A short lull
Well everyone came and ate and went and here we are with a short lull in the proceedings until the next lot come tomorrow.
I quite like the little interludes. We had twelve for dinner on Christmas Day and rather too many people to seat and feed, although none of the visitors seemed to mind. As is often the case, having planned the food carefully, the best meal of the three days of festive food was on Christmas Eve: Guinness-baked ham, parmesan roast potatoes with fennel and orange salad followed by lemon tart or Chocolate brioche bread and butter pudding, both the puddings made by my mother. Yum.
The best part of the Christmas day meal for me was, as it often is, the stuffing, a cranberry and chestnut stuffing roll, wrapped in bacon. As always I cooked sprouts but carefully avoided eating any, the prerogative of age. I never did get to like them through trying them, even decades on. My father believes this is because I never tried enough and gave up trying when I was about twenty; clearly just a lightweight with no real commitment to sprout consumption.
Today we have checked all the apples hanging up in the workshop and, somewhat to my surprise, having checked the freezer I have ended up making chutney with some ageing garden produce so the kitchen is full of the smell of brown sugar and vinegar. That wasn't part of the plan. So I had better go and check it and survey the last sad wreckage of Christmas food in the fridge. From tomorrow we are allowed to start afresh!
Hope you all had a good day. No need to get back to work just yet!
I quite like the little interludes. We had twelve for dinner on Christmas Day and rather too many people to seat and feed, although none of the visitors seemed to mind. As is often the case, having planned the food carefully, the best meal of the three days of festive food was on Christmas Eve: Guinness-baked ham, parmesan roast potatoes with fennel and orange salad followed by lemon tart or Chocolate brioche bread and butter pudding, both the puddings made by my mother. Yum.
The best part of the Christmas day meal for me was, as it often is, the stuffing, a cranberry and chestnut stuffing roll, wrapped in bacon. As always I cooked sprouts but carefully avoided eating any, the prerogative of age. I never did get to like them through trying them, even decades on. My father believes this is because I never tried enough and gave up trying when I was about twenty; clearly just a lightweight with no real commitment to sprout consumption.
Today we have checked all the apples hanging up in the workshop and, somewhat to my surprise, having checked the freezer I have ended up making chutney with some ageing garden produce so the kitchen is full of the smell of brown sugar and vinegar. That wasn't part of the plan. So I had better go and check it and survey the last sad wreckage of Christmas food in the fridge. From tomorrow we are allowed to start afresh!
Hope you all had a good day. No need to get back to work just yet!
Sounds as though you did a really good job and a well deserved interlude!
ReplyDeleteChutney making is a good idea - it's another job I didn't get round to before Christmas, but there's a distinct lack of it now to go with all the cold ham, turkey and pork pies left over!
ReplyDeleteNo No No ...do not say that c word ...am still trying to swap eau de vinegar for Giorgio Beverley Hills...arrrgghhhh! Glad you are having a lovely time... that menu sounds rather tempting I must say...and the thought of sitting in that wonderful room loooking down into that valley ....mmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteMmmmm! That food sounds good. Can I come over next year?
ReplyDeleteYes, it all just sounds wonderful. You really do convey the aromas and the collection of treats.
ReplyDeletexo
I've only just caught up with your blog - and thank you for your lovely comments - so the cold snap will have passed by now, but your garden did look wonderful. And to have all that wildlife on your doorstep - ahhh - you are blessed! Mootia x
ReplyDeleteAs you may have guessed - put comment in wrong post! Opps - Christmas hangover time.
ReplyDeleteguinness-baked ham! oh my gosh that sounds good.
ReplyDeleteour lull was on christmas eve day.....followed by a 27-hour blur of guests and family and food and presents and driving here and there--and now everything is over and we are back to work.
I've also just checked the apples and thought I'll have to do something with them. I don't think I'm up to chutney though - it might be apple sauce for the freezer.
ReplyDelete