What could be nicer on a very cold, wintry day, than sharing the afternoon with a group of friends, laughing, chatting and eating?
Friend E invited six of us to share a leg of local lamb she had been given, so at half past one we all sat down (after canapes) to roast lamb with mint sauce, bread sauce, apple jelly, delicious gravy - and roast and mashed potatoes, diced swede, carrot batons and steamed broccoli - all taken with a glass of white wine. This was followed by apple crumble and creme fraiche and finally coffee and chocolates.
The rest of the afternoon we all sat in her sitting room, the sun streaming through the windows and chatted -- and laughed, before leaving at four o'clock to come home. It was a lovely afternoon.
Now almost time for Strictly - I wonder who will go out this week. We both hope it will be Ed Balls - funny he might be but it is a dance competition and his dance skills are sadly lacking.
But I expect his fans will keep him in for another week.
Keep warm. It was the most beautiful sunset as we came home. Isn't nature wonderful?
That sounds like a perfect day! How nice of her to put together such a meal for everyone to enjoy. Have a wonderful weekend. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip
Strange accompaniments for roast lamb except for the mint sauce. If ever there was a vote fix the Ed Balls is one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to spend a day! Good friends, good food, fine weather ... and then strictly. It doesn't get much better than this!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, time for Ed to go, but I expect he will be voted in yet again.
Margaret P
www.margaretpowling.com
What a wonderful lunch and what a wonderful gift of a leg of lamb. I spent the afternoon filling up our green bin with stuff not suitable for the compost heap and after our meal I enjoyed Strictly. I know Ed Balls is no dancer but he seems such a good sport and very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteHope we get another fine day tomorrow.
Diced swede....I strongly recent that kind of discriminating choice of words..How lovely to spend time with good friends even if I am a slight bit suspicious about the mint sauce, is it really good with lamb?? I suppose I have to try it? Hope you will have a very fine sunday, Christmas is close at hand, Pat!! Please, can't you show some pictures of Christmas decorations in your village . It would be nice to see and compare and you always have such delightful stories to tell!!
ReplyDeleteMint sauce is the traditional accompanimemt to lamb Fairtrader and we would never have lamb without it.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree...that was the perfect way to spend time with good friends. So generous of your friend to invite all of you, especially when up to that point the weather had been bad and unpredictable. Was it a spur-of-the-moment invitation?
ReplyDeleteMint Sauce with lamb? - where has Fairtrader been, lamb has to be eaten with mint sauce, it's the only way.
ReplyDeleteIf Ed Balls remains in the programme any longer then it's pointless the other contestants training hard, they should simply flit around the floor doing something simple, make everybody laugh and turn it into a pantomime.
I agree that you absolutely must have mint sauce (chopped mint, sugar and vinegar if you make it yourself, otherwise out of a jar) otherwise lamb would not be lamb.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone.
Wow! I don't know how you do it. If I ate all that I'd fall asleep. I fact I often do.
ReplyDeleteWell it sounds like a wonderful meal, one of the first jobs as a child was to go out and pick the mint fo the sauce, and its strong aroma as I chopped it was wonderful. And I would also fall asleep after eating all that!
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, mint should also be cooked with the potatoes for the meal.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, dear, What have I got myself in to??? You are a strange lot, you british. When I eat my lamb I roast it with garlic and herbs and the sauce is often aioli or redwine. I've got mint in the garden, so next time we'll try it out and so I can return to this discussion with at least an experience. Where have I been, Derek??? In Sweden, of course!! We do have lots of lamb running around,ending up on dinnertables.. Blessings to you in this the brightest of seasons!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are making me feel hungry! I agree, Ed Balls should go, just waiting to find out. X
ReplyDeleteI liked the sound of your lunch but why have that fancy foreign creme fraiche when you could have had custard? Now Ed Balls has gone, I bet you're happy. I wonder if he'll put himself forward for the next safe Labour seat? Perhaps it doesn't work that way under Mr Corbyn's leadership.
ReplyDeleteI stood on the old stone jetty (Morecambe) for an hour just watching the changing light on the Bay as the sun sank down and the clouds came over from the lakes turning pink and red as they came...magic on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteI stood on the old stone jetty (Morecambe) for an hour just watching the changing light on the Bay as the sun sank down and the clouds came over from the lakes turning pink and red as they came...magic on Saturday!
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I have never had lamb with mint sauce? I must try and have it next year when I'll be back for my annual Yorkshire holiday.
ReplyDeleteYour afternoon sounds perfect for a cold day! We were celebrating the first of the four Advent Sundays with O.K.'s family, having home-made apple cake and the first batch of Christmas cookies with our coffee. Earlier, we had been out to a small Advent market in the village, everybody knows everybody, I was introduced to lots of people I had not yet met or seen only briefly before. We had cherry liqueur, heated up and topped with a dollop of fresh cream - lovely and so warming when you're strolling across the market in the cold!
Mint sauce is finely chopped mint with sugar and vinegar and placed on the table for diners to help themselves as the wish. Mutton was fatty and strong flavoured and the mint sauce counteracted the fat and the rather 'old' flavour of the meat. It is a very English tradition. We always have it with lamb, lamb chops or mutton. Bread sauce is an accompaniment for poultry and turkey and game birds and apple sauce is for pork.
ReplyDeleteRachel explains it dead right, I also thought bread sauce was unusual with lamb.
ReplyDeleteBread sauce is lovely with any roast dinner! As are Yorkshire puds!
ReplyDeleteMargaret P