Tuesday 10 March 2009

Pre-Nuptial Agreements

I'M ASHAMED to admit that my run of bad behaviour recently detailed in 'Ain't Misbehavin', doesn't stop at fancy restaurants.
It extends to weddings too.
At one wedding reception, after far too much vino, I decided it would be a good idea to empty bowls of Pringles into my handbag for the taxi ride home.
And there was another unashamed display of gluttony when I took a plastic spoon and scrapped off and ate the creamy, fruity topping of an entire gateaux. The boy tells me that fellow guests looked on, aghast and in horror. I am surprised he didn't disown me.
We've also been known to order bowls of chips to eat in that ceaseless downtime between ceremony and wedding breakfast.
But at Saturday's celebration, I'd signed a pre-nuptial agreement and was on my very best behaviour.
And rightly so, because the upmarket surroundings of Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire certainly warranted it.
I was restrained when the post-ceremony canapes arrived, delicately nibbling at the delicious satay chicken skewers and goats' cheese and onion crostini.
Maybe the fact that we'd called at KFC on the way helped perish my hunger.
However, when it was finally time for the wedding breakfast, my appetite had returned with a vengeance. It was only the fact we were in new company that kept me from raiding the bread basket.
Fortunately a good, hot bowl of tomato and basil soup for starters allowed me to dip my hand into the dish of dough, and knife into the butter.
Main course quickly followed, featuring sweet roast lamb with red currants on creamy dauphinoise potatoes. There were also dishes of roast potatoes, squash, carrots and parsnips and braised red cabbage doing the rounds, as well as a jug of gravy.
I thought wedding food was supposed to be bad, but this was delectable, especially the moreish cabbage and fluffy roast spuds.
A pudding of light strawberry syllabub with a strawberry tuile, rounded off the meal nicely, although I still found the room for one-and-a-half petit fours.
Sadly, we didn't stay for the evening buffet. Probably best though, as I was only carrying a very small handbag with absolutely no room for Pringles, pork pies or pickled onions...
What is the best wedding food you have eaten? Let me know...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A couple of years ago I went with my partner to a civil ceremony, the "do" was in a local restaurant. The big meal was served in the early evening - a hot buffet, but immediatly after the ceremony, as a sort of light lunch, huge wooden platters full of good bread, ham, cheese, pickles, olives and seafood were brought round - excellent.

Emily said...

Wow Darryl, that sounds superb. I went to a lovely summer wedding last year where we were served a ploughman's lunch with lots of meat and cheese and pickles and then later, a pig roast! Delicious!

Anonymous said...

Best thing I ever had at a wedding, believe it or not was tea. We were at an Asian wedding and they had this most delicious chai flavoured with almonds and cinnamon. I tried to create it at home, but not successfully.
I know what you mean though, I end up making a piglet of myself everywhere I go. The only thing stopping me at weddings is that I know my stomach bloats really easy and if you are wearing a form fitting gown or something, it really shows!

Emily said...

I wish that was enough to stop me... by the time I have had a few glasses of wine I forget to hold my tummy in anyway.
I have also been to an Asian wedding where the food was superb. One of my Hindu friends is hoping to get married soon and is promising an Indian buffet to end all buffets!

Thinspired said...

Cute title! What is it about weddings that makes us lose control with food and drink? You are so right about the down time between the ceremony and the dinner--you need food or a cocktail to entertain yourself, right? Yikes. It's dangerous. The next wedding I go to, maybe I'll make a pre-nup too!

Emily said...

Probably a good plan Lara. I admit, the KFC on the way helped, even though I only had a chicken salad. Turning up with a hungry tum, I'd have been a nightmare because it would have been rumbling through the ceremony and then I'd had eaten the whole board of canapes! I definitely recommend stashing a Larabar in your purse, just in case!