Wednesday 3 August 2011

I survived

So, the hen night. Despite requesting a discreet, classy affair I nevertheless found myself walking through Central London in a pink tutu with matching sequinned cowboy hat on Saturday afternoon. I did what any girl of my generation would do in such a situation and channelled Carrie Bradshaw for all that I was worth.

It was a fabulous afternoon that started with afternoon tea and champagne and ended, via a cocktail master class, in a piratical themed burlesque club. I probably drank a fortnight’s worth of points, but if you could earn activity points for laughing it may well have balanced out. My beautiful girls did me proud.

Having abandoned D for the night, it was only fair that we have a little celebration of our own when I returned (slightly bloodshot, but unbowed) to Yorkshire. And so it is I bring to your attention a second York institution in as many weeks, Le Langhe.

We were first introduced to Le Langhe, which is a delicatessen and importer of Italian food, when they ran an evening at the York Food Festival a few years ago. The produce that they sell is simply exquisite, even if the owners, a husband and wife team, are a little scary. Don’t let that put you off. In a time where a lot of small businesses have been struggling, Le Langhe has actually expanded; moving from a tiny city centre shop to a much larger establishment set a little walk out of town. Not only do they sell fantastic meats, cheeses and breads, they also serve up coffee and light meals in an adjoining cafĂ© restaurant space. They have a fiercely loyal following among the people of York, some of whom make a weekly pilgrimage there.

D’s haul provided a stupendous Sunday night carpet picnic: olives and sundried tomatoes, slick with oil, ham cured in Barolo wine, braesola, a sharp, fruity cheese which had been aged in Chianti and an unctuous Gorgonzola, ciabatta and foccacia to be dunked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and finally a luscious fig and almond tart.  We washed it all down with Prosecco. 

Olives!
Gorgonzola!

Bread!
And there we go – a weekend full of laughter and friends and amazing food and far more vodka than is good for one liver.  Normal (WW) service had better resume shortly...

7 comments:

  1. Sounds lush - both the hen do and the "carpet picnic". I love home picnics - they're the best! :o) x

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  2. Sounds fantastic - your hen do sounds brilliant and I am literally drooling at your picnic. Yum!

    x

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  3. Indoor picnincs are brill :) Your hen do sounds great too!

    Lex xxx

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  4. I didn't realise it was your hen do! Glad you had fun. I think we might need a wedding post next to catch up with what's going on...

    Px

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  5. Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. Sounds like you had a brilliant hen do, hope your friends took lots of piccies, enjoy the rest of your wedding planning x

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  6. Well done you for making it through unscathed! "Channelling Carrie Bradshaw" was the only way to go, of that I'm sure. LOL That gorgonzola looked amazing - and eaten as part of a carpet picnic, was a perfect way to deal with it. :)

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  7. I want a carpet picnic...pouts......would need to be v v carefully planned to fit into SW!!

    Glad you had a great weekend. L xx

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