It was a choice between Strawberry and Crab Apple wine to take to Richard & Linda's for a meal. Because it has bee Richard's birthday this week and as strawberry wine is the better of the two, it seemed proper to take this. Richard said he felt honoured and, indeed, he was. It is an excellent flavour and I think this vintage is one of the best I have made (he said, modestly).
The meal, as ever, was fabulous. We had a tomato soup with carraway-seed buns to start, a pasta dish involving mozarella and baby broad beans as the main course - accompanied by a colourful salad of spinach, parmesan shavings, carrots, mushrooms and radishes, and finished with a mandarin orange tart with custard and creme fraiche. Richard was apologetic that he had made the custard from powder rather than first principles, but Claire pointed out that when she made it with eggs it tasted no different.
Cannot tell you how jealous I am of your friend, Richard. On my birthday, I accidentally bought a jar of Lloyd Grossman's Chilli Con Carne sauce to go on the pasta. We couldn't work out what was wrong with it for ages - till I noticed a bean in it and then Man Friday read the label. Oh yes, and cos we had run out of pasta, we had to use dog pasta. Strangely enough, it wasn't that bad - considering it only cost 40p per bag. Read yr review on Kate's site - too right and all!
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