Monday 13 August 2012

Guess Who's Coming For Dinner?


Us! Last night we went round to Liz and Adrian's to belatedly celebrate Jon's birthday.


Not that he minded spending last Sunday in a muddy field, eating reconstituted veggie burgers, drinking vodka out of a can and queueing for the loo, along with some brilliant live music and a bit of sunshine, that's pretty much his idea of a perfect day.


We kicked off with devilled artichoke hearts, cream cheese stuffed Pepperdew peppers, mixed olives, sun-blush tomatoes, freshly-baked Ciabatta bread with balsamic vinegar & olive oil for dipping with peperoni on the side along with copious amounts of wine.


The carnivores had lemon and garlic-stuffed slow-roasted chicken (Jon got a special garnish with his).


Delicious cauliflower cheese for veggie me, all served with sage and onion stuffing, roast potatoes, sautéed tender broccoli with baby courgettes and carrots.


The roast spuds were to die for!


Adrian and his impressive pepper mill. 


Liz in anticipation.

The Liz's and I
After dinner the sun came out and we adjourned to the garden.


Liz had this gazebo for her 40th birthday.


Al joined us later after a day's sailing.


  The hosts.



The birthday boy and (a very pasty) looking me. I think the flash was one, I'm not this pale in the depths of winter!


I've only just re-read Daphne Du Maurier's The Birds so this lot looked a bit menacing.


This Herefordshire Hop, Red Leicester with chives and baked Camembert didn't last five minutes. Stupidly I forgot to bring along the kitsch cheeseboard I scored from last week's car boot, a perfect excuse for doing it all over again.


Despite the huge dinner and the free-flowing wine we managed to stay awake for the Olympic Closing Ceremony in it's entirety which was just as well, I'd have been gutted if I'd missed The Who!

1960s Young Edwardian maxi dress (courtesy of Sarah),  1970s Madeira souvenir bag (jumble sale), headband (made from 1960s braid from last week's car boot sale) accompanied by a heap of tribal jewellery.
I'm meeting up with the girls tomorrow for a day of culture, daytime drinking and vintage clothes shopping, so if town's up to it's usual standards expect tales of frisky pensioners in Wetherspoons, mind-blowing art exhibits and fabulous finds!

See you soon.

67 comments:

  1. My mouth is watering! That food looks delicious! Yum, yum! I do enjoy the hippies sign at the door and the giant birdcage too!

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  2. Oh the party! I watched (part of) the closing ceremony on Italian tv but sadly missed dancing Boris and The Who. & you NEVER look pasty faced, Vix! xoxo

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  3. It looks like a fab night Vix with delicious food. I bet the cheese was amazing! Fab gazebo.
    Dx

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  4. Great party!!Happy birthday to Jon! All you girls look amazing, great dresses and smiles!
    I'm still shocked by how delicious was the dinner, I'm on the vegetarian side and that plate of cauliflower cheese and veggie edible paraphernalias makes me incredibly hungry!! I'm eating my computer mouse now!!
    I always like your pictures with Jon you are one of the best couple of the world!

    Love xxxxxx

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  5. aahh it looks and sounds like a wonderful evening ;-) You have lovely friends and the food looked gorgeous. Have a lovely day tomorrow, dee xxx

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  6. Wow, lucky Jon - all that food looks amazing!!! I miss hosting dinner parties!

    You look beautiful and I have to know where your friend got the 'hippies use the back door' sign - it's hilarious!!!

    L x

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  7. This is my kind of post, yummy food, giant birdcages and a huge phallic pepper mill (ooh matron!!) This looks like such a fun evening. I love Liz & Adrian's house and garden. The carnivore menu looks so delicious and that cheese, mmm! How lovely it is to have really good friends for times like this. You all look fab and it's nice to see the madeira bag getting an outing xxx

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  8. Hi Vix!! you are beautiful!! fantastic photos, I think it was a great birthday!!

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  9. I was seriously distracted by the food pics nom nom. Have you tried this hot dip, its amazing http://www.slugsontherefrigerator.com/home/2011/11/how-to-make-friends-and-influence-people-with-a-dip.html
    V
    xxx

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  10. Looks like a great party, and happy b-day to Jon! :) Your dress is so nice, looks great!

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  11. I'm at work late, very hungry and drooling over the pics of your dinner. Love that dress! M x

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  12. Tasty, I love a good farm made cheese.

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  13. Drooling at the sight of that food. And v jealous of your days out while I'm stuck in the office! xx

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  14. Beautiful dress and cheese? Good night!

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  15. your dinner looks just so delicious. glad you didn't miss the who. oh your dress is so pretty! xo

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  16. The roasties! The cheese! Your outfit!
    All looks gorgeous!!
    xo

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  17. This dress is jaw dropping on you. Your figure has even Venus weeping. The dinner at Liz and Adrian's has my mouth watering. I want to taste all of those cheeses and the spuds, dang, beautiful orgasmic food! You all look so happy and buzzed and beautiful!!!! I can't wait to meet this bunch and instead look at pictures like these and go yeah I did that with them:) I seriously need to know how to make tatters like that!!!!

    Lotsoflovetoallya!!!
    Krista

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  18. I am struggling to keep from licking the computer screen!! The food looked AMAZING!!

    You, of course looked stunning!!

    i'm glad i watched the BBC feed of the closing ceremonies because evidently NBC bastardized it to hell. They CUT Kate Bush!!

    Annie Lennox was freakin' the queen of the night for me!! She is fearless!

    {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}

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  19. That food all looked delicious, and your dress is divine. It looks like Jon is having a wonderful extended birthday. I really do need to come along and enjoy all Walsall has to offer with you before I miss my chance. xx

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  20. your dress is (still) so pretty and you look so fabulous!, and love all that delightful food and fun!
    besos & partytime

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  21. You three ladies look lovely and you outfit is just stunning.

    I love Wetherspoons I went there on Saturday its such good value.

    Have a nice day tomorrow x

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  22. You've got a great group of friends! The food looks fantastic and I am now trying to decide what to have for dinner!

    xo, Bonnie

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  23. Looks like a fab evening.

    Caroline
    xxx

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  24. Good friends, great food.... what a lovely looking evening.

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  25. cheeeeeese!! I adore cheese!! YUM!!! what an amazing spread and you look incredible as ever! Happy Birthday Jon!
    Much love xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  26. You all look fabulous, I would quite happily pinch all of your frocks! The food looks bloomin' good too. Hope you enjoy your day tomorrow! XO.

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  27. Oh my goodness, this food is my idea of heaven! My stomach is rumbling. Also love the 'Hippies use the back door' sign haha!
    xx

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  28. Squee! I do love a dinner party!! Everything looks scrumptious,and G would have been drooling over the cheese!!! We both love cheese,but he is slightly obsessed!
    Host Liz' frock has the most gorgeous detail!You all look good enough to eat,really.I want to hang with your crowd!
    Can't wait to hear about the day out!SQUEE!
    Love Helga xxxXXXxxx

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  29. Looks like you all had a great dinner party. You can't beat a get together with friends. Loving Jon's birthday candle in his chicken.

    And well that is a n impressively large one. Pepper grinder that is!

    X x

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  30. Looks like you all had a great dinner party. You can't beat a get together with friends. Loving Jon's birthday candle in his chicken.

    And well that is a n impressively large one. Pepper grinder that is!

    X x

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  31. Looks like you all had a great dinner party. You can't beat a get together with friends. Loving Jon's birthday candle in his chicken.

    And well that is a n impressively large one. Pepper grinder that is!

    X x

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  32. Looks like a great dinner party and the food looks simply divine...hats off to the chef...and I love your dress x

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  33. Why celebrate a birthday once when you can do it twice - Happy Birthday again Jon! Wonderful dress Vix!

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  34. wow... this post is making me hungry just looking at the pictures. If I ever get to England I am going to hang out with you :)

    becks
    http://fabulous-junk.blogspot.com

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  35. Over here the tv station that had the olympics told me at 11pm that they'd be back in a freaking hour with The Who! HELLO! The Closing was on tape! Guess they had to show that new show(which I'm never going to watch)which was being hyped all night and the local news. Geezy Pete!

    You look lovely and that dress is out-of-sight.

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  36. Looking forward in seeing the next of your advaentures- I hope the art is fantastic and the finds are fab!

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  37. Oh how I've missed reading about your adventures and seeing how stunningly you put yourself together! Fabulous, as always!
    happy belated birthday to Jon!
    xoxo, Anita

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  38. Vix you just have the best life and the best friends, and all that food looks delicious too! xx

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  39. Belated Happy B day to your Jon. Love the sign about Hippies using the back door!! All that food looked amazing, as did you!!! Oh and the closing ceremony for the Oly's was just brilliant, one big concert and lots of very happy people. Well done England!! Take a bow.

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  40. whta a nooce day ahve you spend :)
    Hugs
    AnieB
    http://lahabitaciondelaspequenascosas.blogspot.com.es/

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  41. I'm drooling over your vegetarian plate and the cheeses, while your fabulous re-jigged frock from Sarah is simply perfect for your scrummy dinner engagement:)). I'm so glad you got to see The Who, I absolutely could not get up to sit in the freezing lounge at 4.30am to watch the ceremony:((. xoxo

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  42. What a lovely dress! And the food looked delicious.

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  43. Love that frock from Sarah, you look stunning as always, and you are working the headbands big time!
    The Lizes are as glamorous as ever.
    Nothing beats great food, plenty of wine, and good friends, so this sounds like the ideal evening. And the closing ceremony too - I liked it, though George Michael went on too long and the Spice Girls were awful. Nothing new there then!
    Hope your girls day out was fun, looking forward to hearing all about it! xxxx

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  44. You look lovely Vix, what a tiny waist you have. And that food looks amazing, lucky Jon, it looks like a fab birthday party. And wasn't the Olympic closing ceremony great, I loved Ed Sheeran singing "Wish You Were Here" with Nick Mason on drums, and Ray Davies, and the Freddie Mercury tribute. xx

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  45. I love your dress Vix and it looks like you had an awesome day with friends, those days are always the best. Also your friends gazebo is so amazing!!

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  46. *NOM* *NOM* looks so tasty. I can't stop eating bread in dipping oil and Balsamic and the moment too. Glad Jon had a wonderful birthday and you enjoyed the closing ceremony.

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  47. That dress is flippin' fabulous, Vix!

    All that food has me salivating, it's right up my street! You're truly lucky to have such great friends. x

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  48. Your dinner looks delicious. I love cream cheese pepperdews. Your Young Edwardian dress is fabulous.

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  49. Looks like you had a wonderful time! I love that dress xxx

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  50. how utterly delightful....am about to birthday myself..... am starving now andit's not even 11am!!!x

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  51. Looks like you had a great time. I completely missed the closing ceremony as I was at the Blur gig in Hyde Park, think I'll have to watch it on catchup so I can see The Who! x

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  52. Phwoar!!!!!!!!!!! That food looks lovely! Want those potatoes and canapes! You had a great time obviously!!!!!!

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  53. Beautiful dress! I love the turquoise accents. I want to gobble all your olives up! =)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  54. Happy Birthday Jon! The food looks delish especially the cheese. Yum! Love your and your girfriends' outfits!
    xx
    maya

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  55. Those photos are pure foodie porn! xxx

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  56. Vix, I've just been catching up on all your posts. I confess to having been Olympics obsessed. It has been a great half hour of fab visuals including the Morocco short!!
    I love your tooth story - totally bonkers, you couldn't make it up. It is almost a film moment. I'm glad you got the book! I was a cheap skate and sent it second class xx

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  57. Looks like a fantastic Birthday Dinner!! Enjoy your day with the girls!! That dress you have on looks gorgeous on you I love it!! ~Heather :)

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  58. That looks such a fab party, in spite of the spooky birds! The food looks divine. I can't help missing that kitsch cheesboard, but Adrian's impressive pepper mill makes up for it.

    You girls all look lovely! Can't wait to hear about your adventures in Walsall. I'm assuming a trip to the Art Gallery is on the cards?

    Annie xx

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  59. Looks like a great evening - you and the Liz's have such lovely big smiles! The food looks very yummy. I always assumed that Jon was a vegetarian like you, so I was surprised to see his "birthday chicken". Have fun with the girls!

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  60. happy belated birthday to jon. looks loike you had a great night out with some great people!

    girl, your dress is absolutely adorable!!!

    http://wardrobexperience.blogspot.de

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  61. That food looks SOOOO good! Loved your recent hair post. Very nice read and great thoughts. I think I left a comment on it, but was not sure it went through. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed it.

    Love the maxi; love the lace slip in last post!

    xx
    Lynn

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  62. Happy birthday Jon! Looks and sounds like it was a wonderful (and delicious) party! Such nice friends you people have. We watched the entire closing ceremony too. Was good, right?!

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  63. What an excellent bag!

    You are making my tummy grumble with all of that tasty food. I could really go for a sliver of that Red Leicester (I can't get that over here). Thank goodness I am off for beers and a snack with the husband soon, because I am super hungry now!

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  64. Looks like an amazing night,love your dress its fab :)

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  65. Those cheeses!! They look amazing. I love my roast dinners full of herbs and garlic, so that looks gorgeous! You look gorgeous, not pastey at all. Happy belated Birthday to Jon, he was lucky enough to spend it doing exactly what he likes best too. I'm hungry now!

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  66. Happy belated birthday! Looks like a great time was had, as well as great food. the cheese board just made my mouth water :)

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  67. That dress is exquiste you look like a princessa amor.
    Sound like a lovely evening.
    Mmmm love all your cheese and olives.
    roast papas are my fave.
    You do not look pastey, always look like exotic bella.
    besos

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Lots of love, Vix