Soup
Contains protein, zinc (good for the immune system), B vitamins, manganese (required by calcium to build bones) and magnesium, which is good for the heart and the digestion.
Approx calories: 34

2 Light cauliflower Royale with deep-fried frog's leg and crispy parsley
Cauliflower is rich in potassium (regulates heart health, lowers stress-related blood pressure) and very alkaline, which the body favours. Frog is a lean protein, more nutritious than chicken, rich in B vitamins, zinc.
Approx calories: 140

3 Light truffle soufflè
Veal broth is rich in minerals and good for the immune system but undermined by the richness of the pastry.
Approx calories: 260

4 Pigeon and artichoke terrine, mango chutney and brioche
Zinc in the pigeon, artichoke is liver-cleansing, the accompanying basil helps to neutralise the high-fat content of the previous course.
Approx calories: 95 (without brioche)

5 Scrambled egg and caviar:
Contains calcium, B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, boron.
Approx calories: 70

6 Crunchy endive-and-apple salad, walnut dressing
Contains vitamin C, potassium, magnesium - "a muscle relaxant which helps the digestion and encourages peristalsis".
Approx calories: 48

7 Langoustine Medicis
A rich source of zinc and selenium, vital in fighting cancer. Our diets tend to be seleniumdeficient. Langoustine are cleaner than prawns (the seabed's bottom feeders). Lycopene (a powerful antioxidant) in the tomato.
Approx calories: 36 (52 with the bèarnaise sauce)

8 Scallops a la Normande
As for langoustine, minus the lycopene.
Approx calories: 80

9 Lobster declination
Consommè, jelly and Thermidor: lobster contains vitamin B6, important for sex drive, balanced brain function and mood regulation.
Approx calories: 320

10 Cut of Dover sole with leek marmalade and crustacean jus
Potassium, magnesium, folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium, B6, omega 3.
Approx calories: 42

11 Coeur de laitue a la truffe
Potassium, manganese, magnesium.
Approx calories: 8

12 Boudins Richelieu
Magnesium, zinc, B vitamins for energy.
Approx calories: 36

13 Wild mallard duck in four services
(Consommè, confit leg, magret, duck liver): contains iron, folic acid, B12, excellent for chronic anaemia.
Approx 240 calories (including all accompanying veg below)

14 Petit pois a la franáaise Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, neutralises indigestion.

15 Cardoon gratin
Liver-supporting.

16 Swiss chard au jus
Iron, folic acid, regulates digestion, helps anaemia.

17 Williams pear sorbet
Pears contain pectin that removes toxins and excess fats from the digestive tract.
Approx calories: 28

18 Mango salad with lemon balm jus
Contains Vitamin C and beta-carotene, plus its own digestive enzymes - excellent way to end a meal.
Approx calories: 12

19 Warm chocolate millefeuille
Antioxidants in the cocoa powder reduce free radical damage.
Approx calories: 50

20 Vanilla soufflè
Vanilla is a potent antibacterial.
Approx calories: 75

21 Chocolate and petit fours
Supremely healthy as we didn't eat them. Chocolate contains magnesium.

Drinks
Two glasses of red wine: 119 calories per 175ml glass.
Calories: 238

Total calorie consumption: 1,812