First Dates – The Art of Love

First Dates – The Art of Love – Fred Sirieix, Viking, £14.99

NOW, residents in France may not have a single clue who Fred Sirieix is; not knowing that he is the ‘incredibly charming’ maître d in the First Dates restaurant in the hit Channel 4 TV show of the same name.
But this is a reason to find out… as he reveals his recipe for the perfect date.
It may feel a bit like peeping in on people’s most personal moments as they prepare for what could be the start of a life together or the evening they wish they could forget.
But the ever-charming Fred is on hand with calming advice on what he says is “the heartbreaking twists and turns of the most awkward meal of the daters’ lives”.
This is his book on dating.
It can be summed up simply (but you need to buy the book for the longer answer!) as knowing yourself, being yourself ... and turning up on time with a smile and lots of eye contact.
Featuring some of the dates on the show, he reveals some of their most surprising, heart-breaking and toe-curling moments – but also why the ones that worked were the ones who were comfortable with themselves and who also ensured their date was just as comfortable.