WHEN Bear Grylls dropped in for a spot of supper with David Hempleman-Adams, he was on a high.

Twenty-four thousand feet high, to be precise, as he took part in a record-breaking soiree.

Dangling precariously from a hot air balloon, the pair ate a three- course meal and toasted the Queen. Then, instead of retiring to the library for port and cigars, they parachuted to the ground.

As Bear's sister Lara celebrated in York, her brother could be forgiven for vowing never to return to that dive for dinner again.

Updated: 11:02 Friday, July 01, 2005