At last, perhaps a supper for friends is now in order. And with restrictions gradually lifting we can start – but start small.
That is the plan, anyhow. I am envisaging just six of us from three households. Folk we have not seen forever. All sitting round our kitchen table.
Yet when I think about it, I start to worry. Not so much about the wretched Covid.
Because all of us are jabbed up to the hilt. Everyone will be asked do lateral flow tests on the day, and, let’s face it, our kitchen is a big one, our table lengthy enough to distance.
No, the real concern is that it has been some time since we properly entertained.
Cooking for a (small) crowd again
We have got so used to hibernating – and how will I be able to cope with cooking for a crowd?!
Not that six is that. But, if you think about it, in recent times, for many of us two has been company, three a crowd…
Then there is the other matter. When it comes to talking to people out of working hours, the chief and I have got more used to doing that through our computer screens.
All those Zooms and Teams were useful. They still are. But they put barriers between us.
Nevertheless, it is time to bite the bullet. And as I say, we will go slowly.
It seemed so simple then
I remember the younger days.
Those fast-living twenties and thirties. When getting home from work and whipping up a spag bol for a party of ten was no big deal.
Then it seemed that inviting people to break bread was a relatively stress-free process – especially if you had a few bottles of wine to wash it down with.
It was the same in my seriously grown-up forties. Sixteen expected for dinner?! No problem.
Numbers now gone up to eighteen?! No worry. Just bulk out that stew with a few extra carrots and fling a couple more tatties in the pan.
But that was then. This is now – and do we really need the hassle?
A tasty Mary Berry recipe
Yes, we do. We must ask folk in. And we want to.
Lockdown may have dented confidence. But we have to get back to some sort of normal life.
So, bring it on. By the way, I plan to serve a Spanish hotpot. A tasty mix of pork, peppers, tomatoes and chorizo.
It’s a Mary Berry recipe. Who is currently my favourite go-to chef. I have her latest book and if I follow her instructions, I shouldn’t get it wrong…
And I hope the MacNaughties don’t get it wrong, either.
Because both doggies have got so used to an empty house, they may not like our visitors.
I think they will. The stately Chow Chow and the naughty Norfolk are fairly gregarious souls.
I believe they will welcome a bit of extra company. And they will love a wee taste of Spanish pork – if there is any left, that is.
I will report how it goes…
