Christmas Dinner at Tora's

So the first food post starts at my friend Tora's house.

This is Tora. Hi, Tora! 

Tora and her housemate Tom very kindly hosted the first Christmas dinner of the season. "Dinner" is probably too modest a word; we started eating at 1pm and carried on right through to 1am in the morning.

It was the most incredible feast... and it's probably safe to say I will never be able to look at any other roast in the same way again. We started with raspberry sorbet, Chambord and Prosecco cocktails and pigs (fresh, butcher's pigs) wrapped in blankets, before moving on to a modest two starters - homemade pate, and brie and tomato relish pastries. 

Tom's homemade pate.

Tora's meat stuffing. (I'm hoping for the recipe).

Pigs wrapped snugly in their cosy, cosy blankets. Look at them, all nestled in.

The main event consisted of (are you ready?): the most sumptuous, greedy goose you could ever imagine...

...a big old ham...

... brussels sprouts cooked with pancetta, chestnuts, and cream...

... meat stuffing, vegetarian stuffing with pistachios, braised red cabbage, more pigs in blankets, and the crispiest, fluffiest goose-fat cooked potatoes I have ever, ever eaten. All drowned in lashings of proper, old-fashioned, meat-juice gravy, naturally.

Everyone was very happy. It looks like Tom may have spontaneously burst in to song at the dinner table!

Oh, this is me by the way.

Dessert came next - three types: banoffee pie (which I'm proud to say I made myself), a Christmas pudding made by Nigora, and an Eggnog cheesecake made by Tora.

After a short break, a couple of liquor coffees, and a few glasses of wine, we moved on to the cheese board.

Before finishing with some of Tora's homemade truffles. Incredible. Oh, by the way, you can follow Tora and her cooking ventures amongst other things on her blog if you fancy, by clicking here.

Anyway, thanks again Tora and Tom! It was a day and evening very well spent. Book me in for next year, please :o)