Haydy Squibb

September 12, 2018

The Last of the Summer Wine menu was cooked and hosted by the very lovely Molly and Rose and the wine was paired by a personal fav of mine, Waitrose. On arrival, we met two other supper club goers in the stairwell which eased my nerves a little but all nerves were gone within seconds of opening the front door. Both the hosts and the other guests introduced themselves and I felt totally at ease being in a strangers home surrounded by people I'd never met before! I'm going to take you through course by course so you can get a feel for the amazing evening we had. Whilst we chatted away to some of the lovely guests we were spoiled with Fried Chicken, Cauliflower and Tamarind Duck canapes that were paired with a glass of Cave de Beblenheim Pinot Gris Reserve. This medium dry white wine accompanied the juicy meats and cauliflower perfectly, as expected! Matt Dicks taught us about every wine he had paired with the food which was a really nice touch as we learnt a hell of a lot. It's great to know why a wine goes with that type of food so it's something you can use when cooking at home. Our first course was in the form of Mushrooms served on Brioche topped with Truffle, Cheese and Herbs. I've only just got into eating cooked mushrooms and this was a great way to try them not mixed into a sauce or on a full English breakfast! The flavours all worked so well and I'm thinking this could be something I could do for a posh breakfast every once in a while. This course was paired with a glass of Domaine du Vieux Vauvert Vouvray which was such an easy to drink wine, with light citrus flavours that balanced well with the strong flavours of the food. The second course was the fish course that was made up of Salmon topped with Beetroot, Labneh, and Dill. For those of you, like myself, who aren't sure what Labneh is, it's a rather lush Middle Eastern soft cheese what real creamy and worked perfectly, it was almost like a luxurious cream cheese and salmon bagel minus the stoggy bread so you could really taste the flavours. With this course, we moved onto Red Wine in the shape of Villa Blanche Pinot Noir. I'd usually pair white wine with fish so this was something new and something I'd do again for sure! Our main course was my favourite of them all, which surprised me as I'm not usually a Lamb eater! This was a really well balanced dish being served with Pea puree and Barley with a helping of greens. The meat was cooked to perfection and the barley meant the course wasn't weighed down by heavy carbs. This  was served to us with a glass of Beronia Rioja Crianza which is aged in a mix of  French and American oak barrels ensure the spiciness of the wild, briar berry fruit making this the ideal pairing to go with the lamb. Funnily enough, my parents were drinking the same at home that night! In between the main and dessert, we had a little time out from eating, which allowed us time to catch up with those around us. The other guests were all such lovely people, that I really did feel like I was just hanging out with old friends with a proper good meal and well paired wines! A great part of the supper club was how Molly and Rose prepared the food around the large table we all sat upon in their kitchen. The table has followed Molly from flat to flat and was even moved by crane before so it's a stable part of the supper clubs they run and we can see why, having us all sat around one table, chatting and laughing whilst preparing the plates around us gave such a good atmosphere! The final course of the night was, of course, the dessert which was both fresh Raspberries and a sauce with Brandy Snaps on top of a Crème Patisserie. Small and sweet was the ideal was to finish off all the amazing food we had eaten that evening. With that we drank a glass of Domaine Pouderoux Maury Grande Reserve which was a fairly heavy wine but as the dessert so light it worked wonders. Before leaving our lovely hosts kept up a tradition with a shot of their own infused alcohol, which was strong, fruity and rather tasty! We had such a fantastic evening, facing ridiculous fears of mine, meeting amazing new people and eating food I could only long to be able to cook myself! The paired wine was a great addition too! For £40 a head this evening was beyond value for money, with wine served, and the option to bring your own means you can eat incredible food in a quirky London flat for far cheaper than what you'd pay in a restaurant.