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EUROPE REPORT
On Sept. 21 Alan Crompton-Batt, the maverick public-relations consultant, died. He was only 50 years old. Like a shooting star, he blazed a spectacular path across the London restaurant scene - and in the hearts and minds of all who knew him - before extinguishing far too quickly.
On Nov. 2 friends and colleagues gathered in London for a celebration of his life. It was perfect that Alan should be remembered on the day of the American elections. He loved ranting and raving about American politics over lunch and much wine. Somewhere in his heart he was a liberal American Democrat. After the service, Robert Earl hosted a reception at Planet Hollywood. Then restaurateur Marco Pierre White held a lunch at Mirabelle for Alan's closest friends.
The son of an RAF pilot, Alan was born and raised in Salisbury, England and later educated at a boarding school in Penang, Singapore, where his father was stationed. He was accepted at Oxford but never went. Instead he embarked...