Chicken Alexander: "Nobody would believe I had made it myself"

For the last two years or so I have been happily producing wonderful meals, with COOK's help, and my dinner parties are always voted a huge success. There was no way I could keep up the pretence that it was all my own work, so I have only basked in reflected glory. Then, for a special occasion, and with time to spare, I thought I would try to produce a Chicken Alexander of my own. I was really pleased with the result, and knew from the reaction that it was a great success. But then, nobody would believe that I had made it myself, which is almost worse than pretending that it was mine, when it wasn't. So, I'm not going to try anymore. It's all down to you from now on.

Yours despondently

Valerie from Tenterden