Helen and Daniel hosted the night, with 8 Gastronauts attending a feast of regional and seasonal food. With the aromas of amazing food floating around the kitchen it wasn't long before the pear, blue cheese and thyme canapes started wandering around the room. These were a lovely way to start the night, and the fresh thyme really lifted the flavour of the rich blue cheese & crisp pear. Keeping on a theme of finger food, we then each had a shot of potato & fennel soup. I love tapas type starters, and this was just what we all needed on a cold winter night.
After everyone had said hello and enjoyed a glass of prosecco, we shifted to the table in readiness for all the amazing food that was still to come - we didn't wait long for a bowl of beetroot & cumin soup with spicy yoghurt dressing to arrive. The colour of the soup was stunning, and it quickly disappeared from everyone's bowls.
Then it was time for the pressed rabbit terrine. Although admittedly this didn't look like your textbook terrine it was the standout dish of the night for me. Not having eaten a lot of rabbit, I was really looking forward to this - the terrine melted in my mouth, with a wonderful richness of flavour.
Although I would have been more than happy to eat this terrine for the rest of the night, the show must go on, and the next course was slow roasted beef brisket, roast potatoes with garlic, chilli & rosemary and roast beetroot with apple balsamic. This was perfect fare for a cold winter night, although our stomachs were starting to reach their limits by this stage of the night.
After all that wonderful food, a palate cleanser was called for - tonight it was sloe gin and blackberry jelly. These were so good a few of us started drinking sloe gin shots afterwards (which also probably explains why there are no more photos). The sloe gin and blackberry flavours complemented each other so well - rich, but with good acidity to cut through the lingering tastes of the previous courses.
We finished off the night with quince crumble and ice cream - a tasty, warming and rich dessert that was just made for a miserably cold winter's night.
A big thanks goes out to Helen for putting together another fantastic night of seasonal and local food.
We hope to see you at a Gastronauts dinner soon !
