For thirteen, in pictures.

We had thirteen lovely guests join us from across Edinburgh and Glasgow last night. For most of our guests, it was their first supper club experience. It is especially great fun to welcome slightly anxious diners unsure of what to expect and to watch them relax and enjoy as the evening unfolds. For one group, it was  far from their first supper club, as hosts of Supper in the suburbs, it was a chance to take a break from their Glasgow kitchens and to enjoy a night on the other side of a supper club table. 

This is how it looked:

Sweet Williams on the table.

Places set.

  

To welcome Stilton gougeres.

To welcome Lamb bites, mint yogurt.

To amuse Pea, mint, bacon.

 

To start Mozzarella, orange, beetroot. 

 

 Handmade honey and walnut soda bread.

 Cod with herb butter, pre roasting.

To follow Cod, garlic, herb butter, caramelised tomatoes. 

 

To finish Chocolate 'tart', strawberry ice cream.

With coffee Chris's hazelnut truffles.

Menu for thirteen.

Posting this menu after the event owing to broadband drop out. We're blaming this awful rain but are very glad we didn't have to cancel unlike poor Taste of Edinburgh. This is what our guests ate:

To start

Mozzarella, orange and beetroot salad. 

To follow

Cod with garlic, herb butter, caramelised tomatoes

and for our vegetarian guest, mint and feta potato cakes with garlic, herb butter, caramelised tomatoes.

To finish

Chocolate “tart” with strawberry ice cream.

For rainbows, in pictures

A colourful menu and a rainbow of guests were warmly received on Saturday night. We loved welcoming seasoned supper clubbers and newbies to our home and cooking up another satisfying Summer menu. We especially enjoyed creating the starter, our own invention and seeing happy guests enjoy all of the colourful produce resulting in clean slates/plates.

Blue Brodiaea on the table.

To start Red tomatoes three ways: tart, stuffed with grey sole and soup.

Chris in the kitchen.

To follow Fillet steak, green beans, yellow peppers, truffle oil, hollandaise.

To finish Pink strawberry gratin.

For Laura Robson, in pictures.

Two of the couples who joined us on Friday night had dined at the original Charlie and Evelyn's Table many months ago while three of the couples dining had never experienced our supper club or any supper club before. (I think they're converted!) It made for an great evening, interesting conversations (including sharing the best year of your life to date) and a special guest appearance from our little girl who knows a good party when she hears one. Here are the pictures.

 Pretty peonies on the table.

To welcome Pea and Pecorino toasts.

Tandoori stuffed mushrooms.

To amuse Spiced courgette and coconut soup with orange zest and mint.

To start Crevettes*, new potato and smoked bacon salad.

To follow Salmon* wilted lettuce, cucumber, vine tomato sauce.

To finish Strawberry meringues, strawberry, black pepper ice cream.

*The weather was not in our favour for our fish and seafood focussed menu (sea too choppy, rivers too full) so, instead of Scottish langoustines we had crevettes from French waters and instead of wild salmon we had farmed salmon.

Menu for rainbows.

As many people have faced awful journeys home tonight, or worse still, been stranded by floods, we send this colourful rainbow menu of red and yellow and pink and green from an oddly dry Edinburgh. Apologies for the delay in posting, we lost all electricity at home today so we're a bit behind. 


To start
Tomatoes three ways: soup, tart, stuffed.

To follow
Fillet steak, beans, truffle oil, hollandaise.

To finish
Strawberry gratin.

Cake miracles do happen.

Last night, the Edinburgh Cake Ladies, got fruity at Craigie’s Farm.

Despite suffering from terminal lateness, it was a surprise, even to me, that, at ten to six (event starting at seven) we actually only had one egg at home! After a frantic dash to the shops and some very “focused” cake baking, the cake was in the oven and definitely going to be served warm. 

I had originally planned to bake Bill Granger’s banana upside down cake, but decided to change when I revisited the brief and noted the fruity theme was actually in celebration of the fabulous fruit at Craigie’s (not many bananas in their polytunnels). So, I baked Sarah Raven’s sharp and sweet rhubarb upside down cake with toasted almonds and by some minor miracle, it worked and arrived at the Cake Ladies gathering, still warm and only 20 minutes late!

 

It was a great evening with some fantastic cakes and some very friendly new and old Cake Ladies. Every event is different and each venue adds something unique but each time I get a place, I know I’m in for a treat and that the treat continues with a sugar hangover countered only be a sugar top up and more cake the next day!

Chocolate celebration cake of Great British Bake off fame (certainly not one to be attempted last minute).

Swedish fruity delight.

Strawberry sponge.

Layers of raspberry and white chocolate goodness.

 Nectarine and cinnamon cake. 

Summer fruit drizzle cake.

Blackcurrant streusel cake.

And to get me through Thursday (you know just in case I was stranded in a flood or something).

Menu for Laura Robson

My career in PR has left me unable to let a tenuous link pass me by. So, this week, as I've been watching the odd bit of tennis, it's a menu for Laura Robson who was knocked out of Wimbledon but selected for the Olympic Games yesterday.  A selection of fine British ingredients, a punnet or two of strawberries, of course and lots of luck to the other British players.

To start
Langoustine, new potato and smoked bacon salad.

To follow
Wild salmon, wilted lettuce, cucumber, vine tomatoes.

To finish
Strawberry meringues with black pepper ice cream.