To The Penyffordd Wine Society

James Martin's Strawberry Cake
Takes 5 minutes to make.

Lisa roasting the Sunflower Seeds

From nearest to farthest. Nigella's Nuts, Sunflower Seeds,
Olives and Peppadew Peppers and Jamie Oliver's Chocolate Pots.

Lisa is doing a demonstration of cooking small nibbles for social do's. She has prepared food over the previous day. There is a mix up over the opening of The Institute. We stand around chatting in an unseasonable cool wind outside. Colin has foolishly come out in a tee shirt after all its the hottest time of the year.

After a phone call that gets the "we don't have to open The Institute tonight line" there's a back down and Tony comes down. Its 15 minutes until we have the door open from turning up. Attendance tonight is in the vicinity of 20. We have 2 new members Tony and Jo, a couple from Penymynydd Rd. We are about 8 people short due to various commitments. One of our members Richard is in hospital in Belgium after a heart attack and open heart surgery. He is recovering. We are thinking of you Richard and Pauline.

Lisa and myself are doing a "Fanny and Johnny Craddock number". Everything is laid out.

We are a wine club but don't limit our evenings to everything wine.

On the menu :-
1. Nuts, done on telly by Nigella Lawson. They are served in The Union Square Cafe in New York
2. Sunflower seeds as done by our yoga teacher when we have been on a week retreat
to Bardsey Island. The sunflower seeds are lightly roasted in a pan until starting to brown then sprinkled with Tamari. An understatement to say they are moorish.
Members were asking where thay could get tamari . (Mold Health Food Shop on Earl Road)
3. Posh Olives, Olives with a twist.
4. Jamie Oliver's Chocolate Pots
5. James Martin's Strawberry Cake
and finally
6. Limoncello as done by James Martin.

During the demonstration light relief is obtained by Mandy doing naughty jokes.
Also gentle banter from Norman.

After the demonstration a few sandwiches and the nibbles. The Nuts, Sunflower Seeds and The Limoncello quickly go as does the James Martin's Strawberry Cake.

Norman has bought along a bottle of pineapple wine which he shares with the members. Tony the new member opines that "the nose" smells like "an old door"
The taste is a lot more pleasant once you get past "the old door" and you can certainly taste the pineapples. Its later admitted that the concoction had sherry added during its making.

The evening comes to a gentle close as it is mid week. Everything cleared away leaving the place as we found it. A few stragglers and the Naughty Girl's table the last out as usual.

The most difficult part being locking all the doors and having all the lights with all the heating off.

There are various "gottchas" that are guaranteed a next morning phone call.

Not all the switches in the fuse box have lights working when on, so each individual switch has to be carefully checked, all 20 of them. The central heating thermostat. members who have left coats like Hazel last night.

The kitchen light you switch off, you close the door at your peril. All the lights in the fuse box, all pointing to off ensures the light comes back on. These things you learn after "the next morning phone call"

We have also been "advised" to kick the front door once its locked just to check its locked properly.

We don't do this as we don't want Tony Sharp's men paying a visit about drinks and noise. So we give it a gentle push.

All these things to trick you after 3 glasses of wine..................

Next Month. A Summer Barbecue on the edge of Dobshill Woods at Richard and Chris'

New members invited from Penyffordd District and Beyond to join The Penyffordd Wine Society.
Subscriptions £15 per year plus supplements for special events. Meetings normally last Wednesday in every month.
Also special days out to such places as Ludlow Food Festival, Chatsworth Country Fair and The Good Food Show at the NEC. In the past The Society has even traveled to France to visit vineyards.

Email The Penyffordd Blogger for more detail at tresmegistes@gmail.com

Peace reigns within the society................................

Links
Bardsey Island
Nigella's Nuts
Sunflower Seeds
Chocolate Pots
Strawberry Cake