The Italian Job

We got a surprise call on Friday night from Terry & Yvonne who said 'Get dressed up Italian style we are going to cook you an authentic Italian meal for your anniversary'. This sounded lovely. So the next evening, off we went all dressed up like a mafioso and his moll not knowing what to expect. We took our Italian phrase book with us from our Italian lessons and some cantuccini. All that was missing was a violin case.
We arrived to a 'bueno serra' and the dining room given over to red and white gingham cloth and little candle holders, Dino on the hi fi and the garden with twinkly lights - it was the perfect Italian atmosphere. The meal was out of Gino Decampo's book and started with a dip followed by a tagliatelle with a red wine beef ragu with little tiny peas. It was delicious. It was accompanied by cheesy focaccia and followed by a real raspberry polenta cake with a raspberry coulis. We had lots of fun and was a thoughtful anniversary present and very much appreciated, and cooked great.
This started our anniversary weekend with a bang and, Monday, we decided to go to Amerton Farm for a wander round and pick up some home made bread and a look at their crafts. Then we carried on down the road to the small village of Salt, which originates from the Saxon word 'Selte' which means salt pit or salt works where we had lunch at The Holly Bush. This pub is the second oldest licensed pub in England. Pubs first got their licenses in 1670 under the reign of Charles ll but this hostelry has been there since 1190 (it is mentioned in the Domesday Book) as it was a stage coach stopping place on the highway from London to Liverpool which is now the A51. They serve the biggest onion rings we have ever seen and a delicious home made cheese cake. It was a different and interesting weekend trip and we really enjoyed it.