Easter – Part One
We had visitors for Easter. I went to the Easter vigil service the previous night rather than the morning one. My Mum had asked for something “spectacular” so I decided to push the boat out and give everyone an occasion to remember. We had a five course feast with the table laid with all the Victorian linen, crystal and silver. The salver was laid out for the butler to meet the guests with champagne.
The table was set out in all the finery I could muster – unfortunately I find my great-grandmother’s Edwardian linen tablecloth extremely difficult to iron.
The first course was cream of mushroom soup with herbed crouton and fried crispy sage.
The fish course was local smoked salmon with “black and white blinis”. The blinis were an idea of mine but putting poppy seeds in them did not really make them black – I would have needed squid ink for that.
This all came with some fine wines from Luvians. The one in the picture we had at Christmas and I liked it so much I got it again.
For the main there was a choice of lemon herbed roast chicken or luxury fish gratin – both with roast and boiled potatoes and asparagus. I would have like roast lamb but only J was with me on that. The gravy turned out particularly well for some reason – unfortunately as I don’t know why, I can’t duplicate it.
Then we had a celebration sherry trifle. The recipe for this came from a Mail on Sunday colour supplement c. 1980 where it was called “Harrods’ Celebration Trifle”. It was the first trifle I ever had that did not come from a box with Birds on it and contain jelly and sprinkles.
You will also see on the side board the cheese, fruit (note grape scissors) and petit fours which brought the meal to an end.
Apparently the Victorians (or some of them anyway) ate meals like this every day – I wonder they survived it. Though for me who had to cook it all, serve it all, and clean it all up afterwards (including hand washing and polishing all the stuff that can’t go in the dish washer – 30 crystal glasses anyone?) I can guarantee you that I burned enough calories not to put on an ounce – the same presumably cannot be said for my guests.
