Christmas dinner party

A recipe. Take 14 friends that have known each other for a decade;  five courses including a whole belly of pork; a tea-urn of mulled wine, cocktails and a few rounds of silly games and cook in a two bedroom flat for 6 hours or so. You'll need utensils, serving dishes and crockery borrowed from elsewhere, masses of candles and all the tables and chairs you can muster. Serve warm, with Christmas seasoning. The result should be pretty perfect.

The benefit of planning in advance: I had time to make table runners using the last of my liberty fabric scraps and also a ribbon canopy.

A chance to use my vintage nut tray! 

Soup in teacups- perfect starter size.

Mmmmm

Cheers!

Candy Cane Martini's...yep.

A few of our lovliest

A rather dapper gent

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The full menu- with recipe's

Canapes

Prosciutto, Goats cheese and Fig

Smoked Salmon and caper on pumpernickel

Goats cheese and home made tomato tapenade on sourdough toasts

Starter

Parsnip and Sherry Soup with Hazelenut Pesto, 
served with Ciabatta toasts 
(the pesto is divine and made this soup sing)

Main

Roasted Belly of Pork with Orange and Star Anise 
(An amazing Ottolenghi recipe; so full of flavour)

Christmas spiced red cabbage (simple but oh so sexual)

Honey steamed carrot and swede batons

Roasted Courgette

Cocktail Course (ooh err)

Candy Cane Martini's 
(This almost made me weep for joy)

Dessert

Christmas Creme Brulee's 
(my own concoction; basically Delia with an added dollop
 of home made mincemeat at the bottom of the Ramekin)

Cheese Course

Coffee and Petit Four course
 with homemade chocolates and mince pies
(Delia all the way for the mince pies. I love her. Chocs recipe in a separate post)


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This is the fourth year we've hosted this Christmas dinner party. It has traditionally been quite cobbled together, a little last minute, a tad disorganised and quite messy but always thoroughly enjoyable. But this year, given the fact that it'll be our last before we're parents, we wanted it to be a much more relaxed and prepared soiree. Mince pies, soup, pesto and chocolates were made the week before, invitations sent out, recipe's tested in advance. Two courses became five, canapes were concocted, a cocktail course was introduced.  Plates vaguely matched, they were warmed, food was plated in the kitchen and we both felt, well,  relaxed. We are now evangelical about preparing in advance.


 Most importantly it was so good to have our nearest and dearest sat round the same table, clinking glasses, gasping at funny stories, gossipping and catching up with everyone's news, telling stupid jokes, whooping, cackling, becoming misty eyed and happily slurring. Just... perfect. 


A few more Christmas posts are coming up, there's lots to catch up on. I've been in a happy food coma for the last few days. I hope the season is treating you decently, cherries.