Dumplings

PY was back from The Island before noon. It had proved to be an unsuccessful trip, and we still have a cupboard obstructing the meter cupboard. We’re looking for plan B (or is it C)?

Mid-afternoon, we took the train to Chingford and spent the evening with friends, who were going to share the photos of their Christmas and New Year in the Far East. We arrived in Chingford on time, although when P messaged to say he was on a train heading home, we realised we were only one behind him. So, after we’d bought wine and snacks to take with us from Tesco, and to give them time to prepare, we quickly stopped at Costa Coffee before heading to their house. It was a lovely, bright afternoon.

While we were there, we attempted to make Chinese dumplings. W had made dough of flour and water and prepared the filling of minced pork, vegetables and seasonings. The dough was rolled into small circles, and our job was to place a spoonful of the filling in the centre, fold the dough over, and pinch or crimp the edges to seal, before he’d take them for steaming. It was much harder than it seemed, although the handmade ones were better than the dumplings made with a plastic crimping tool.

It was lovely to see all their photos from the holiday. It was quite a trip. They made us feel very welcome, but by the end of the evening, my eyes were closing and I was glad when I was able to get some sleep.