WE FEAST

Ever since the day when our freezer decided to defrost itself a few days before Christmas the feast which followed this catastrophe has gone in to the family history as one of the best meals ever.


On that occasion the table was laden with a huge turkey, a brace of pheasant, a guinea fowl a large joint of beef and about three pounds of sausages.

Roasting that little lot took all day but when ,at last we sat down to dinner there was enough for a small army.
Served with nothing more than trenchers of bread and a salad this meal looked spectacular and was very much enjoyed by all those who participated in the feast,


Since that time I have often been asked to “Do it again” and while cost and time prohibit such an indulgence I do from time to time prepare a scaled down version of this memorable meal.

On the menu today. Pork Belly flavoured with a paste made from freshly milled spices which have been cooked in olive oil before being rubbed into the well scored joint.

Chicken breasts coated in a well seasoned flour and pan fried in clarified butter and fresh herbs

Potato salad, made from our own potatoes,baked and creamed courgettes,cherry tomatoes,spring onions ,salad, trenchers and a few tortilla thrown in for good measure.
All was going well...too well..the pork was roasting and making the whole house smell wonderful and with the chicken ready to cook at the last minute I had....correction ,should have had plenty of time e to clean the bathroom.

Half way through the cleaning at well past four I answered a knock on the door which proved to be the electrician come to fit a replacement extractor fan in the bathroom. Not unfortunately the electricians who worked on our house a few weeks ago but the estate electrician who is more unfortunately still the most messy artisan I have ever encountered During the hour which he spent hammering and banging in an attempt to dislodge the old one I watched nervous;y as the pile of brick dust grew and his dirty hands hovered near the newly painted walls and the even more newly cleaned tiles.


By the time he left their was brick dust every where an I had to begin the job all over again. Down stairs the pork was cooked,unfortunately I was not ready to pan fry the butterflied chicken breasts, cream the courgettes or prepare the salad......bum!

I whirled around the bathroom like a crazy woman and when I had finished left my son to put the cleaning things away while I sped off to rescue our feast and with much jiggery pokery between us we saved the day. OK. We ate almost two hours late and the pork crackling was not as crisp as I would have liked but all was well and the boys and I tucked in with enjoyment

.We would of course never be able to eat so much at once but the left overs will make excellent sandwiches for supers and of course our little cat will have her share.

Post script.

When the fan was turned on after dinner......it co,mes on with the light. A cloud of brick dust flew out of the blasted gadget and ,positioned as it is directly over the kitchen door ,

the dust cloud blew right in to the kitchen and settled................everywhere.......***!!!!**!.