BBC Southampton's Anna Lindsay and Stephen Stafford decided to find out at the first 'Slow Dating' at Fruit in Southampton, one of the many new Speed Dating nights in the city.

Anna - After registering online and reading the welcome e-mail, which says: "...you will be made to feel comfortable", I feel more like I'm going into hospital to have my appendix removed than going dating.

Stephen - ...at this point, I'd rather be having my appendix removed. I've spent most of my 20s avoiding organised package holiday style beery party games - was this going to be the most excruciatingly embarrassing evening ever?!

Fruit in Southampton

Anna - Rather than feeling nervous, I'm thinking, what have I possibly got to lose here? I'm a journalist, for goodness sake, I ask questions for a living... but three glasses of wine just before leaving is probably helping.



Stephen - One last chance to make a run for it and make it to the safety of the pub quiz up the road, but as the introduction begins, time runs out for an escape plan.

Anna - This is cool! A first scan around to check out the evening's talent reveals women chatting away on hareem-style sofas and lots of men on their own standing around looking a bit shifty.

Stephen - ... I'm standing here desperately trying not to look shifty. Time for the action to start - it's pretty straight forward, the girls hold court on comfy sofas and the lads start at a designated table number - you have four minutes to have a chat and hopefully make an impression.

Anna - My first date sits down and we get chatting. "So have you done this before?", he asks. By the end of the evening I'd heard this question so many times I was contemplating holding up my answers on little placards.

Stephen - Everybody is asking me the same questions. Think of those Fresher's week stalwarts - 'Where are you from' and 'What did you get in your A'Levels?'

Speed Daters in action

Anna - The four-minute limit obviously has its benefits for aborting 'mission impossible' conversations... but on many occasions I find out really juicy tit-bits just before the bell goes "...and I hold the world record at skydiving dressed in a chicken outfit .... RING RING".

Stephen - Actually, this is quite fun when you get into it. Un-nervingly though, after the bell goes, you scribble down some notes about your date - it's a bit like when you're in a job interview and you suddenly say something that makes the interviewers scribble frantically - is it something good you've said, or have you dropped a massive clanger?!

Anna - After a half-time break, it's time to ring the changes. With my new picture phone I impress with photos I took at last Saturday's Darkness gig... but I can see that not every man here would be enamoured with nouveau
glam-rock. So it's on to more direct questioning. "Football or rugby?, Ant or Dec?" - and it seems to work nicely.

Stephen - Top tip is to definitely prepare a few of those off-beat questions - we thought better of 'Have you got your all your own teeth?', but the 'And/Or' game could be useful to instantly work out someone's personality - try 'The Darkness or Britney?', 'Asda or Waitrose?', Radio 1 or 2?', 'pants or thongs?' (as a tie-breaker if things are going well!).

Anna - By the time 'Mr 19' is leaving, I'm absolutely exhausted. Sitting talking about yourself over and over again is not as easy as it sounds. But surprisingly, everyone stays on until the bar closes. If nothing else. This is a great way to meet friends.

Stephen - Well that was quite fun! Everyone's very relaxed, chilled out and not taking it too seriously. Of course the crunch comes in the morning when everyone logs on and clicks on who they are interested in seeing again. And that's when the fun starts...

Have you had a go at Speed Dating? What did you think? What are your top Speed Dating tips. E-mail us at southampton@bbc.co.uk.