The bench dinner last night was enjoyable in most ways, but that couldn't be said for the food and drink. Our tickets got us an apéro and three courses. The white wine was thin and acidic, the soup bland, tepid and served with croûtons that weren't crisp even before they were dropped in the soup too early. The main course was OK-ish - not much you can do to ruin a loin of pork, really, except to leave it to dry out, and it must be said that it was on the edge of that. Fortunately the vegetables were of the energy-saving rather than school-dinners tendency. Pudding was sickly sweet, and the wine was mediocre and over-priced. Conversation was all but impossible over the noise of 100 or so judicial delinquents. Apart from that...it was nice to see friends, but I'd rather have had them round here for a bowl of decent soup...
...such as I served up at lunch time yesterday after a meeting with the Administration in the neighbouring county town. Cuts, cuts and more cuts to come, so my colleague and I were ready for a comforting bowl of lentil soup afterwards. Pleasant drive, though, amid the last of the superb autumn colours we've had this year. Today, since we have it to ourselves, is resolutely grey and damp, so it has been a day for more heart-warming soup (spiced butternut squash, bacon and potato) and a siesta. Upon which I shall presently engage.
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