Sally Grainger - formerly a Hilton chef, now a classics scholar - was quite miffed, as she'd dug deep into her own pocket to prepare this meal for 18 at London University "They thought I'd poison them," she said. "They assumed the food would be stinking and rotten." Everything her co-students had ever read about Roman food apparently led them to believe it would be disgusting. It wasn't only references in texts to Roman titbits such as larks' tongues, cocks' combs, jellyfish, sea urchins, camels' hooves, and the wombs of sterile sows. It was the belief that most dishes were heavily seasoned with garum sauce, a pungent and salty liquid made by draining decaying fish in the hot sun. "It's an absurd notion that Roman food was disgusting," says Sally Grainger. "You only have to look at Roman art, at their architecture, to understand they were extremely sophisticated."Thus her fellow students (callow youths of 18) missed out, and Sally Grainger went on to recruit more appreciative guests from the maturer echelons of the university.

Donning Roman togas they reclined on couches to dine off olive relish with sourdough bread, chickpea and bean salad, patina apiciana (rather like lasagne), cheesecake made from goat's cheese and honey, washing it down with sweetened wine called mulsum.Sally has successfully prepared quite a few Roman banquets since then: "I bankrupted myself each time". "Because of this they can't touch me...""So you're not afraid?""I'm not afraid of obeah," she said "Let me tell you a story In St Lucia we have a custom. Because I wear the most powerful prayer on my body."She touched a charm suspended on a chain around her neck. After that no obeah man will be able to do anything to you.""What do the obeah men think of you?" I asked."Oftentime they try to kill me," said Ma Dubois, frowning "But I'm safe. Bring it home then consecrate it.""Consecrate it?""You must read the psalms over it: psalms 10,15, 29, 68 and 91.

Add three drops of turpentine and three drops of Jeyes fluid. Add a little nutmeg, some powered reindeer horn, five vine leaves and a piece of Peruvian bark Drink it three times a day, after meals. Take nine baths in the water where a stream of spring water hits the sea. First thing in the morning before the sun rises; the sun must not see the water Then take some of the water and put in a bottle. "If an obeah man been doin' bad spells and the person comes to me, I tell her this.