Tuxes and Top Hats

What's better than a fancy party in a big marquee with an unlimited supply of champagne and cosmopolitans? Pretty much nothing.
Except doing the above in a variety of ridiculous hats.

My beautiful cousin Lucy turned 21 recently. Well, about a month ago, but it was celebrated recently with an almighty bash, themed 'Black Tie and Hats'. I'm not really a head-wear gal, and as such was at a bit of a loss. I opted for the 'drunk american' look with a Jack Daniels cowboy stunner that appeared one morning at University. Unfortunately everyone else went for a slightly classier vibe.

Everyone except Ed.

Is that a peacock feather and leopard print adorned pimp hat? Yes. Yes it is. Did he take every opportunity to pimp-pose? Yes. Yes. He. Did.

Typical Welshman, drink in each hand. Apparently it was contagious...

Not to mention bad for the dignity. Expensive Steve Madden heels were ruined and quickly abandoned to avoid face-planting on the dance floor (a fate poor Lucy failed to avoid - but on ones 21st birthday it is your right to fall over as much as you like without judgement). Lucy was certainly, even inebriated, the belle of the ball.

Definite hat envy. And dress envy. And tear-inducing-proud-father-speech envy.

The party was incredible, as we all expected. Great music, great food (dear god the canapés!) and more drinks than you could shake your flat-cap at. So I think it earned some awards...

Best Hat

Obviously the birthday girl.

Best Drunk-Eye

Amanda, you truly earned this.

Best Outrageous Dance Moves

This had to be a three-way tie. Will and Lucy, your efforts were outstanding. But I couldn't let my Dad lose his 'Worst Dancer in the World' title. His enthusiasm is unshakable, as is his dedication to jumping a lot and jazz hands.

Most Drinks Spilled/Most Inappropriate When Drunk

Nicholas. Spilling drinks and smashing glasses? Check. Inappropriate soliciting of his big sisters friends? Check. Passing out in the garden for a while? Check.

He should also win something for his chat-up lines, which I think went along the lines of 'you might as well'...

Top Lad.

Big thank you to my wonderful extended family. Everyone had an amazing time thanks to your hospitality, generosity and general amazing-ness. Happy Birthday Lucy!

Pro Picnic-ing

It's rare that my friend Craig and I are in the same place at the same time, and so we see each other maybe once a year at most. We both happened to be in Salisbury however, and so we decided to celebrate with a picnic by the Cathedral, which is one of my favourite places in the world. Now you can't half-arse a picnic by Salisbury Cathedral - it deserves so much more - so I spent the afternoon rustling up some fancy treats for us.

1. The Londoner's Kali Spera Feta Dip

 I love The Londoner. It's my favourite blog - her recipes are brilliant and I'm completely addicted. I decided to give her feta dip a go, and once again I was not disappointed. It's so simple, just whiz up some feta cheese, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, thyme and a pinch of salt and dig in! You can find the exact recipe on her blog by the link above.

I served it with some celery and cucumber sticks and some hunks of sourdough bread.

2. Sea Bass Ceviche

The wonderful Londoner also has a recipe for this, but it's the simplest thing in the world and I tend to just wing it.

I juiced 2 lemons and a lime, grated a chilli and chopped a handful of coriander and threw it together with a good pinch of sea salt. For the fish I used 2 sea bass fillets, but tuna is also really good, as long as it's super fresh. Just remove the skin, slice into thin strips and mix into the juice/sauce. Then cover and leave in the fridge for a few hours. The citrus juice 'cooks' the fish and you're left with tangy, spicy, deliciousness. Throw in some avocado just before you serve it and bobs your uncle, Ceviche! I love ceviche, I discovered it in Peru where it's kind of a national dish and became a bit obsessed. It's perfect for picnics and barbeques too.

3. Blindin' Bellinis!

This was by far my favourite part (obviously). I did the peaches beforehand as it's pretty messy. You need 3 or 4 really ripe ones, so you can smush them (technical term) through a sieve and collect the juice. I didn't take pictures. Just picture some smushed up peaches. Go on...

You're not actually allowed to drink alcohol on the cathedral grounds so after we did NOT see how high we could pop the cork we did NOT put a bit of puree in the bottom of a glass and then top with prosecco. We certainly did NOT repeat this process throughout the evening, especially NOT with a second bottle.
Wink.

We also had the usual spread of olives, prosciutto, cherries, strawberries...

At night the Cathedral is lit up from underneath, and looks a bit haunted, but still very beautiful.

You can see why I like it so much. When I was a Salisbury shop-girl (incidentally how Craig and I met) I used to come and sit here on my lunch breaks and people watch all the tourists. It's so peaceful, even when it's heaving. Perfect for giggling your way through a catch-up with an old friend. 

Oh hey there James Bond...

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

          There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. 'Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,' thought Alice; 'only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind.'

          The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: 'No room! No room!' they cried when they saw Alice coming. 'There's plenty of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

          'Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

 

I've had a life-long love affair with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and so when the invitation to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party dropped through my (facebook) letterbox I could not have been more excited. The party was for a friends birthday, and she did not disappoint on the theme. There was croquet with flamingo mallets covers, cocktails in tea cups, and an assortment of mad hats. 

My ridiculous head-gear was home-made, painstakingly hand-painted the night before, only to remember my lack of artistic talent, and swiftly covered in feathers...(the effort paid off though, and I came home with the prize for the best hat!).

Unfortunately in true British style the weather quickly turned sour with torrential rain, and so the garden party was relocated into the house, which could only mean one thing: Party Games! Like Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat...

Some were better at it than others...

And the (potentially a bit racist?) 'Be Your Hat Game'...

Followed by many more cocktails, and a pretty fab tea selection of mini afternoon tea staples.

And, of course, birthday cake and champagne!

The drinks continued to flow long into the night, and everyone had an amazing time catching up on our post-uni lives and our plans for the summer. I can't wait for the next reunion. Happy Birthday Hannah!