My thoughts after last Saturday

I thoroughly enjoyed last Saturday, i really did. The menu was planned out and ready to go, just a few tweeks here and there as the day went on but it was so much fun!!

I'll paint a very quick picture..... normally its held in a chapel which is dark, moody, decadent and a beautiful old building. But its not my home. Last Saturday's event was held at my home, and it was such a pleasure to welcome people in and look after them.

I started life managing restaurants and then slid nicely into the kitchen where I belong, but miss that interaction with the guest. Whilst in Melbourne I helped set up an amazing cafe (the Bell Jar, 656 Smith St, check it) where the kitchen was completely open and I was able to say hello as people came in, take orders, cook food, and make the occasional coffee, all from my lil' kitchen. Frickin loved it!! So to be able to cook for people in my home, crack jokes, give hugs and pour mulled wine, all from my lil' kitchen again was awesome! Will definitely continue this way!!

This is the menu from Saturday for those who missed it:

Mulled Wine- all the ususal suspects plus loads of cardamon from Kerala


Oysters three ways; French shallot vinaigrette (we did one with white wine vinegar and one with balsamic), Thai dressing and salad, Smokey Mexican Chilli (cos we found some and it tasted good!)

Oyster shucker nowhere to be seen, flat head screw driver had to do!!

Confit salmon, dill and lime cream and my multi grain Clapton sourdough which i might add I am really pleased with and continue to feed the mutha!!!


Jerk prawns and scallops, Carribean mojo- this was boom, finger lickin stuff, I licked out a shell!!

Mutton loin, beetroot puree, mushrooms, radish, herbs- the mutton from Nathan was a delight to cook and eat; rich, tender and melting, served on the rarer side of medium rare, with a forest floor of earthy veg and citrus, served the loin sliced and the bone to gnaw on


















XO pork belly with Bombay roast potatoes, bok choy with garlic and ginger- man that XO was banging! My friend and co chef for the night Greg nurtured this little bad boy, still got loads in my fridge, in fact gonna eat a spoonful very soon. The crackling I should mention was shown a lot of care over the preceeding 24 hours and definitely lived up to expectations

Fennel palette cleanser with yellow snow- which turned out to be more of a yellow puddle (infused with lemon thyme, but still a puddle, bloody domestic freezers!!)  so whipped up some passionfruit into some cream which tasted sweet and probably took the dish away from being a palate cleanser but hey, people wanted to eat yellow snow!!

Chestnut figgy pudding with kulfi ice cream- an old Jamaican tradition, the recipe recently taught to me by my mate Oseba (yea!) chestnuts & dried fruit soaked in booze, then put through a basic cake batter with a few adjustments. Served it up with a bit of kulfi which i was lovingly stirring on friday night til the wee small hours, fortunately I could reach my Guiness so all was not lost! We lit brandy and poured it over the cake, proper Brit xmas pudd style!!







Beetroot, white choc and lime ganache, served with popping candy, which was followed by bags of candy being handed out and people doing whole bags in one!! I'm not saying I started this, but, well, i did, bad example to the guests!!

Last but not least I pulled out a Tamarind Margharita because the guests demanded it!!!



Smiles all around, many thanks to all my friends old and new who came