A report on our 2017 meetings

Our final Just Roasts dinner of 2017 had an autumnal theme. Slow roasted leg of Venison which had been marinating in red wine for a day or so was served with loads of veggies and rich gravy. Celeriac mash and Cavolo Nero saw us experimenting with a couple of new dishes to complement the regulars. Home cooked Yorkshires were considered a must by our Yorkshireman Sous Chef.

June

A fabulous, succulent pork shoulder was enjoyed by our little group at our last get-together. After being slow cooked in the oven and finished off on the rotisserie on the BBQ, the pork was really superb. Dauphinoise potatoes, a favourite with us all, was served with veg and rich gravy. Two puddings, a lemon tart (homemade pastry by Bob, and no soggy bottom) and a summer fruit panna cotta finished off a great evening. Thanks Bob and Sue.

April

Richard and Hilary managed to put together a very fine roast pork dinner having just returned from Majorca.  Hilary's stuffing deserves a mention and Richard was rather proud of his roast potatoes it has to be said!  The only blip on the evening was when the gravy ran out before Richard got any, and we were not allowed to forget this for the rest of the evening.  Our new phrase for whenever we meet up with Richard now is ‘don't mention the gravy!’  We did make sure he got plenty of custard with his bakewell tart though, and the evening turned out to be one of the funniest nights ever.

March

Just Roasts got very spicy!  Shoulder of lamb was slathered in a paste made from a whole garlic bulb, ras el hanout spices and olive oil and cooked in a low oven (Gas mark 0.5) for over 7 hours.  The lamb was served with roasted vegetables and spicy couscous and a dip made with roasted aubergines (Baba Ganoush).  A Moroccan Orange Cake, which was destined to be served with oranges marinated with cardamom, unfortunately got rather burnt in the oven.  Quick thinking resulted in the burnt bit being cut off, and the cake chopped up and turned into an exotic trifle with the marinated oranges, a tin of custard and topped off with Greek yoghurt!

February

Roast beef with all the trimmings including an unusual celery in white sauce was our menu
for a cold winter's day, accompanied with plenty of yorkshires and lashings of gravy. Apple Strudel followed which was served with a delicious Monbazillac desert wine.