For the first day of Christmas and friends, in pictures.

True to form, I had massively underestimated how exhausted we might be after an incredibly busy and wonderful Winter supper club season. How in need of sleep we were and quite what a relief it would be to allow the house to get steadily messier as the week passed by, and not to have to worry about how it would ever be ready for guests arriving at the weekend. But, already, just one week has passed and I am sitting here, feeling rather glum that tonight E and I will be home alone while C is at his work Christmas party. I think this is a sign that we really love our little club and that I'm incredibly pleased that we can make it happen, here in our home, working with my husband with E in training in the kitchen and another tiny apprentice, growing steadily under my apron!

Anyway, it was unbelievably good to finish up for Christmas surrounded some of our dear friends and loyal fans and to serve up the last of our Winter menus...until the Christmas party that is...

The 1st of December 2012.

Delicate while petals.

To welcome A taste of grouse, horseradish cream, buttery oat biscuits.

and gruyere gougeres.

The Table.

To start Pan fried scallops, crab, apple and celeriac salad.

Griddled aubergines, ready for Wellingtons.

To follow Venison wellingtons, braised red cabbage, sprouts.

or Monkfish Wellingtons.

To finish Sticky gingerbread, orange and vanilla ice cream.

With coffee Tiny vanilla macarons.

Menu for the first day of Christmas and friends.

It's fair to say that this supper club, the last planned in our Winter season, is one of mixed emotion. We are thrilled to be welcoming a small group of dear friends alongside loyal fans and some new ones too. And, we are excited and even a little relieved at the thought of having a weekend to ourselves to prepare for and rediscover the magic of Christmas with the help of a joyful, wide-eyed, sparkle-loving E. We can't wait to deck the halls and celebrate with our families and friends but we are sure to miss creating menus, the mad dash of preparation before guests arrive, the nervous anticipation when the buzzer sounds downstairs, sharing our home and mostly meeting new faces and making new friends. (For the record I will not miss ironing the tablecloth one bit.) So here it is Merry Christmas and our bittersweet advent menu!

To start
Apple and celeriac salad with pan-fried scallops or chicken.

To follow
Venison {or monkfish} Wellington, braised red cabbage, almond toasted brussel sprouts.

To finish
Sticky gingerbread, orange and vanilla ice cream.

Menu for a birthday girl.

We managed to stretch out our own birthday celebrations for almost three months, so it's great to continue the celebrations with a gathering for another birthday girl and her friends on Saturday. We hope this is a suitably celebratory supper.

To start
Beef {or sweet potato}, pear, chicory, homemade honey and walnut soda bread.

To follow 
Tandoori spiced monkfish {or chicken}, cucumber raita, basmati rice, flat bread.

To finish
Chocolate, lemongrass mousse, Holly's finest shortbread.

For our faraway friends, in words and pictures.

We absolutely love living Edinburgh. In fact, the only thing we would change is to have all of our wonderful friends and family live here too. We often hanker for a long walk, a cup of tea, familiar laughter, sharing ordinary everyday moments with those we love. 

With the happy excuse (we're sticking to it) of more birthday celebrations, we got to do just that and welcome some of our dearest friends (and others in spirit) to do all of the things we miss, together, and to indulge in a Charlie and Evelyn's style dinner. The menu was, like the company, sunny, warm, comforting and a rare treat created by Mark Sargeant for friends, cooked by us and possibly recognised by avid readers of Waitrose Kitchen (September 2012).

Hot smoked salmon mousse, buttery homemade oat biscuits, served on a fabulous shoal of fish charger (a well chosen birthday gift, thanks to The Riachs...expect to see more of that here).

Stilton gougeres (also served on an excellent birthday present, this time a piece of Edinburgh Skyline Highland Stoneware, thanks to The Reids).

To start Smoked duck, fig and orange salad.

To follow Rock turbot (rather than monkfish) with sweetcorn succotash.

To finish Peach, nectarine and apricot crumble, blackberry ripple ice cream, brandy snaps (next time we'll try Mark's suggested maple mascarpone).

Happy days.

Menu to chase away the rain

These cheery plates will bring some sunshine and that Friday feeling too. Ready?

To start

Jewelled venison carpaccio, beetroot relish.

To follow

Pan fried monkfish, red wine, cabbage risotto.

To finish

Poached Winter rhubarb, rhubarb ice cream, orange shortbread.