Our guests began to arrive at around 7.30 pm and were greeted by our fabulous hostess Edi who has the most amazing home and who is full of warmth and genuine charm which instantly puts guests at ease. From the kitchen, where we were busy with the bloody mary soup shots which we served as an amuse bouche, we could hear lots of chatter and laughter as people enjoyed a glass of fizz with Ros' lovely fig, mint and cream cheese canapés. 
Now one thing we should say is that the kitchen area is at the top of the dining area and so we prepare, cook and plate up in full view of our guests. Of course this means we have to be well behaved, but for us the cooks, it means that we are most definitely part of the evening and get to enjoy the lovely sounds of our guests having a good time.
Once everyone had been seated and enjoyed their soup shot, we served up our starter which was butternut squash-filled ravioli served with sage butter. By this time the kitchen was in full flow as we prepared to cook our main course.
For Clare, this was the most nerve-racking part of the whole evening - the venison loin... Having filleted the saddle herself and having used the bones to make a flavoursome game stock, the venison needed to be perfect. We served the loin on a pomme puree with a bed of spinach, accompanied with a bitter chocolate sauce (which had port and almost a full bottle of wine in it!). On the table we served roasted beetroot and confit baby onions for guests to help themselves to. In the kitchen it was a true team effort to plate it all up and serve it to our expectant guests and it was most definitely the most frantic part of the evening in the kitchen. However, it was worth it and comments like this were welcomed by a very relieved Clare!
Then for dessert. To keep with the seasonal theme, Ros had prepared toffee apple puddings with a calvados and cinnamon icecream - basically a sticky toffee pudding with a twist! These went down a treat (also with the chefs as we snuck into the living room for a quick breather).
Once everything had been cleared, we joined our guests for coffee and a good natter which went on into the small hours, with Edi even offering an impromptu 'tour' of her impressive art collection! Our final guests left after 1.00 am but only after they had left us some lovely comments which you can see here on the blog. We are absolutely delighted that everyone had a great time and would like to thank all of our guests for their kind words. At the end of the day, Table for Ten would be nothing without our wonderful guests - they bring warmth, wit, curiosity and generosity which they share around the table to make the evening what it is. We are really keen that Table for Ten should be an 'experience' where guests can feel relaxed and enjoy good food in a friendly atmosphere and it looks like we've gotten off to a good start!
Table for Ten is a team effort with all 4 of us involved, and last night's supper proved to us that we can do a good job and give our guests a night to remember. We look forward to welcoming many more.
More comments from our guests:
No comments:
Post a Comment