Is this the poshest table ever made for a private Christmas banquet?

For the past six months three craftsmen at Coxwold Cabinetmakers at Coxwold near Thirsk have been honing to perfection this 12 ft long by four ft wide butty burr American walnut creation costing £15,000.

And that does not take into account the extra £3,000 for 14 matching solid walnut chairs fully upholstered using £80 a metre material.

The furniture was yesterday transported by the company all the way to a large Georgian house in Farnham, Surrey, home of a young married couple in their thirties who both work for Bill Gates, the billionaire owner of Microsoft.

Even Jonathan Dixon, founder partner with Geoffrey Gell 18 years ago, says he has never seen a table quite so magnificent and, given that the firm specialises in hand-built custom-made furniture, that's saying something.

The D-ended extendible table which sits on a three legged base at each end has a bookmatched veneer as perfectly patterned as matching butterfly wings and if you study it carefully you will see the unicorn head symbol of the company carved on the hidden underside of one of the bases.

But the unicorn, which has clambered to these illustrious heights, was very nearly made extinct exactly eight years ago, when the showroom and workshop burned to the ground.

But the partners clawed their way back and with the help of cabinet makers Rob Wood and Paul Cooper developed it into a thriving £150,000 turnover operation capable of blending contemporary with traditional designs.

The couple might remember that as they sit down with their friends and family for Christmas dinner - and knock on wood... but gently.

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