Yesterday we were at the Longbridge Deverill Nursing Home summer fete, with a selection of cakes, sweets, preserves, cheese nibbles and quiches for sale. Oh, and the peanut butter dog biscuits.
Unlike last year, the weather was kind, and they had a coconut shy, a flower stall and a "running through the cones with a football" game in the garden. We were indoors, sharing a room with the tombola and a couple of other stalls.
I won TWO prizes on the tombola. Last year I also won TWO prizes, a tin of sweetcorn and a set of pit-a-pat bats. This year I won a pack of plain cards with envelopes, and a twin-pack of Spam.
Spam.
Mmmmm.
Spam aside, we had a pleasant couple of hours chatting to the staff and residents, and selling a selection of tasty goodies. And, as a bonus, there is some of my delicious mint and dark chocolate bark left over, so I will have some of that after supper tonight.
Showing posts with label sunshine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunshine. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Spring Birthday
Our most recent event was a splendid dinner party to celebrate a special birthday. As a bonus, it was held right here in the village, so we were able to nip home and pick up anything we might have forgotten. Not that we ever forget anything, of course.
The host created some menu cards, which I thought were fantastic:
So, we arrived in the early afternoon, set the table - a square farmhouse style seating arrangement for the guests - and made sure everything was good to go when we went back for the evening. As we had plenty of space to set up in the house, as well as a whole separate kitchen for preparation and clearing, we were about as relaxed as you can be in those circumstances. It was helped by the fact that the weather couldn't have been better, and we were trotting back and forth to the house in bright sunshine. That always helps.
The guests were welcomed with a glass or two of fizz and some of our canapes, and then moved across to the main house for dinner.
The starter - a pear, walnut and blue cheese salad:
As we were asked to provide the crockery, there was a slightly eclectic mix, with a vintage/old-fashioned theme which the host and hostess liked.
The main course was a delicious beef daube with dumplings, which I forgot to photograph as we were a bit busy by that point.
The host and hostess provided a selection of cheeses, beautifully arranged by Jo:
The dark pieces on the goats cheese are preserved figs, which looked utterly succulent.
The desserts were our (by now famous!) chocolate mousse cake, and a seasonal apple meringue with home-made caramel sauce, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests.
To finish, we made some petits fours to go with the coffee - dark chocolate brandy truffles, Seville Orange candied peel (in chocolate) and a dark chocolate and orange bark.
As we left, the party was still going strong!
The host created some menu cards, which I thought were fantastic:
So, we arrived in the early afternoon, set the table - a square farmhouse style seating arrangement for the guests - and made sure everything was good to go when we went back for the evening. As we had plenty of space to set up in the house, as well as a whole separate kitchen for preparation and clearing, we were about as relaxed as you can be in those circumstances. It was helped by the fact that the weather couldn't have been better, and we were trotting back and forth to the house in bright sunshine. That always helps.
The guests were welcomed with a glass or two of fizz and some of our canapes, and then moved across to the main house for dinner.
The starter - a pear, walnut and blue cheese salad:
As we were asked to provide the crockery, there was a slightly eclectic mix, with a vintage/old-fashioned theme which the host and hostess liked.
The main course was a delicious beef daube with dumplings, which I forgot to photograph as we were a bit busy by that point.
The host and hostess provided a selection of cheeses, beautifully arranged by Jo:
The dark pieces on the goats cheese are preserved figs, which looked utterly succulent.
The desserts were our (by now famous!) chocolate mousse cake, and a seasonal apple meringue with home-made caramel sauce, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests.
To finish, we made some petits fours to go with the coffee - dark chocolate brandy truffles, Seville Orange candied peel (in chocolate) and a dark chocolate and orange bark.
As we left, the party was still going strong!
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Twosome
We had a bit of a first earlier this month.
We had two parties to cater on the same day, so Jo went to Mere and did one, and I went to Shrewton and did the other.
Fortunately, we have a few extremely capable and hard-working helpers we can call on in such circumstances, so neither Jo or I had to do everything alone.
I arrived at "my" party venue earlier than originally arranged - I did confirm with the hostess that it was ok! - and spent a very sociable couple of hours preparing platters of canapés, whilst the doorbell rang constantly and huge bouquets, gifts and cards were delivered.
It was fun getting the food ready whilst watching and hearing the musician setting up (he was excellent), and seeing all the various guests, friends and family arrive. The traffic on the A303 was apparently appalling, so some people were a little late, but we were able to make sure everyone was properly fed when they got to the party.
Both of the parties were for significant birthdays, both hostesses wanted canapés, so Jo and I had been able to make larger batches of a selection of tasty bite-sized goodies, and then serve more or less the same food at both parties, which certainly made life simpler for us. Luckily, both hostesses liked the sound of the menu!
The absolute hit of the party (for my part of the day, anyway) was the dessert canapé we made of rosewater meringues with Turkish delight. We garnished the platters with pink rose petals and it looked fresh, summery and very girlie, which was perfect. Some of the guests were astonished to learn that rose petals are edible (please note, we did wash them first.)
There were a lot of positive comments about the food and the "unobtrusiveness" of the service, which we are very proud of.
It's a joy to feel that we've helped make someone's special day that bit more special. Roll on the next birthday!
We had two parties to cater on the same day, so Jo went to Mere and did one, and I went to Shrewton and did the other.
Fortunately, we have a few extremely capable and hard-working helpers we can call on in such circumstances, so neither Jo or I had to do everything alone.
I arrived at "my" party venue earlier than originally arranged - I did confirm with the hostess that it was ok! - and spent a very sociable couple of hours preparing platters of canapés, whilst the doorbell rang constantly and huge bouquets, gifts and cards were delivered.
It was fun getting the food ready whilst watching and hearing the musician setting up (he was excellent), and seeing all the various guests, friends and family arrive. The traffic on the A303 was apparently appalling, so some people were a little late, but we were able to make sure everyone was properly fed when they got to the party.
Both of the parties were for significant birthdays, both hostesses wanted canapés, so Jo and I had been able to make larger batches of a selection of tasty bite-sized goodies, and then serve more or less the same food at both parties, which certainly made life simpler for us. Luckily, both hostesses liked the sound of the menu!
The absolute hit of the party (for my part of the day, anyway) was the dessert canapé we made of rosewater meringues with Turkish delight. We garnished the platters with pink rose petals and it looked fresh, summery and very girlie, which was perfect. Some of the guests were astonished to learn that rose petals are edible (please note, we did wash them first.)
There were a lot of positive comments about the food and the "unobtrusiveness" of the service, which we are very proud of.
It's a joy to feel that we've helped make someone's special day that bit more special. Roll on the next birthday!
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Lightly pickled
The summer continues to be utterly glorious, and we have had another delightful lunch event. This one was a buffet lunch for some VIPs, for which we were asked to provide "interesting salads" and desserts.
It was an extremely hot day, the thermometer on my car registered 34 degrees C at 3pm, but despite the heat, we were able to provide some delicious food, and ensure everyone had plenty to eat before they braved the sun again.
The large bowl contains an Italian grain salad, with a mixture of different types of basils and tomatoes, as well as delicious lemon dressing. The smaller bowls contain roasted peppers with garlic, and gently pickled strips of cucumber, which went down a storm with the fantastic poached salmon our client provided.
Sadly, due to forgetfulness of my part, I failed to photograph Jo's lovely strawberry cream tarts, but rest assured they were very popular. To compensate, here is a photo of the chocolate mousse cakes, which the police officers (discreetly staying out of sight in the kitchen) absolutely loved.
The guests enjoyed them too.
So, to sum up: hot weather, lovely food, lots of happy people. Exactly what we would hope that a summer lunch party would be all about.
It was an extremely hot day, the thermometer on my car registered 34 degrees C at 3pm, but despite the heat, we were able to provide some delicious food, and ensure everyone had plenty to eat before they braved the sun again.
The large bowl contains an Italian grain salad, with a mixture of different types of basils and tomatoes, as well as delicious lemon dressing. The smaller bowls contain roasted peppers with garlic, and gently pickled strips of cucumber, which went down a storm with the fantastic poached salmon our client provided.
Sadly, due to forgetfulness of my part, I failed to photograph Jo's lovely strawberry cream tarts, but rest assured they were very popular. To compensate, here is a photo of the chocolate mousse cakes, which the police officers (discreetly staying out of sight in the kitchen) absolutely loved.
The guests enjoyed them too.
So, to sum up: hot weather, lovely food, lots of happy people. Exactly what we would hope that a summer lunch party would be all about.
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Fishy
Summer is here, and we are very glad to be able to say that the first garden party of the year went with a real swing. The weather was glorious, there was a bouncy castle, and the food was excellent.
Well, we would say that, of course!
But look:
A whole poached salmon, several delicious fresh salads, baked glazed ham and new potatoes, all served with home-made mayonnaise and a selection of our savoury chutneys.
In case you're wondering what happened to the salmon's tail, it's here...
As you can see from the sunny smile on Jo's face, we had a lovely day. Seeing all the empty plates coming back afterwards was a bonus!
Someone* forgot to photograph the desserts, but I can tell you they were lovely. A raspberry Pavlova, and a light no-flour orange cake with orange syrup. Most people opted for "a little bit of both please" and some even came back for more!
Fingers crossed that the next party will be graced with such a beautiful sunny day.
*Me. I was too busy making sure people were enjoying their lunch. Sorry.
Well, we would say that, of course!
But look:
A whole poached salmon, several delicious fresh salads, baked glazed ham and new potatoes, all served with home-made mayonnaise and a selection of our savoury chutneys.
In case you're wondering what happened to the salmon's tail, it's here...
It was reunited with the rest of the salmon when we served the food.
As you can see from the sunny smile on Jo's face, we had a lovely day. Seeing all the empty plates coming back afterwards was a bonus!
Someone* forgot to photograph the desserts, but I can tell you they were lovely. A raspberry Pavlova, and a light no-flour orange cake with orange syrup. Most people opted for "a little bit of both please" and some even came back for more!
Fingers crossed that the next party will be graced with such a beautiful sunny day.
*Me. I was too busy making sure people were enjoying their lunch. Sorry.
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