Fine Dining

We are very fortunate in having an excellent Catering College nearby.  We have always enjoyed going for meals which the students have cooked and served.  However we've noticed that the quality of the meals over this past year has really improved.  So, to start our Christmas celebrations, Sue and I went last week for a meal which included scallops on a bed of crabmeat and filet steak à la Tournedos Rossini ... an excellent meal!  But we couldn't resist going again last night for a meal based around the hunt.

(Click on the photo for a larger view)

Roughly translated we started with Wild Boar paté and apricot chutney, followed by Foie Gras poached in a sweet wine.  We were even offered second helpings of this!!!  It went particularly well with our cocktail of champagne, cognac and angostura bitters which we were still drinking at this point.  (the photo shows my second helping!)

This was followed by pheasant over which was poured flaming Armagnac.

At this point the students were given instruction on how to ignite the spirit and serve it without torching their customers.

Having cleansed our palate with a small Granité (a sort of sorbet) flavoured with a local plum liqueur, we were served roast Venison (thankfully small).  When we booked the menu was shown as a choice between pheasant or venison, but, on the night, they found it easier for the students to give us both!  The meal was finished off with a pudding of chocolate mousse, rum baba and raspberry charlotte, any one of which would have been sufficient.

Absolutely amazing.

It was intesting to see a number of older French couples who managed to have their cocktail before finishing off a bottle of red between them !  We firmly believe that, for the French, wine is indispensible and that any alchoholic content is nullified by the consumption of food.  By comparison, we try to be sensible and so only had our cocktail and one glass of red wine.