Now answer me this: how can my new year possibly get any happier than this?? Waking up to a new year without (much of) a hangover. The smell of fresh, strong coffee. And for breakfast, toasted wholewheat English muffins topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon. I always say that life isn’t about big things that happen and suddenly make us happy – it is about finding happiness in the small, everyday pleasures that we can all experience. Clean, fresh linen. A long bath. A phone call to a friend. The smell of hot popcorn. A cuddle from a pet. And smoked salmon muffins to brighten a winter morning. If this sets the tone for the rest of the year – bring on 2005!
As I mentioned, we kicked off our New Year’s celebrations with dinner at the apartment of a friend of mine who lives near Tower Bridge. Five of us dined on tuna and mackerel pate, followed by roast lamb in a juniper and garlic glaze (I may be forgetting a vital ingredient or two here – it was a long night…) and finished off by individual chocolate mousses topped with fresh cherries and brandied cream. Rather a lot of red wine was consumed – the only one I remember well was a South African KWV Pinotage which was smooth and jammy and delicious, and a perfect match for the lamb. Just before midnight we all grabbed champagne glasses and a bottle of bubbly and headed for the bank of the Thames. The night was clear and mild (for December, that is!); Tower Bridge and the Tower of London were beautifully lit and there were fireworks going off everywhere as we toasted in the new year – a perfect London moment. Yes, I was wearing my Bunny-ears of Happiness. No, I wasn’t morose for a second.
To all readers of CookSister! – HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you had a great party on Friday night and made many worthy resolutions that you can enjoy breaking later in the year (I know that’s what I’ll end up doing!). And I hope that you all have a safe, happy and healthy 2005. Thanks for all your comments, e-mails and friendship – it’s been a great seven months and I look forward to many, many more.
The avocado and biltong soup is excellent! Great recipe . . . you should not have any problems getting your hands on top quality biltong to go in your soup, its all here: http://www.BathBiltong.co.uk/
Hi Charlie
Thanks for the link – and you’ll be happy to know that the biltong you see sliced up in the soup is in fact… (drumroll) Cruga peppered biltong!! A friend got it from a shop in Milton Keynes and we were very taken with both the original flavour and the pepper flavour. Nice to know we can but it online though as Milton Keynes is a bit out of the way…