Come Dine with Us in 2011

The cookies met last night we hada fabulous winter meal consisting of the following:

smoked salmon (smoked in suffolk) blinis served with
HMBorges Maderia Reserva seco

Wild Mushroom soup and homemade seedy bread served with
Heidsieck & Co MOnopole Red Top champagne

Steak and Onion Pie made with Suffolk red poll beef
Home grown Pink fir Apples
Chantenay Carrots and sugar snap peas
served with
Tor Di Vento Barolo 2003
The Waxed Bat Shiraz Pett Verdot Malbec 2008

Homemade Apple and Blackberry Pie and
Custard

Served with Pascal Pibaleau Chenin Val de Liore 2003
Le Domaine Richou 2003

A very filling and enjoyable evening was had by all. Thanks you for your contributions and company

The winos enjoyed a lovely dinner party too this weekend on Friday.

Started with a glass or 2 of:
Torre del Gall Cava

Starter:
Then Beef Carpacio was served with a salad of tomotoes and artichokes with parmesan cheese.
Starter wine:
Enamore, Mendoza, Argentina
Reserve de Gassac, Pays de L'Herault, 2010

Main course:
Cheese fondue with vegetables, ham, rustic bread and a side salad.

Main course wine:
Denbies, Surrey Gold
Chateau Labadie, Cotes de Bourg 2007

Dessert:
Chocolate nutty pancakes with icecream

Dessert wine:
Moscatel Grenache, Valencia, 2009

Welcome Vicky to her first dinner party club.

See you all soon

The Gourmets gathered on 5th Feb to share an aperitif of Muscadet (with or without cassis, as a Kir according to taste) and some home made nibbles.
A starter of chicory and walnut salad was set off splendidly by a rather superior Chablis "Grand Vin de Bourgogne", Veilles vignes. An unusual and delicious Brouilly accompanied a French "poule au pot" (prosaically boiled hen with vegetables in English). As is traditional, we had the broth as soup with vermicelli before the starter.
Dessert was a sophisticated and wonderful Greek celebration of mixed dried fruits and was served with a French Chateau de la Roulerie, from the Coteaux de Layon in the Loire valley, a fruity, soft chenin blanc.

We had a conversation "game" with topics to pull out of a box, but the talk flowed so well without such devices that they were abandoned!
Despite the very European theme in food, wine and participants, all of us discovered we had links with Devon, so felt geographically coincidental as well as gastronomically connected.

Mark and Brice hosted the Winos last night, which was a lovely evening and lasted into the small hours.

We started with a few home made nibbles, including the anchovy twirls, to 'home made' family champagne (Michel-Gentilhomme).

The starter was a delightful mackeral pate with watercress and Poilane bread (sadly Alan's home made bread was not quite ready for the meal), accompanied by Pouilly Fume (dom Cedrick Bardon 2008) and a Weinrieder Riesling (Bochgarten 2008)

The main was a leg of lamb slow cooked 'de sept heures' with a wealth of vegetables including gratin dauphenois, buttered carrots and kale, cauliflower pure (only remembered at the second helping!). This was served with an Esprit de Puisseguin 2009 (St Emilion) and Domaine de la Croix de Chainttres 2008 (Saumur Champigny).

Jac's dessert was a lovely seasonal rhubarb and custard tarte with an almond crumble topping, and served with two bottles of Croix Milhas Rivesaltes Ambre.

Our thanks to all for great food, fine wines, and super company.
Mark

Mike and I hosted on Friday 25th of March and unfortunately it has taken me so long to post that the wine bottles have long gone to recycling.

Pre-dinner:
Anchovy twirls
Fried halloumi with an onion relish
Australian Fizz

Starter:
A delicious spring salad of fennel & radish with a lemon zest dressing
A fresh Beaujois Nouveau

Main:
Baked Sea Bream with Potatoes, Red Pepper, Tomato, Saffron & Oregano
A choice of Pouilly Fume or a richer Spanish white whose name has escaped me

Dessert (this is where things start to get fuzzy):
Was it hazlenut cake? Was it hazlenut shortbread? I think it was somewhere in between - either way it was absolutely delicious and served with whipped cream and fresh berries
A lovely Muscat

To finish:
Cheese & crakers served with coffee & herbal teas

Thanks to all to attended for a great night and apologies that it has taken me so long to post. Please add in missing details if you can remember.

Una

The gourmets met last night and a good time was had by all....

We started with pre-dinner prosecco from Treviso with Greek Olives and Feta, and Celery Chunks with Cream cheese

Starter was Morcilla Fritta (Spanish black pudding with onion and chickpeas)
Accompanied by:
Domaine Michel Thomas Sancerre Rose 2009
Joseph Drouhin, Cuvee Veronique, Givry 2007

Main course was Lasagne accompanied by:
Domaine the Bieville Chablis (2008)
Mondelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (2009)

Desert was a polenta cake with original French Creme Anglaise accompanied by :
Coteaux du Layon, DOmaine des Forges, Chaume (2009)
Chateau Les Sablines, Monbazillac (2006)

Finally we had coffee, cheese, a glass of port and a glass of whiskey.

The May Winos met on bank holiday saturday and enjoyed the following meal.

smoked fish pate and pheasant pate croutes
Gin, lime and mint cocktails

Summer vegetarian Minestrone - the name of which does not do this fantastic starter justice it was fabulous
washed down with
Deutz Marlborough Cuvee and
Brut and The Beast vino Bianco

Slow roast Gloucester old spot Pork
Creamy spinach
crushed new potatoes
Domaine Chevalier Ladoix 2006
Shawgate Bacchus 2003

Mango and Pineapple mousse
Causse Marines Grain De Folie 2008

Another really enjoyable dinner with se1ers. Thanks

The Foodies had our slightly belated May dinner last night and our fabulous feast consisted of some cava and nibbles to start followed by:

A starter of grilled polenta with sundried tomato and olive tapenade served on a bed of rocket and accompanied by a couple of bottles of a lovely light Mercurey Provinage Chardonnay.

Main was individual beef wellington (and one salmon wellington!) with baby jersey royals, baby sweetcorn and broccoli, beautifully accompanied first by a very velvety Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz and then a rather lovely Chateauneuf du Pape.

Sadly, our dessert maker was poorly and didn't make the dinner, however, that didn't stop us enjoying a very delicious dessert wine - a california black Muscat, Elysium (which also wins the prettiest label of the evening) and the best part of a bottle of Taylors First Estate Reserve Port with some cheese and crackers.

Thanks to all for making it a very enjoyable evening!

Carol

Thanks for hosting us at your lovely home, Cazza!

Hi there, I've just moved into the area and I love this idea. Please let me know if another space becomes available as I'd love to get involved (although I'm not sure I could compete with some of those tantalising dishes you've experienced so far this year! Sounds delish). Jo