Celebrations!

As any parent knows, there are certain birthdays that are milestones not just for their offspring but for their parents too; their first, fifth, going into double figures at ten, becoming a teenager at thirteen and so on.  This weekend saw one of those milestones for our family as our youngest was sixteen.  It's such a cliche but I spent most of the day reminiscing about the day that I had her, what I was doing, how I was feeling and especially the moments after she was born.  I know that every mother thinks their children are beautiful, but she really was...white skin and tiny tiny golden eyebrows and the biggest blue eyes.  Now as a sixteen-year old she has long tresses of auburn hair that curls at the ends (naturally); limbs as long and slim as a colt and a wit and approach to life that makes her a pleasure to be around (most of the time!!!).  We decided to mark the occasion by a visit to a smart restaurant and chose this as our venue.  It was everything we'd hoped it would be; smart enough to feel special but no snobbery involved; food to die for without being pretentiously played about with.  We began with cocktails in the bar - Whiskey Sour, Poporina  which was a combination of prosecco, violet liqueur (I'm now on the hunt for this - it was amazing!) and a lemon twist and a non-alcoholic drink featuring passion fruit and ginger ale.

 A chorizo and squid salad went down well with most of our party (I can't eat shellfish, so was the odd one out), followed by Fish and Chips with the crispiest batter I've ever heard, Shepherds Pie (complete with tomato ketchup) and Sausage and Mash.  Our sides included Sprouts with bacon and chestnuts and parmesan courgettes - mmmn mnnnn!!  Pudding was forced down by two of the party - Caramelised Pear Tart with Salted Caramel Ice-Cream and a selection of cheeses.  A truly memorable meal, and I hope a treasured milestone memory.

A rose for Rose