Karen Wright: Serving up an 80th birthday to remember

I was asked a few weeks ago if I could cook a meal, take it to the venue, and serve it. The venue was a private home, and the occasion was the eightieth birthday of Anne, a friend we made a couple of years ago on one of the Caravan and Motorhome Club escorted Tours. Anne’s husband Brian was keen to invite their nearest and dearest to their beautiful home for a special meal to celebrate.

Seventeen people were to dine, including myself and my husband. I was quite intimidated by the thought of plating up for so many people but, after carefully considering the menu, I decided it was possible. The menu was three courses: soup or prawn cocktail to start, beef bourguignon or coq au Riesling for main and sticky toffee pudding or tiramisu for dessert.

When we arrived at the house, I was captivated by how gorgeous it was and was blown away by how the dining room had been set up for the event. I set up the kitchen and started to reheat the food and prepare the prawn cocktail ready to serve at one thirty.

There was pre-dinner champagne served in the sitting room when the guests arrived, and I joined the party to say hello. It soon became clear, as it often does, that I knew a few guests, or at least we were friends of friends. I love it when pieces of jigsaw come together like that. One guest Margaret lives in Wakefield, and we got on like a house of fire. It turns out she reads my column avidly each week and enjoys following my adventures.

When it was time to plate and serve the meal, I had help and between four of us we managed to get the food onto hot plates and onto the dining table in record time. It was so lovely to be included in the numbers and to take part in such an intimate occasion. After relaxing with a coffee, we finally bid goodbye to our hosts and drove back from Elland to Wakefield. It was time to put my feet up and reflect on how fortunate I am to have these incredible opportunities to enjoy.