A Surprise Feast

Wall flower

Wednesday’s almost here and I’m still brimful from the weekend of family celebrations, games with friends, and incredible food from start to finish.

Friday was marked by the perfect steak at the Angel & Blue Pig. The whole family arrived in Lymington by boat, train, or bike to surprise my dad and celebrate a rather auspicious birthday.

Family walking in to The Pig

Cocktails by the fire

Saturday played host to the best ingredients I’ve ever tasted. We were defiant of the drizzle and arrived at the door of The Pig Hotel after a muddy tour of woods, streams and parkland, to dry by the fire and drink mulberry cocktails.

Bridge and tables photo collage

The Rust family

We ate in a bustling garden room of irresistible dishes (including a burnt cream to die for) and filled up on delicious food and good company. No amount of drizzle can dampen spirits when there’s this much fun to be had.

Inaugural Sunday Brunch

Oak kitchen shelves with cast iron brackets

Brunch is my favourite meal.  I love the excuse for sweet and savoury on one plate (pancakes and crispy bacon!) and morning boozing (mimosas!)  The timing of brunch sets you up for a perfect lazy day, so far removed from the quickly crammed toast of a Monday morning or the snaffled sandwich in front of a computer screen.  Brunch says ‘Take your time guys, and can I get you seconds?’

And brunch is the perfect way to celebrate a lovely shiny new kitchen.  We’ve been dreaming for years of a bright new kitchen, to max out the space in our little terraced house, and bring in as much light as possible.   And this is the result…

'Before' photo of kitchen in victorian terrace

'Before' photo of kitchen makeover in victorian terrace

We’re so excited to have it all finished. We’ve got more space, more light, and no horrid beige! Open shelves mean we have to be tidier. At the moment the novelty of it all means that we’re keeping on top of the washing up and choosing only pretty mugs for the shelves. We’ve still got some cupboard space to hide the ugly essentials like super noodles..

We invited the Rusts round for a celebration brunch, to show off the kitchen and put it to work. Coffee, mimosas and bacon sandwiches were an easy win. Smitten Kitchen struck gold once again with a delicious ginger spice pancake recipe. Pancakes are my very favouritest, but they are a pain to cook for a crowd. This baked version is an easy alternative I’d heartily recommend. This is the first of many meals I can’t wait to share here.

Rusty and Tom in the kitchen

Derek, Wendy and Alec at the table