But what has really added to its weather-beaten appeal is the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company, a restaurant in a Victorian warehouse right on the shingle. Oysters are reared underneath; inside it is rickety and whitewashed, the fish and seafood gloriously fresh and simply cooked. Until the First World War, oysters were bred and exported in their millions here, and a couple of the town’s pubs still sell them to a crowd of away- day Londoners. I can’t see either of these being served with Ferrero Rocher at the ambassador’s reception, but then again, I can’t see myself being invited. It must be the effect of the oysters. A beach hut in Whitstable, Kent, the coastal town of shingle, clapboard cottages and Edwardian villas, has become a sought-after accessory among the Elle Decoration set. The spicy fruitiness of Rosemount’s 1997 Shiraz Cabernet, pounds 6.49, Safeway, holds its own, as does the smooth, ripe blackcurrant fruit of the 1997 Valdivieso Merlot, pounds 4.99, Sainsbury’s, Fuller’s, Thresher, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up.

Alastair Little even suggests “a tannic red such as a Chianti to punch it out with the chocolate”. I think red table wines work only if you dislike the idea of sweet wines and chocolate altogether or if the chocolate pudding is very light, in which case the wine must be fruity enough to carry it. A richer Madeira such as Blandy’s Five-Year-Old Rich Malmsey, pounds 11.49, Majestic, Oddbins, has the extra sweetness needed to cope with the faint bitter twist of the mousse.I’m not a huge fan of red table wine and chocolate, although I know one wine waiter who swears by beaujolais and chocolate. For an unusual alternative, the 1979 White Jerepigo, pounds 6.99, Unwins, Waitrose, with its toffee and raisin-like richness. Try a good, toffeeish 10-year-old tawny port such as Sainsbury’s 10 Year Old Tawny, pounds 9.99. Its bubbly texture dovetails neatly with the mousse’s lightness.For a darker, richer mousse, you’ll need a wine with corresponding strength. With a milk chocolate mousse, try a well-chilled Alasia 1997 Moscato d’Asti, pounds 4.49, Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh (0131-556 6066), a relatively light-in-alcohol scented sparkling Muscat from north-west Italy.

A milky Cadbury’s mousse is less demanding than a rich, dark mousse made with Valrhona chocolate with 70 per cent cocoa solids. Mint chocolate addicts might follow Gerard Basset, top sommelier at Winchester’s Hotel du Vin. He counsels chocolate with creme de menthe.Mousses vary considerably. The fresh acidity and blackcurrant flavour of Southbrook Farms Cassis, pounds 7.99, half-bottle, Majestic, combines superbly with chocolate cake, while the richer, liquid raspberry Framboise version, pounds 7.99, half-bottle, Waitrose, Majestic, also copes with mousse. Such a sponge works well with the zestiness of an orange Muscat, for instance Andrew Quady’s luscious Essensia Orange Muscat, pounds 5.99, half-bottle, Majestic.