Bonne Annee!!

What an amazing start to what I really feel is going to be a magnificent year!

Today we threw a lunch for new and old friends and family, what started as an intimate lunch for eight turned into lunch for eighteen as every one of our invitees responded to say they'd love to join us.   Ages ranged from five weeks (Le Petit Luc Adel) to seventy and everything in between. Twenty five potatoes, eight turnips  and three parsnips peeled... twelve onions and a minimum of 15 cloves of garlic roughly chopped, 1kg of smoked salmon sliced finely, two kg of fillet of pork and two kg of boeuf bourgignon sealed in a wallop of olive oil, 18 dried apricots, a scattering of wild thyme and some mustard, coriander and fennel seeds later and dinner was served!

To start I cooked some great Irish soda bread using a brilliant recipe from Domini Kemps book and we topped this with Irish smoked salmon and a lemon and chive creme fraiche.  For mains we had decided to offer a few different pots of good warm grub including a hearty Irish stew (courtesy of our friend Ciaran) and Daube of Pork (Recipe again from Domini Kemps fab recipe book) and a Roast Veg gratin with green beans on the side.

Our guests came bearing delicious gifts. Our new neighbours Gaby and Isabella brought a truffle they had found under a tree in their garden (it's all about patiently following the flies apparently), they grated this and mixed with a little olive oil and spread it on toast.....delicious!  My friend and blogging hero Corey and her FH brought not one but two scrumptious deserts including a mouth-watering apple tart and a gateaux de Roi. Vero Adel somehow found the time between nursing her little five-week old Luc to make the most amazing dark chocolate (95%) mousse....mmmmmmm (I can safely say it was not in the slightest bit painful to lick the pot clean when washing up later).

It marked many firsts, our first party in our new house and life in Lacoste, our first guests, our first time cooking a proper meal on our new oven (the first oven we've ever owned).... I was surrounded by friends I've known forever and friends I've only just met but can't wait to grow old with (...and watch our kids grow up together).

As I type here I admit I'm weary but very very happy and sport a silly grin of excitement as I plot and plan all the fun things I'm going to do over the upcoming months

Happy New Year

xx

Just realised Corey posted her beautiful photos from our lunch on her blog - THANK YOU - I completely forgot to take photographs in between juggling simmering gratins and bubbling pot au feus!

Great graphic by Frank Chimero