Another enjoyable meal over!
Abergavenny
We crossed the border into Wales as an aspect of the absence of county boundaries. The event was held at the Abergavenny Food Festival, September 2009. The Food Festival was well worth attending and the link demonstrates that simple assertion.
On Saturday 19 September 2009, non-members joined us for lunch in the town centre at the heart of the festival. The bill of fare included the essence of the festival - its food and drink. The conversation included what everyone had found during their tour of the stalls etc. We were able to tell the visitors more about our Society and answer all their questions.
The Walnut Tree
In October 2009 we enjoyed a meal at the Walnut Tree Restaurant near Abergavenny. See where we went via
http://www.thewalnuttreeinn.com/
The Society’s 75th Anniversary
The 75th anniversary was celebrated with a very special dinner at Glewstone Court, Ross-on-Wye. The Branch was the only one to adhere exactly to the menu served at the first meeting of the Society held at the Café Royal in November 1933, and even the wines were from the same vineyard as that original lunch!
Members and guests were greeted with a Cremant d’Alsace Cuvee Julien and shown to the extremely comfortable drawing room at Glewstone Court where a wonderful log fire awaited. Dinner was served in the Court’s private dining room and commenced with Alsacienne Hors d’oeuvre Platter comprising Charcuterie, Smoked Bacon, Potato Salad, Smoked Trout Fillet, Marinated Anchovy Fillets and Mushroom and white Truffle scented Frittata. This was accompanied by a Riesling Grand Cru Schoenenbourg 2004.
The main dish of the evening was fresh Partridge with cabbage, kasselbach potatoes and baby carrots, with chef, Christine Reeve-Tucker, making a spectacular attempt at following the original dish of 1933. Gewurztraminer Moulin Blanc 2006 was served, but for those who preferred red, a magnificent Leoville Barton 1997 was very kindly donated by Ian Rushton.
Munster cheese with cumin seeds followed, then Gougloff Pudding, again wonderfully prepared by Christine, with a comport of Mirabelle plums together with the Chairman’s Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas 1998. All this concluded with coffee and mince pies (a little deviation from the original lunch, but in the spirit of Christmas).
The Chairman paid fond tribute to Andre Simon and it indeed seemed he was with us in spirit.
A TASTE OF MOROCCO IN WALES
We enjoyed a ‘Taste of Morocco and the Lebanon’ at the home of one of our members at Llanhennock.
The weather was very kind to us and we were able to sip our traditional Ouzo aperitif taking in the splendid view across the valley. We began with Lebanese Mezze comprising the familiar hummus, Baba Ghanouj (an aubergine & tahini dip), roast sliced courgettes with mint & garlic, an aubergine & tomato salad, a red pepper purée, and little triangles of kibbeh (a baked ground meat and bulgar wheat cake). To accompany the Mezze a Domaine Larroque was served, being a 2005 Merlot & Syrah red from the Beni M’Tir foothills of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
The main course was based on three different Moroccan tagines; chicken, kid, and lamb, making varied use of subtle spicing. Each tagine was accompanied with vegetables and, of course, couscous. To go with the chicken we had Massaya Classic Twilight, a 2004 white wine from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, whilst the lamb and kid called for a big, strongly flavoured wine and on offer were Massaya Classic 2005 and Massaya Silver 2005, both unusual combinations of Rhone and Bordeaux grape varieties.
Back to the Lebanon for two desserts, the first a delicious snow white rice pudding perfumed with rose water and served cold with poached apricots, and the second a mixed fruit salad with orange blossom. No Arab meal would be complete without pastries rich with honey & chopped nuts served with Moroccan green tea.
Sunday Lunch at the Castle House Hotel in Hereford
We enjoyed a superb Sunday luncheon at the Castle House Hotel in Hereford in July 2008. We were greeted on the terrace in idyllic weather and sampled pink champagne being a Michel Arnould Brut Rose Reserve, grand cru à Verzenay. Lunch was then served in the elegant dining room.
The fish course, comprising Lay and Robson smoked salmon with fennel and watercress salad and beetroot chutney, was considered exceptionally good. This was followed by roast sirloin of Herefordshire beef with all the trimmings or pan fried sea bass with new potato nicoise and olive jus. Both were beautifully presented, the huge joint of slightly pink beef arriving at the table on a trolley! The Yorkshire puddings were described as particularly ‘pneumatic’ by one member and ‘quite the biggest and best I have seen in a long time’ by another. The sea bass was exquisite and perfectly cooked. The wines to accompany were a 2006 Italian Alpha Zeta Gargenega and a Chilean Takena Carmenère, which went superbly with the beef.
Then came vanilla crème brulee with marinated strawberries and raspberry ice, or gooseberry and apple crumble with custard and clotted cream ice, both poems of delight! For those without a sweet tooth there was a wide selection of local and other British cheeses, all choices being accompanied by a Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise Domaine des Bernadine Cave Castaud. Coffee and shortbread biscuits concluded this memorable repast.
The staff must be congratulated as they were particularly attentive; several members remarked how good the service was with attention to such matters as topping up the water jugs without request. The Castle House is definitely on our list for a return visit!
See where we went at http://www.castlehse.co.uk/
The Crown Re-visited
Set in beautiful grounds in the heart of the Wye Valley near Tintern, the Crown fully deserves its Michelin Rosette under the head chef, James Sommerin, and his enthusiastic team.
On arrival we sat in the very comfortable lounge to enjoy the House champagne, Alain Thienot, dry and flinty. The first of the three main courses consisted of pan fried brill and seared scallop, with lemon, basil and red pepper, accompanied by Les Perriers 2006, an exceptionally good Sancerre. This was followed by Welsh lamb “three ways” from a local farm, accompanied by another house wine, a very acceptable Fleurie. Pudding consisted of a very elegant apple crumble, frozen chestnut cream and roast plum, accompanied by Elysium Black Muscat 2005 from California, unusually deep rose in colour.
Mention must also be made of the Amuse Bouche, a Chef speciality which preceded the fish, beautifully presented on little wooden boards.
BURGUNDY LUNCH AT UPTON BISHOP
All the dishes were prepared by members themselves.
We were greeted with canapés of gougere and fois gras du canard accompanied by a fine Chablis 2006 (Domaine Jean-Marie Naulin). The entrees comprised coq au vin, boeuf de bourguignonne and duck breast in red wine sauce with walnuts. These were served with potatoes Lyonnaise, creamed potatoes, mixed sauté vegetables and green salad. The splendid wines to accompany were Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuit 2002 (Domaine Michel Gros), and Santenay 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau 2005 (Domaine Claude Nouveau).
Typical cheeses from the area were then served being Epoisses, Chaource and Delice du Cremier, and the lunch ended with desserts of apple tart and poached pears.
ITALIAN LUNCH AT BROMSASH
Unfortunately the weather was typical of our summer and, despite having a large marquee erected in the garden, lunch had to be served indoors. However, although a little ‘cosy’ we all managed to eat in the beautiful dining room.
We were greeted with a glass of cool Prosecco Italian pink champagne which set the scene for a wonderful Italian experience. Before the meal commenced the main course of pig, including head, was presented to guests.
The meal commenced with antipasti including melon wrapped in Parma ham and bruschetta, and salads of artichocke hearts with borlotti beans and mushrooms. Then came the magnificent Suckling Pig and Vincigrassi which is a 16th Century recipe and was always on the menu at the Walnut Tree, Abergavenny when Franco Taruschio ran it. Couscous salad and a hot potato salad of potatoes, tomatoes and olives were served. To accompany the meal were Chianti and Pinot Grigio and we were treated to a magnificent 1996 Tignanello very kindly donated by another of our Members. There was a choice of two desserts being Limone and bilberry pudding and an Italian lemon tart, and the whole meal concluded with coffee.
To end the afternoon we were able to stroll around the splendid garden enjoying the magnificent views towards the Welsh Mountains.
Christmas Dinner 2009 at Glewstone Court
Once again we celebrated our Christmas Dinner at Glewstone Court, near Ross-on-Wye and the evening certainly lived up to expectations.
Proceedings commenced with a glass or two of Jackie Simonet Champagne which was enjoyed around a wonderful log fire in the splendid drawing room. We then moved to the private dining room and commenced with a choice of Weston’s cider & apple soup, homed cured beetroot and vodka gravadlax or grilled Welsh Crottin served en crouton, all of which were excellent. To accompany a Sancerre Andre Dezat was served at just the right temperature.
The main course was a choice of fillets of John Dory, medallions of Venison or fillet of Hereford beef. Again the portions were generous and cooked beautifully. The red wine was a superb Chateau Vieux Maillet 1998 donated by Ian Rushton, one of the society’s members, and we are extremely grateful to him for his most generous contribution.
Puddings included home made cognac, chocolate and chestnut torte, lemon and cranberry posset and spiced brioche bread and butter pudding. However many of the members were rather ‘satisfied’ by then and few had room for the selection of cheeses and mincepies which followed, although room was found for the Chairman’s port being Sandeman Founders Reserve!
Another year over, but many fond memories of some wonderful food and wine. Now we look forward to 2010.
