New Years Eve Party

New Years Eve Party

Mr PaintSewGlueChew and I hail from Scotland.  The undisputed best place to celebrate Hogmanay…….(that’s New Years Eve for all you Southerners).  Listen and learn England….Scotland even gives its revellers an extra day off on the 2nd as a public holiday to get over the hangover. How Civilised.

Growing up, Christmas was spent with family, and Hogmanay was for letting looooose with friends.

We have had many many amazing memorable Scottish New Years Eves, but its not practical this year to make the pilgrimage north……..so Hogmanay will have to come to South West London. Recipe For a Fantastic Hogmanay:

Take good friends, add liberal amounts of alcohol.  Add more alcohol.

Enjoy. 

This year we are having 4 families with their kids for dinner – 18 in total.  (Enough for a decent shindig, but not so overrun that we have to go one pot or buffet style).  We usually keep things as simple as possible when we do a party.  I hate not being able to enjoy the night with friends, trapped in the kitchen.  But its a special night, So I pimped up some of the courses.

One of my friends brought the cheese course, and another pudding for the kids leaving me with plenty of time pimp up some of the other courses.

In order to pace ourselves over the evening, I’m opting for lots of small courses.

Bloody Mary Shots with  Trimmings.

To start, we had Bloody Mary Shots with Parmesan Tuiles and Parma Ham Crisps (Fancy!)

Followed by:

Crispy Aromatic Chicken with Hoi Sin Sauce and Chinese pancakes.

(woops forgot to take any photos)

Main Course was:

Tiny servings of Beef Bourguignon for the meat lovers

Or Smoked haddock, salmon and leek filo pies for the non meat eaters.

Next was a lemon sorbet (served in ice shot glasses) and a limoncello chaser.

Espresso Chocolate Mouse with Mini Chocolate Shortbread Stars.

Followed by  Espresso chocolate mouse, and mini white chocolate shortbread stars.

Cheese and biccys with our own home made sloe gin.

And Finally….

That was unfortunately a bit of a theme here.  The more alcohol consumed, the less photos taken.  Mr PSGC even donned his kilt (much to our kids mortification), but again no photos.

Before everyone arrived, we wrote fake resolutions on the windows to make the kids laugh.  (Most copied from the internet, but sorry cant remember where).

They added some of their own, and for us, but my favourite is from 8 year old Tom one of the sons of our friend.

I like his style……

“- To have a good time
– To have a life.  A good one.”

Profound!

Things not looking so rosy for us…Our son Jamie has a resolution “To be more annoying to his parents.”  Oh joy.This morning while I was taking Abbi to a New Year birthday party for one of her friends, the lovely Mr PSGC did all the remaining dishes and glasses……It was as if the cleaning fairy had been.  I’m suspecting he must still be drunk.

Happy New Year everyone.  Hope all of your hopes and wishes come true in 2013.