Wednesday 28 December 2011

The last supper

So the Downie Christmas has come to an end and there's only one thing for it. One last dine and what a dine it was...

We decided to give up on the rolled sirloin(fartomanyroastsalreds) and go for a family fav steak!

The Neens decided to go all out with that 80's cough cough 70's throw back steak au poirve. We're normally a béarnaise family but what the hell it's Christmas.

To make said sauce heat oil add salt, peppercorns and onions - more finely chopped than these i might add but we'll let Neens off she's normally more of an M&S sort of a gal

Cook for a while then add brandy and then cream...
And there you have it. Steak au poirve with a side of chips.

For desert we had black cherry crumble ...no I've never heard of this flavour either must be an Oxford thing, but it was tasty none the less.

The final Oxford dine was washed down with a lot of red wine and an interesting story from my grandmother about a Christmas donkey that turned out to be a reindeer. Sorry did someone say london?

Second Christmas at Chez Willmore

Jake and I departed Richmond (yes, it involved the standard train station sobbing- me, not Jake) to embark on an epic journey to Bicester.
Well, it was well worth the wait.



Jeffer had pulled out all the stops and a five course meal awaited.
Starter: Baked figs with goats cheese wrapped in Parma ham with rocket and grapes. Amazing!!



We even had party masks for pure LOLZ. This is Adam who managed to look like what Mr Tumnus would look like if he was a burns victim.



Next up prawn and scallop gratin with homemade rosemary flat bread. Jeffer surpassed himself with this one!



Then it was secret Santa time. I got the BEST EVER mug. "Doooon't mention it" is a Bicester in-joke involving Tim The Greek boxing a kangaroo.

Then for main...




Beef Wellington and turkey with all the trimmings











Totes delish. And to celebrate... A table tornado!!!!



Check that bad boy out! The explosion was comparable to Albert Squares B&B (unfortunately the Masoods couldn't make it though. Neither could Richardpbacon come to think of it)



Jeffer showing off his new Christmas tatts



Prizes me and Jake won during table games. That's right, Muslim Russian dolls. I know what you're thinking but Russians can be Muslims too you know!! Racist.



Cheeseboard and trifle



Yet more fire. If only Yusef was here he'd have loved it....




Choc pannetone bread and butter pudding and home made mince pies




Several drinks later and this happened...



And for once it wasn't me YESSSS!!!!





Thankyou Kate and Wills. Thankyou Willmore seniors and thankyou Bicester!!!!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Boxing Day Bubble and Squeak

An Andrews family trad for boxing day - take all the veg and potato left overs (healthy) and fry them in butter to make a huge mound of bubble and squeak








Serve with chips (just in case the b&s which includes mash and roast potatoes isn't enough non complex carbs for you) and leftover turkey and ham.










As you can see lots of leftover turkey. Ron doesn't like it "I prefer chicken. And I don't even like that" and even Milly was eating round it in her bowl.



Pigs in blankets are a welcome addition as are the 3 different types of stuffing - one of which is pork and leek which takes the meat count of this dine up to five. FIVE!!!! I've never quite worked out why we have so many stuffing options but I gave all three a whirl.





Serve with pickles, chutneys and Ron's homemade pickled onions #betterthangarners

After consuming a nap is recommended. And a couple of Rennies. Northern food at its best.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday 27 December 2011

The Nellist Chritmas-part deux

Now the Nellist siblings are part of a broken home #passthekleenex, it meant we had to go through day 2 of Christmas festivities.

Which didn't seem to mean double the gifts (you all lied) but did mean double the food. Hey, every cloud and all that.







Here's middle nellist about to prepare his favourite food. Our dad's a fruterer don't you know. A sort of northern mark fowler with a mullet.













The boys preparing the dine.






The starter: smoked salmon filled with avocado salad, king prawns and caviar. Was delish, until I picked the wrong sauce and covered it in chilli dressing. Eldest nellists favourite cooking ingredient.






Sirloin steaks, the old mans boiler broke which meant we couldn't have the goose as planned (yay!)

Buy instead were having steak and homemade chips.






Was yummy and cooked to perfection, (only because I insisted eldest nellist took it out the pan early may I add)

The old man continued to plough us with red wine until someone finally got in the pool (sink)






I mean cyome on - what fifty year old living alone doesn't need a pool?

After the night was done the 4 Nellists walked home and I insisted on snapping the full journey and daring them to run through the graveyard. Grown.up.






Casual josh, casual.





Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday 26 December 2011

A Nellist Christmas

So stuffed my newly chubby fingers Can barely type, so here's the Nellist big day in pictures.







A magnum of Moët after breakfast meant That I was more than a little relaxed for present giving







We stayed in pj's all day, posh.



The homemade starter of cream cheese smoked salmon and caviar bellinis

Before


After


Followed by turkey breast wrapped in streaky bacon
And all the sides, roast pots and parsnips, yorkshires, greens, cauliflower cheese, stuffing, mash, carrot and suede #gaggag, and pigs wrapped in blankets.



Before


After



And more champagne, wine and Christmas fave baileys.


I now feel the need to be airlifted to bed, but hey seeing as I'm already in my pj's at least there's no need to change

Showers.are.for.losers.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday 22 December 2011

A Bicester Bird

After an evening bopping down Bicester Rugby Club (the second worst place in the world after Fritzl's basement as far as I'm concerned) to live sets by the REAL Phil Collins and Elton John,  Jeff "I'm not drinking tonight' Willmore was actually on top form to cook a Sunday lunch. Despite the fact his night resulted in him nearly getting run over by a taxi and er... this


Anyway he decided to cook a bird. DON'T PANIC the chickens (Catherine, Sarah and Steve Redgrave) are safe. Jeff made rare duck with roasted and green veg and a rich cranberry jus,  a la Gordon Ramsey.


Duck breast, pan-fried and roasted




Rare. The way the professionals do it. 

Jeffer was wasted in PR. Never mind Wycombe District Council, the guy should've been in the kitchen at The Savoy Grill


"Cranberry jus" (posh gravy then)


Roasted english veg




The in laws. Despite appearances Jeff and Anna (Janna) enjoyed the dinner as much as we did

And for pud, a delicious toffee sponge with vanilla ice cream, which me and Snake shared. 

Hmm...In retrospect it looks quite sexual....

Thankyou Jeff and thank YOU Bicester. Right orrrn shag!