Going out to or preparing a Dinner is the equivalent to going on a magical journey. A journey of excitement, sometimes unknown, a little scary & even mystical. When I prepare Degustation Dinners, 3 Course Dinners, Cocktail parties or anything really I am taking you on a journey. Not necessarily my journey, it is always your journey & to be experienced the way you choose. I am merely your guide.
I absolutely love & adore having Dinner Parties I really do. To be able to share my world of passion through food with those I care about is one of the most amazing gifts I have been blessed
with & I love to share.
with & I love to share.
Before every dinner party each of my friends are asked what is one of their favourite ingredients. Why? Because I create a Course around it. Yes every guest is included & so am I. You can see how many courses we are having by the number of guests for dinner! Yep they can be very late nights too
It’s interesting listening to reactions. Some people get all embarrassed, others don’t even know what their favourite food is. Some just go to town & can’t decided between 10 ingredients so tell me all of them & I can choose. Then others are scared that no-one else would like what they like so refuse to say. I don’t let them off lightly & as I gently remind them I have to prepare something & I would so much rather prepare food for my guests with something like they rather than what they don’t like. Why do I do this? Because I want them to feel special & know that I love care about them.
My dinner parties always have a twist. Everyone is involved. Ok the secret is out to those yet to experience one! And by that everyone on arrival is told they will be cooking/preparing at least one course with me. The look on the some of my friend’s faces is priceless. Sheer horror by some. Other’s you can see quite chuffed because they know their way around a kitchen & so this will be a piece of cake! And others think I am joking & dismiss the whole concept.. ha.. little do they know I don’t take no for an answer when I am in charge in the kitchen!
I don’t choose which course they prepare, I leave that to my guests to decide while I am pouring us all a glass of French Champagne. Sometimes I have sipped half way through my first glass before any decisions have been made!
So the fun begins now with the Canapes & my first little helper! Then the ball get’s passed for the next person do make the 1st Entrée then on for the 2nd Entrée, then Main, then Palate cleanser, then Dessert, then Cheese then coffee & Petit Fours… well usually coffee is skipped as it is invariably 2am by now!
What really happens behind the scenes you may wonder? J Well some things are best as kept 'trade secrets'. Do things get dropped, wrong sauce put onto plates, anything burn? Yep sometimes all of the above! Do we laugh?
Absolutely… & usually the loudest after the crash of a Soup Plate full of soup flys across the room as my new Waiter/Waitress nervously carries it down the corridor to the table. Lol..
As each course is presented I really love watching reactions as each person’s favourite ingredient is featured in some way in one of the courses. It brings them into a really beautiful & loving space & adds excitement & a sense of fun into the room.
We all have so much fun & the ones who were absolutely scarlet in colour & terrified of having to touch food have now become the Master Chef & hero of the evening.. lol.. I usually have to take the door off it’s hinges so they can get their ego into the Dining Room with their creations in hand on the plate!
I can see each guest feels special. This is my intention for the evening. I feel special because those I love feel special. They have been thought of. Life is really that simple. Being thought of & knowing someone else has taken the time to do something for us.
There seems to be so much instability in the World these days so even just seemingly small acts of love & kindness can help heal us & the planet.
What do you love? What can you can do that you find fun, easy & share it the special people in your life? It certainly doesn’t need to a 10 Course Degustation menu. Keep it to something simple & pleasurable of you prefer.
For me food is one amazing way to share love.
Share what you love & watch the love come back to you in many amazing ways.
With love
J-A xo
No comments:
Post a Comment