Dinner/lunch parties

The image that you clicked to arrive here was taken at  lunch party I held on the terrace a few years ago. For a starter I made a delicious cold summer soup made from spinach, mint, parsley, spring onions, yogurt and crème fraiche, garnished with sprouting mixed beans and tiny cubes of pickled beetroot and a tiny bit more of the crème fraiche, served with my homemade soda bread. This was followed by a fresh Salad Niçoise with freshly grilled tuna, capers and anchovies, cos lettuce, black olives, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber and warm new potatoes, dressed with a homemade honey and wholegrain mustard vinaigrette. After we had a cheese selection followed by desert for which I made an apple crumble with a scoop of shop bought ice cream. All was made off the top of my head but I´ll try and find recipes and post it later.

I´m planning to write more soon about my first dinner party back in 1986! From the cordon bleu day course that sparked the idea of holding one in the first place, to the running around Harrods´s food hall (London) to find Guinee fowl, borrowed plates and cutlery, flower arrangements and my successful cheese soufflé stuffed home-made brioche rolls and flaky pastries puffs deserts ! (didn´t I say this was in the 80s !). I´ll also be telling you a few dinner anecdotes and about how I picked up a few food tips living in Paris. After that and with a bit of luck, I´ll document a couple of future food based ´get togethers´ which will put a bit of meat on the bones of this section (sorry, couldn´t resist it !!) In short, this section is all about the benefits of entertaining friends and in my book that means lots of good food and wine rather than a piano recital !