Mud, glorious mud!

LAST week I was invited to Henley Festival - a fabulous open air event in mid July, great riverside views, good food (well not bad), and excellent company.

But, this year being one of the worst summers in recent memory, yes, you guessed, it was raining.

I toyed with the idea of pairing the tux with my green wellies, but thought that might look silly.

I ensured that there were large brollies in the boot, along with several changes of footwear for the female guests. And, aside from the preparations, I had this premonition of a posh Glastonbury, sloshing around in mud, and pretending to enjoy it.

Worse still, my gleaming wheels would no longer be so and could even be stranded in the quagmire which was labelled ‘car park’.

However, it was quite sunny on our arrival, gazebos were in place and the great and good were milling around…….in dinner suits and wellies!

We survived, only just avoiding some of the worst booby traps in the field which now resembled a swamp.

But, I have yet another example of mis-described menu items.

In the open sided canvas restaurant, I chose from the menu a Martini Cocktail of Seafood.

As the rain came down all around us in torrents, I looked forward to seeing what this might be.

It was presented in a very nice glass, but it was a very average prawn cocktail. 007 would have been happy for his Vodka Martini to be served in the glass, minus prawns!

So, back to the plot, fittingly, here is my recipe for a hot prawn cocktail:

Hot Prawn Cocktail

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

100g peeled prawns, well drained

25g unsalted butter

400g baby spinach leaves

200ml double cream

1 tbsp good tomato ketchup

1 tbsp brandy

Few drops of lemon juice

Few drops Tabasco sauce

4 large prawns shell on

4 sprigs of dill

Method

1) Warm the cream in a pan, add the ketchup, brandy and season with Tabasco and lemon juice.

2) Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens slightly, then add the prawns, warm through and set aside.

3) Meanwhile, heat the butter in a clean pan until it sizzles and browns slightly.

4) Add the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until soft.

5) Season lightly and place evenly into the bottom of four ramekins or similar dishes.

6) Place the prawns on top of each one and decorate with the shell on prawns and dill.

7) Serve hot.