Evening Dinner for Neighbours

[HappyAgainOneDay]

I've been alone for 4 years now so am no longer used to cooking for more than one person. Because they've been good to me since my loss and subsequent accident, I'm having a total of four neighbours round for an evening meal tonight so would like to know if I'm being too basic with what I'm giving them. Starter: Smoked salmon terrine (bought complete from Aldi and will give each person a slice with a bit of salad); shepherds pie with carrots, sprouts and peas; plum tart (bought ready made from Aldi - special offer several weeks ago) and cream; cheese and biscuits; coffee/tea and chocolate mint sticks (packet from Sainsbury's); plenty of wine and I know they'll bring some as well.

What do you think? Shepherd's pie is nothing like what I used to do. I'm so out of touch with cooking for a few people now....

I would pop bread out with the starter.

Everything else except the sprouts because they are the no locks of satan sounds delicious.

Have a lovely evening x

Are you kidding me? That sounds amazing!

Your neighbours are in for a right treat.

Oi.Stop knocking sprouts.I'll have you know that I'm putting my Christmas sprouts on tomorrow when the clocks go back < just to be on the safe side >

I'm an out an out sproutist and not afraid to say so

They're horrible little wannabe cabbages, that will never amount to anything more than a bad taste and a good fart.

My DH loves them though

Have the sprouts OP. By all means. You'll be out-farting each other by the time you serve the cheese.

Oh, regarding the gravy OP

I like Bisto Best instant gravy

It's more expensive than the granules but it tastes nicer and never goes lumpy.

maras Please join us. The more wine, the merrier.

As for my being a lovely neighbour, I don't know how I'd have managed without their assistance here and there. For instance, after I broke my arm Occupational Therapists put a seat in the bath so I could shower sitting down. After 4 weeks of misery, I got one of the neighbours to come and remove the seat so I was able to wallow again. Getting up and out of the bath again was a learning curve though but worth it. He also mowed the lawns. Another brought round meals or had me round there with the food already neatly cut up. Another sorted out a computer problem and one with the car.

I'm just fortunate and sometimes count my blessings.

"... horrible little wannabe cabbages..."

Hahahahaaaa

You've just made me wake the baby .

VelourVoyageur Oxo cubes. They are to be sprinkled though not mixed with water and added because there's already enough moisture there.

Everyone As for sprouts, I love fresh sprouts above frozen ones and thank you for the reminder. I'll keep the patio door open a little bit.

Must go to slice up the terrine and get the tart out of the freezer before it's too late and have to give them tapioca this time (or have I still got some sago?). See you in a minute.....

Ooops Cookie

Let us know how it went OP

Sounds like a winner menu then. And if you serve the veggies in a big dish and let them help themselves, any sprout haters can avoid them without feeling rude!

HappyAgainOneDay enjoy your evening.

Happy Hope you have a lovely evening, I might have a small sherry and some nuts to virtually join in with you.

(I love sprouts )

sounds lush. And if it's the plum crumble tart from Aldi then I'm very jealous. It's divine

Sounds lovely. I love sprouts too as long as they are not overcooked (like my mums!)

This is such a lovely happy thread! Hope you're having a lovely evening OP - I'd be thrilled if I were your neighbour.

champagnetastes I think we'd all be thrilled to be Happy's neighbour, sprouts and all!

Oh yes, I'd love to be one of Happy's neighbours.

Yum! Except maybe the sprouts.

Sprouts. Sprouts. Sprouts. So there!

It did go extremely well. I dished up in the kitchen rather than spread dishes over the dining table. That way, I was able to get out of extending the table (can accommodate up to twelve people round it) so we were not spread out too much.

The terrine went like wildfire and the only thing that someone left from the main course was carrots. One neighbour never eats them and I've never noticed. The plum tart was popular natwebb79 but one neighbour left the pastry from the base. I suppose it could have been a bit cardboard-like but all the others ate what they were given. They arrived between 7,00pm and 7.30pm and didn't go until about 1.00am so it must have been all right. I love doing this sort of thing.

I have enough shepherd's pie and plum tart - now in the freezer - for the people coming on Tuesday. I've only just finished washing up and have mounds to put away. Thank you all for your encouragement.

Ha ha, love that you proved us all wrong on the sprouts front!

This thread disappeared from my watch list for a couple of hours this morning and I thought it had been deleted. I was genuinely sad to think I wouldn't be able to hear how the evening went! So happy that it went well :-)

Oh, and some of them look down on (not sneer at) Aldi products - they like Waitrose or Sainsbury's - but they liked the cracked black pepper biscuits that I put out with the cheeses. Guess where I got them from! I took the remains of the packet - in the original box - round to them this morning and ran away.

It's so hard to keep my hands off the partly used bottle of wine ......

So I didn't ......