Dinner Party

Yesterday I hosted my first (and most likely last) ever proper dinner party in Birmingham. There were three of us, my friend Matt, me and the boyfriend, so it wasn't a big one, but a dinner party nonetheless.

I tried to create a Spanish style menu, so for starters we had my pseudo-tapas selection;
Cantaloupe melon with Serrano ham
Olives in garlic-basil marinade
Toasted baquette slices with garlic and tomato

This is what it looked like (well the melon and ham with the tomato that was to be rubbed on the toast).


The main we had was homemade paella. In reality it was somewhere between a chicken risotto and paella, but who cares. Sadly, when I got back from Finland I forgot to take paella seasoning with me. It's a mix of spices that my family always brings home from holidays in Spain. It gives paella it's awesome colour and taste. I also completely forgot to put the peas in the paella, I think they are a very nice extra in it, but oh well.

For desert we had a dark chocolate fondue (this is where the Spanish theme sort of ceased to exist) with Cantaloupe, kiwi, green grapes, strawberries, banana and marshmallows. It was amazing. I thought it was a good thing to have a dark chocolate fondue, it didn't make it as sweet as it would've been had been made of milk chocolate.

After a short digestion break we had cheese; French Brie, Dutch Gouda and a Roule, with crackers, bread sticks and homemade oaty biscuits.

Along with all the food we drank a bottle of Cava, a very nice bottle of red Rioja (2001), and an Argentinian Pinot Grigio (I couldn't find a Spanish white where I was shopping, so I figured South American will do). Just to make sure I don't sound too cocky, I don't really know much about wine.

What made me very happy was that I think I managed to make our living room look alright. It's amazing what a difference a table cloth (even if it's just an unironed bed sheet in reality) can make. We had to sit on the floor as we don't have a proper dining table and had to use the coffee table instead. But I think it was more or less a success and in the end the cushions on the floor were quite comfy (perhaps all the wine consumed had something to do with that.

I leave you with a picture of what the table looked like (sadly, it was impossible to find three similar plates for starters, but then again, we are students).