Good afternoon everybody,
Now usually we strongly adhere to the 'no festive products outside of December' rule, however, we also like to have said festive products on the menu for a solid four week run. The way the Christmas dates fall this year means that we are having to do some opening hours acrobatics (more of which in the coming weeks), and as three weeks of mince pies just doesn't seem enough, we are throwing our hat in the ring this coming week. This year Valentina has tweaked our shortcrust to make it even more buttery. This is filled with our slow-cooked mince meat, lightened with a little apple butter. The top is kept very simple, just brushed with egg white and sprinkled with sugar to create an Eccles or indeed Banbury cake effect. And we are also taking the liberty of putting our saffron and almond buns on this week too, mainly because they are Kate's favourite bun of the whole year. Saffron-infused dough gets rolled with layers of almond butter, topped with crunchy flaked almonds and drenched in saffron syrup.
Having missed the boat in terms of organising a Beaujolais Nouveau party, we're hosting a tasting on Saturday 29th November at which we'll sample this year's primeur from Jean-Claude Lapalu alongside some super rare bottle of cru Beaujolais (did somebody say Foillard and Metras?) as well as some festive faves - Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy plus some funky stuff. As usual, this will be an informal affair, with the emphasis on conviviality. As well as all the wine you can drink, there will be plenty of bread, cheese and charcuterie to keep us on the level. Not to be missed - book your place here
That's all for now. Thank you for reading and we wish you a happy Sunday,
Kate and Hugo