after work dinner

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day in my little spot on the river Thames, with a clear blue sky, bright and shiny sun, the smell of daffodils and jasmine sweet in the air.

And to make a great day even better, I was having friends over for dinner - some of my favourite people on this side of the globe. My guests arrived laden with beautiful spring flowers (apparently my love for all things fresh, floral and fragrant is well known) which are now beautifying my little home. They were a delicious backdrop to a casual evening. Look! Don't you love them?

We started with drinks (New Zealand white wine, Spanish red wine and Mexican beers) and some home made foccacia, dipped into good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The main event was my old favourite - moules, frites and garlic bread. This never fails, you literally can't go wrong with it, and it's great to share with friends. I love the kind of food that you can all dig into, getting messy fingers and with sauce to be slurped. It's also good because it it's done alla'minute but doesn't require much time or attention so you can still relax and enjoy your night. I realised last night that I haven't yet blogged my recipe for moules mariniere - as it is really so simple and traditional - but will do so shortly.

Two of my friends had placed orders for dessert so we had a bit of a mini-buffet. Sticky date pudding with warm toffee sauce, as well as an apple, strawberry and walnut crumble.

So thank you for a great night, friends, and especially for being willing little guinea pigs in my little blogxploration. Mwah.

dd.x