King of Pies

Not sure whether you can really call this a pie - it's Beef Wellington; is any combination that includes pastry a pie? Anyway, it was delicious. Snuggled inside that glorious crisp blanket of pastry is a kilo of beef fillet. Had I managed to carve it in anything like an elegant way, I'd show you the inside. Perfect. A bit rarer than I usually like meat, but somehow anything is forgiveable when pastry is involved. Served with dauphinoise potatoes and green beans. Preceded by smoked salmon blinis and followed by a double whammy dessert of chocolate meringue roulade made by me and a lemon meringue pie brought along by our guests.

After all that, it was many hours before we finally hauled ourselves off to bed. I had an idea that we'd gone to bed about 3am. I was wrong. (5.30am)

Talk ranged as talk does, but there is always one argument of the night. Tonight it was Mr B being shouted down for his absurd claims about there being no romcoms any more. He felt the leads should both be strong funny characters with very good lines. As we prodded at his argument it became clear that it could only be a romcom if Katharine Hepburn was in it.

I think it was after it was pointed out that Mr B hasn't actually seen many movies in the last ten years, that the argument petered out and we felt sleep was the best option.