Fondues back on the menu

THE bubbling fondue – a staple of the 1970s dinner party after being snatched from the tables of the sophisticated Swiss – is making a comeback.

An Oxford psychologist attributes the revival to an increase in the popularity of sharing meals and platters.

Charles Spence, even suggests the appeal may be a subliminal attempt to demonstrate a friendliness with Europe that will endure beyond Brexit.

The idea of a fondue becoming trendy once more has been seen in the TV show First Dates, where sharing savoury and sweet options has been an ice breaker for couples.

Sales of fondue sets – with distinctive long forks and pots heated over a tabletop flame – have trebled at stores such as John Lewis in recent years.

Professor Spence also cited nostalgia, saying in the 1970s every home had a fondue set and it was as much a part of national life as cheap German wine, prawn cocktail and chicken Kiev.