When Dr Robert Ballard explored the wreck of the Titanic on July 26th, 1986, he discovered hundreds of wine bottles scattered all over the ocean floor.

While the corks of the still wine bottles had imploded under the ocean pressure, the majority of the champagne bottles appeared to be intact.

The Titanic was carrying a huge number of these as it was not uncommon for the First Class diners to drink champagne with every course, even though different wines were served with each platter.

This is not surprising as it was commonly known that the vibrations from the engines of the Titanic would dislodge the sediment from the fine red wines, even though they were decanted well before serving.

The First Class diners sat down to eleven courses on the fateful evening of April 14th, 1912.

Champagne was also liberally used in cocktails and even as salad dressing, combined with other expensive ingredients such as saffron (recipe below). The Champagne Punch Romaine, was made with combining a wine glass each of white wine, fresh orange juice, white rum and thin slivers of orange peel, topped with three to four glasses of champagne.

A good way to make champagne go further.

Of the other dishes reproduced, the peaches in jellied Chartreuse intrigued me.

However on making up a test recipe (see below), although a really grown-up jelly, I found the flavour a trifle overpowering.

So (and forgive the pun) I turned it into a trifle, layered with slices of Madeira cake, home made custard and double cream.

The result, as one guest described it in his thank you note, was 'trifle to die for.'