KANGAROO PIE BRINGS AN END TO AN ERA

The kangaroo before he ended up in the pie!

What was billed as the last of our big fund raising wine tasting dinners in Tongham Village Hall was held last week.  Again we raised about £1000.

Thanks to all who attended and made it a great evening.

 The menu, ably cooked by Jane and Chris was:

1. Cheese Scones, tomato jam and herb cream cheese – Wolf Blass Red Label Brut Sparkling Wine – an unusual but great way to start the evening.  Thanks to Matt Tebbutt for the recipe.

2. Seafood and rice with a curry dressing – Telegraph Station Semillon Dry White 2011 – showing off a reasonably priced fragrant dry version of the varietal and a dish showing off the Australian love of seafood and eastern flavours.
3. Butternut Squash Soup – Coombe Farm Yarra Valley Chardonnay Dry White 2011 – an unrestrained soup with chilli heat paired with a very old world style restrained Chardonnay (perhaps reminiscent of a Montagny).
4. Smooth Pork Paté and Melba Toast – Coombe Farm Yarra Valley Cabernet Merlot red wine 2008 – A nice rich pate with toast named after Dame Nellie Melba and a very good fruity wine that her descendants make.

5. Kangaroo Pie – Tim Adams Clare Valley Shiraz red wine 2009 – a kangaroo dish (meat sourced from Osgrow.com) that everyone loved paired with what was many of our guests favourite wine of the evening.
6.  Mature West Country Farmhouse Cheddar – Jim Barry The Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon red wine 2009 – A beautiful cheddar served with one of my favourite value Australian red wines.
7. Smashed Strawberry Pavlova with lime and mango coulis – De Bortoli Tesco Finest Dessert Semillon 2008 – A play on Eton Mess paired with a sweet wine that most of our guests really loved.
8. Anzac Biscuits - Coffee or tea - lovely sweet coconut biscuits to end the meal.

Imagine cooking eight courses for all of these people!

So ends a series of wine tasting dinners that started in April 2006 and has covered many of the worlds great wine regions.  From memory and some notes we have done:
Languedoc Rousillon and the South West of France (April 2006) – Raised £200 – 36 attendees
The Loire Valley (May 2007) – Raised £110 – 21 attendees
Bordeaux (February 2008) – Raised £204 - 32 attendees
The Rhone Valley (June 2008) – Raised £351 -37 attendees (first one with hot dishes)
Beaujolais and Macon (November 2008) – Raised £365 - 39 attendees
The rest of Burgundy (February 2009) – Raised £560 - 54 attendees (first one that was not a buffet)
Alsace (October 2009) – Raised £479  - 50 attendees
Champagne Gala Dinner (September 2010) – Raised £1,241 - 51 attendees
Spain and Tapas Fiesta (February 2011) – Raised £1,018 - 50 attendees
Italy – (July 2011) – Raised £330 - 36 attendees
New Zealand (November 2011) – Raised £1,013 - 62 attendees
The Mediterranean (March 2012) – Raised £ 378 - 32 attendees    
Andean Adventure, Chile and Argentina (November 2012) - Raised £818 - 64 attendees
Australia (April 2013) –Raised  £1,009 - 61 attendees

The hall now looks great compared to seven years ago!

Bob

So fourteen tastings in seven years.

Thanks to everyone who has been so vocal in their thanks for our efforts, helped create a good community spirit and have supported us in this fund raising of over £8,000 (excluding gift aid).  Special mentions must go to Bob Monk who has been a star with his support over the years and also to Christine, Margaret and Chris who have helped in the kitchen, Carol for selling the raffle tickets and to Patricia and many others who helped with the waitressing and Ruby, Jane, Jeremy and others who have helped with the set up.

Jane making the smashed pavlova dessert

It has been gratifying in these 7 years to see Tongham Village Hall change from a neglected under-used building to a beautiful and successful hall that is now used almost everyday of the year.

Jane got to sit down occasionally

It has been challenging over the years finding wine and food to hit a tight budget so that we could charge an affordable price (between £10 and £25 but with £35 a head for our Champagne Gala dinner) and raised money for the hall.  Also fun and gratifying but everything has to come to an end.

Jane bows out on a high!

Don't worry Tongham Tasters still continues and our next monthly wine tasting is next Friday.  Click on Wine Circle to find out more.    Thanks to Clive Greenfield for taking and contributing most of the pictures above.