Come Dine with Stacy!

Our 3rd in the series, and one which we all looked forward to eagerly, even though our host was a little more reserved about the evening. Let me tell you something about her: she?s a brilliant cook, she just doesn?t enjoy it, and tonight was to be the first ever full 3-course meal, so expectations were high, and we were not to be disappointed!

The tray and presentation by itself was exciting, without even seeing the food: a lovely napkin, a flower and a little treat for post-dessert, not that we were still hungry! To begin, we had crudités and dips with nuts and crisps ? perfect to nibble on while the chatter flowed. Our host regularly popped her head out from the kitchen to check we were all ok and waited on us all night; points for attentiveness I think!

We began with Smoked Salmon parcels, which were perfectly-sized filled with prawns and crab and a horseradish mayonnaise. These were served with a green salad and balsamic dressing. The flavours were lovely and rich and it was lovely to see chunks of fish rather than a pureed mixture.

Next up was a stroganoff, which I always struggle to make, but which Stacy did to perfection. Simply a mixture of onions, chicken and mushrooms, fried off, with a can of cider added, (our host used Scrumpy Jack,) simmered down with lots of dark soy sauce until reduced, then lots of cream. She added a timbale of rice, again cooked perfectly, to the plate and all was gobbled down by each and every one of us.

For dessert, a Stacy Speciality: Sticky Toffee Pudding?a toffee based cake, with half the amount of dates, so a little less sticky than usual, but this was more than made up for with the sweet toffee sauce. We could have all eaten a second helping, even though portions were perfect, as it was soooo scrummy, but decided against spoiling the evening!

And as for the scores? Well, you?ll have to wait and see until we?ve voted on Come Dine with Donna and they?re finally revealed!