We all met at Lynda's house in Cogenhoe, and it only took about half an hour to get to the pub. It was a gorgeous day, but too chilly to sit outside! We took our seats inside and, while we waited for Andrea to arrive, ordered coffee and tea.
Once Andrea was seated and we had ordered more drinks (another flat white for me, as it was a tiny serving!), we had a good look at the breakfast menu. I chose the traditional full English, Lynda opted for the vegetarian version, and Andrea and Fiona ordered combinations of scrambled or poached eggs, toast, bacon, and smoked salmon.
We had a great chat, and it was lovely to see everyone again and hear their news. The food was good and plentiful, and the pub was pleasantly busy with early diners. We paid the bill, a reasonable £25 each, and said goodbye to Andrea before returning to Cogenhoe the same way. The weather was still glorious, and the countryside was looking beautiful.
I said goodbye to Lynda and Fiona and drove home. I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned left at the Holcot roundabout to head down to the village, as there was one long continuous line of cars and vans leaving the car boot sale. Anyone caught up in it would have been severely delayed!
Sophie was ready and waiting for me when I arrived home for our planned visit to Homesense in Northampton. I wanted to get two new lampshades for the living room, another bottle of white for tonight's wine do at Michelle's, and a small gift for her.
The traffic leading to the St James retail park was horrendous, so we decided to abandon our trip. It's much better if I can go on a Wednesday, and a lot quieter! Sophie hadn't had any lunch, so we drove to a Subway outlet on Brackmills, and she bought herself a chicken salad and some cookies to enjoy at home later. She had pre-ordered the meal, and while we sat and waited, we watched a crowd of boys on BMX bikes take over a large part of the car park with their bikes. They were all wearing big, bulky helmets, so they were being sensible, at least!
Sophie ate her salad while I drove to White's Farm Shop near Earls Barton, where I hoped to buy another bottle of white wine and some chocolates or flowers. I spotted a bottle of French Chardonnay with a pencil-drawn picture of rustic barns, which appealed, and also bought Michelle a set of three pretty candles. We'd spotted a homewares shop when we parked, so we had a quick look at the lovely, quirky shop, and I treated myself to a bar of honey soap. It smelled gorgeous!
Back home, we relaxed, and I had a nap before our evening out. We both freshened up, and I wrapped our two bottles of white wine in foil to disguise them. Keith was looking forward to his fish and chips and an evening of sport!
We walked to Michelle and Richard's house at 7:00pm, and were closely followed by Paul and Sharon. There was a flurry of greetings, and we congregated in the kitchen for a glass of fizz and Chambord with an added raspberry. The two cats, Hector and Lily, eyed us a bit warily!
We decided to start the wines with one of Paul and Sharon's rosés, followed by our two whites, then the second rosé and, lastly, Michelle and Richard's two reds. After nibbling on crisps, we sat down at the dining room table and enjoyed a chicken lasagne with salad and garlic bread.
The foil-wrapped rosé was brought to the table, and we all loved the delicate pink colour. Paul asked about how rosés were made, and I explained that you can make white wine from red grapes, but not red wine from white grapes! We all said the rosé was delicious, and it was revealed as Kylie Minogue's wine! Richard then kept score of both the label and the wine to see which would be the winner, which was noisy and hilarious as we all gave our scores and reasons.
Next up was the French Chardonnay that Sophie and I had bought today. I could hardly detect any aroma on the nose, and the taste wasn't much better, either! It cost £12.89, so I was very disappointed and said so. It certainly wasn't typical of a creamy Chardonnay.
After the Chardonnay, we tried the Gary Barlow Sauvignon Blanc, and I began to think I had lost my sense of smell and taste, as this was bland as well! Everyone laughed when we revealed the label and Richard pointed out the piano keys on the label, which were G and B. A bit narcissistic!
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| The least liked label - Gary Barlow - and the best |
I was very disappointed with both wines, which amounted to £20... we should have just taken a Vouvray and a New Zealand Pinot Gris!
The second rosé was slightly dry and one I wouldn't rush to buy, but it was in a gorgeous bottle that we all loved handling. By now, Michelle had served a lemon cheesecake, which was delicious.
We then poured the first of the reds, an Italian Montepulciano, which was too tannic and dry for me. Sharon wasn't keen either, and I had to persuade her to at least try the wine. B y now, it was noisy, and there was a lot of laughter around the table as we all chatted and enjoyed the evening. Lily had made an appearance and kept brushing against my legs, bless her, so Michelle picked her up, and we had a cuddle.
The last red was a Portuguese, and both Sophie and I loved it. Michelle and Richard said they hated the label, but we thought it was beautiful! It came from Aldi and was priced at about £6.50. This is one we will ask Keith to get the next time he's in the supermarket!
Richard added up the scores, and Gary Barlow's label was awarded the worst, with the Italian the best. Kylie's rosé was the most popular wine! I was astounded to see it was almost 1:00am, so we said our goodbyes and walked the very short distance home. Sophie then had a terrible job of getting Gomez in. He was out with Cora, Lynn's cat, and it took all of her powers of persuasion to finally entice him into the house for bed!
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