Not just any old coffee but a Vineyard coffee. This comes in three beautiful layers with three delicious home made biscuits. The occasion was lunch with my best friend Anne and her barrister son Tom who found out where we were going and wangled an invite. He was very entertaining and I am trying to persuade me that I am an extra mum as ‘Granny Annie’ shares my grandchildren. We are a very sharing group and when we are old (er) we are going to mutter and shout and wear purple and poke people with our sticks – just for fun.
This was actually a pre starter as Tom was desperate for a coffee but I had to photograph it for it’s beauty.
Oh look, it’s Tom’s wild mushroom risotto, I think this was his main course, regardless I still managed to wrestle it off his mum who had already wrestled it from him and eat at least half. Still a winner in my book, chewy choice of wild mushrooms with a huge depth of flavour. I think God wants me to have this regularly, I cant say why, just a feeling. Lets call it faith.
Wow oh wow, Anne’s monkfish, black grapes, sweet tramarind and caulflower. The monkfish was perfect, I am now a Monkfish convert and it worked so well with the tamarind and cauliflower. Anne is great to eat with as she is such a sharer, I love her to bits, anyone can win me with food I think and she is incredibly unfussy but loves and appreciates quality. Perfect combintion.
My hand dived Orkney Scallops, heirlom tomato, spring onion and chives. As always perfectly cooked with a really fresh bite from the tomatoes and spring onions. Genius
Tom’s starter of orzo with courgettes and lemon verbena. Very good, Tom is a devout vegetarian (unlike his mother who is a flaky vegetarian) and the wonderful thing about the Vineyard is that you can have really delicious vegetarian courses without missing meat.
Ok I know you have seen this before but it is still amazing, the tomato essence from the Isle of Wight heritage tomatoes is just incredible.
Ah, this was my pudding which was roast lamb with courgettes and heritage tomatoes which made a delightful sauce
Possibly Anne’s putdding although there seemed to be some confusion and plates were swapped. This was “duck egg” with roasted apricot and jasmine chiboust and looked spectacular
Another angle
Tom (or Annes’s) pudding of almond biscotti, sauteed nectarine and peach puree, very well received
Another angle
The petit fours which I can never remember, there was a pistachio nougat type cube, a red fruit pastille and a citrus marshmallow, they were all divine.