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Wine - and food - for a big birthday bash

A friend I ran into the other day asked my advice on a birthday meal he and his wife were cooking. He wanted a menu - and wines - that would iimpress their 20 guests but which didn’t involve them in too much work. He’d also recently developed a taste for German riesling but wasn’t sure if his guests would share his new-found enthusiasm. So what should they eat - and drink?

First of all I quizzed him on the sort of dishes they liked to cook when they entertained. One of their favourite starters was a smoked mackerel pat which gave me the clue for the first course - a big smoked fish platter. They could make their pat but everything else could be bought in - some hot and cold smoked salmon, smoked trout, maybe a few prawns, some peppered smoked mackerel or smoked eel (much nicer than it sounds - a great delicacy! There’s a firm called Brown and Forrest in Somerset which does a really delicious one) With it they could serve home-made soda bread or wholemeal bread and toast and, most importantly, a dry German Kabinett riesling which is a great match for smoked fish. If they were worried about whether some guests mightn’t enjoy it they could lay on a Loire sauvignon such as Sancerre or Pouilly Fum but I didn’t feel they needed to.

The main course needed to be something that didn’t require last minute preparation - a slow roast or a braise. Mark said he really wanted to serve a gratin dauphinoise (a rich, creamy potato bake) so I suggested slow cooked shoulders of lamb which could just cook away in the oven for 4 hours or, if they hadn’t got enough oven space for the lamb and the gratins (which would need different oven temperatures) a rich beef stew with red wine.

The ideal wine choice I felt was a Crozes Hermitage from the Rhone, a gutsy red that would go down well with his guests.If he wanted to create a bit more of a focus for the wine he could serve an Australian or South African Shiraz or Argentinian Syrah alongside for comparison. Any of those wines could also take on a cheeseboard if they laid off hard-to-match cheeses such as washed rind cheeses and strong blues.

Mark’s favourite dessert was chocolate so I thought up a show-stopping finale to the meal - chocolate roulade filled with whipped cream and cherries (which could be made ahead), served with a choice of of three different drinks: a Maury (a sweet, port-like wine from the South of France), a cherry beer (Lindeman's Kriek) and frozen shots of cherry brandy. Or just one of those options in case his guests took it into their heads to pour themselves all three . . .

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