Theme: Cheese (a collective choice).
So moving to Southampton not only means leaving home, but also leaving some of 'my people'. You will probably recognise these three from earlier blog posts, but Clare, Alison and Niamh, are three of the best friends a girl could have. We have been together through thick and thin, highs and lows, break ups and make ups, birthdays, exams, school, and now University. Although a lot has changed in our lives, we've only grown closer as the years have ticked by, despite us being scattered around the country (and occasionally the world). And so I picked a cold Monday night, filled with comfort food and cheese, to bid these three wonderful people farewell as I pop across the pond on a new adventure.
(The below photo is from my birthday, we didn't manage to get one the other night in the excitement of it all)
(The below photo is from my birthday, we didn't manage to get one the other night in the excitement of it all)
They are no strangers to adventures mind you; Clare worked as a fashion intern with MaxMara in London last Summer, Niamh spent the Summer on a J1 in Boston, and this year, as well as securing a job in Disneyland Paris, Alison is travelling to Thailand to do research on various creatures such as sea turtles and elephants, and travelling around Thailand for two weeks afterwards. See what I mean? AMAZING PEOPLES THEY ARE.
I thought it would be nice to show how we spent our last night together, and I hope you enjoy seeing just how much food we can manage to eat when in each others' company.
For starters - the ULTIMATE throwback Spotify playlist (TLC, R Kelly, Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls to name a small few), with a side of grilled Halloumi cheese. Trust me when I say you have never tasted anything like this. I also supplied some hummus and carrot sticks - just in case.
For the main course, I chose to make my favourite Mac and Cheese recipe, along with garlic bread, which are my ultimate favourite comfort foods. We had wine and lemonade with our food as we laughed and reminisced over our last almost decade of friendship.
And for dessert, my Mom's famous Fruit Cobbler, made by Clare and I - the ultimate comfort food, doused with cream and served piping hot. Tea and coffee followed, along with even more chatting, bonding and enjoying each others' company until we dragged ourselves upstairs around 3am. Needless to say the chatting continue, along with an impromptu photoshoot - flamingo onesie included- until eventually we slowly started to wilt and retired to bed to catch a couple of hours shuteye before having to get up again in the morning.
Fruit Cobbler: Strawberries (2 punnets), blueberries (1 punnet), raspberries (a handful - they go mushy the quickest), a pear sliced and a large grated apple (approx 700g of fruit altogether), heated in a pot with 5 tablespoons of caster sugar and a good dash of balsamic vinegar, just until the juices start to come out of the berries. Transfer to a pyrex dish and make the topping.
Topping: 6 heaped tablespoons of butter (chilled), 225g self-raising flour, 70g sugar, large pinch of salt: mixed with hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 130ml of buttermilk and stir until combined - should resemble a wet dough. Put this on top of the fruit in large blobs (it will spread, don't worry if it doesn't cover all the fruit before cooking), sprinkle with brown sugar/caster sugar, & bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, at 190 Celcius/375 Farenheit. Serve with cream/ice-cream/créme fraîche. SO GOOD!
For the main course, I chose to make my favourite Mac and Cheese recipe, along with garlic bread, which are my ultimate favourite comfort foods. We had wine and lemonade with our food as we laughed and reminisced over our last almost decade of friendship.
And for dessert, my Mom's famous Fruit Cobbler, made by Clare and I - the ultimate comfort food, doused with cream and served piping hot. Tea and coffee followed, along with even more chatting, bonding and enjoying each others' company until we dragged ourselves upstairs around 3am. Needless to say the chatting continue, along with an impromptu photoshoot - flamingo onesie included- until eventually we slowly started to wilt and retired to bed to catch a couple of hours shuteye before having to get up again in the morning.
Fruit Cobbler: Strawberries (2 punnets), blueberries (1 punnet), raspberries (a handful - they go mushy the quickest), a pear sliced and a large grated apple (approx 700g of fruit altogether), heated in a pot with 5 tablespoons of caster sugar and a good dash of balsamic vinegar, just until the juices start to come out of the berries. Transfer to a pyrex dish and make the topping. Topping: 6 heaped tablespoons of butter (chilled), 225g self-raising flour, 70g sugar, large pinch of salt: mixed with hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 130ml of buttermilk and stir until combined - should resemble a wet dough. Put this on top of the fruit in large blobs (it will spread, don't worry if it doesn't cover all the fruit before cooking), sprinkle with brown sugar/caster sugar, & bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, at 190 Celcius/375 Farenheit. Serve with cream/ice-cream/créme fraîche. SO GOOD!
It was a great night, and such a great way to say goodbye without it being sad. I will miss these girls terribly!
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Thank you for reading,
Síofra
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