Clare Teal: Wild in the country – a gastro weekend with good friends
I CAN'T think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than hurling big bits of wood about in a pub beer garden in deepest Oxfordshire.
A rare weekend off with friends – bliss. It's only taken nine months to organise. Shash and SJ have recently moved from London to a village near Banbury with their little dog Sidney (who is just the dog's dooh-dahs).
These guys are both terrific hosts and marvellous cooks, check this out – dinner one: pan-fried sea bass and proper home made potato wedges and crisp minty beans, followed by homemade cheese cake further-ly followed by home baked coconut cake. What a welcome! On Saturday we maximised the brief window between meals – not only perfect for a drive in the beautiful countryside but also affording us the opportunity to post a letter and visit top butcher Malc. What that man can't do with a ham shank is frankly not worth knowing.
As it had now been more than 17 minutes since our last meal, my holiday hunger was awakening, so along with some lovely pork and prune parcels, I purchased a couple of Malc's sausage rolls and some cheesy puff pastry and tomato summat for SJ (it's very sad – she's a vegetarian), which to her absolute horror we munched in the pub car park.
After a gin and tonic and half a hooky (with a dash) we are introduced to Aunt Sally – a small battered whitewashed piece of wood, who sits atop a hollow iron pole. We then walk 10 yards due west, stand behind the oche and throw rolling pins in her general direction, all the while trying to knock the poor woman off her perch.
Splinters aside it's great fun, and taken very seriously round these parts. There are teams, leagues, cups and everything dating back to William the Conqueror's time … or was it Victorian times? Definitely one or the other.
Ravenous by now we went back to the ranch for an exquisitely cooked BBQ and more cake and ice cream.
Good times – a great weekend topped off with a rare form of dominos competitively played till the early hours. Rock and Roll and Rennies.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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