The FastDay Forum

@PennyForthem i hear that the Seven Dwarves and all the gnomes are feeling very sad at being left out of the Party Preparations

Cheeseboard will consist of:

Whole Cropwell blue Stilton
Brie de Meaux
Sage derby
Montgomery mature Cheddar
Several crottins
Mrs Bourne's smoked Cheshire
Etorki

Chutneys will be my:
Apricot and ginger (excellent with the cheddar)
Pear and walnut (good with the blue)
Smoky chilli and tomato (with Mrs Bourne's)
Caramelised red onions (with crottins)
Chilli Jam (with Brie)
Roast garlic and tomato (with Etorki)
Sage and onion mustard with sage derby
Piccalilli on the side.

How does that sound to you all? Crackers provided; a variety.

And talking of crackers....

I hope @ballerina has ordered some decent red and port for all of that lovely cheese.

Chocolate and cherries. Bleughhhhhh.... Chocolate is best eaten alone. Never with anything red.

Cheeseboard will consist of:

Whole Cropwell blue Stilton
Brie de Meaux
Sage derby
Montgomery mature Cheddar
Several crottins
Mrs Bourne's smoked Cheshire
Etorki

Chutneys will be my:
Apricot and ginger (excellent with the cheddar)
Pear and walnut (good with the blue)
Smoky chilli and tomato (with Mrs Bourne's)
Caramelised red onions (with crottins)
Chilli Jam (with Brie)
Roast garlic and tomato (with Etorki)
Sage and onion mustard with sage derby
Piccalilli on the side.

How does that sound to you all? Crackers provided; a variety.

And talking of crackers....

Don't suppose you ship to the US, @PennyForthem? Virtual chutney is palatable, I guess, but the real thing... priceless!

I hope @ballerina has ordered some decent red and port for all of that lovely cheese.

Chocolate and cherries. Bleughhhhhh.... Chocolate is best eaten alone. Never with anything red.

Agree Karen. Chocolate or red. Actually, make it red, not chocolate for me.

Beg to politely differ. Have a selection of local chocolate bars for the stockings. One is dark, with cherries and nuts. Mmmm.

I can remember some glorious piece of food frippery I ate many decades ago called a cherry bomb. Dark choc and ice cream and cherries and cherry brandy I think? Anyone remember something like that?

I don't have much work for the party - already made the brandy sauce BUT hubs and I just had to sample it with our mince pies (managed to find some here imported from U.K. - made by "Hoppers Farmhouse Bakeries" - I'd never heard of them - have you??) - well, they weren't bad and the sauce was great . . Am now making lots more for our party!!!

My hubs has volunteered to carve the turkeys - he's American so he'll be great at that !!!

Okay, signing off now - hopefully for a few days if I can stay away. Son who we haven't seen in 6 months is arriving this evening from the other side of the world. His girlfriend, who we've only ever met on Skype, also arriving. By Monday most of us here, and on Christmas day, all eleven!

So I'll see you all at the 5:2 party, and don't worry, I'll get there early prepared for some games with the small fry. I hope a few of you will be staying relatively sober with me. Not at all trying to be a wet blanket, but I'm a 1/2 a beer a night sort of person. Or maybe one small amaretto and soda, as there's more to celebrate this year than usual. (so now you can understand why I'd never heard of Sex on the Beach! )

Sounds like you'll be in for a great time @wendyjane. Happy Christmas and 'see' you soon xx

30 stuffing out of 55 are done. The simpler ones, I must admit but still. Tomorrow will be the 20 turkey and 5 gooses left and on the 24th the beginning of the big cooking

Can I have a cocktail to give me a boost, please ?

Here you go @manderley. Try the Poinsettia cocktail. Seems like a popular choice.

As voted by forum members, the cocktail team will be serving the following on arrival:
Rose champagne. Laurent Perrier of course.
Mulled wine
Poinsettia (prosecco, cointreau and cranberry juice)

[quote="rawkaren"]I hope @ballerina has ordered some decent red and port for all of that lovely cheese. ..............................

Job done! Also, I can set up a little tent within a tent and do Tarot card readings for anyone who wants to visit me, no need to cross my palm with silver, paper will do nicely thanks

Ballerina x

What great taste we all have! Thank you Karen and Cheers!

Ahhhhhhh that's better.... Thank you for that lovely cocktail, Karen I didn't know you could mix cointreau and cranberry juice

Funny story, had to go and see what was Laurent Perrier as, for me, the only Perrier I know is some sparkling water. I was thinking "well, that is a strange habit to give a first name to a water, even a posh one" but now I understand

Mine also has a name, Jacques Copain, a real buddy