Dinner Date

While we were in the area, I'd arranged to go and spend a night at my friend's house, over in Tettenhall Wood. We would have dinner and I had volunteered to cook the main course of Stufato di Manzo, which is Italian but very similar to a Greek dish of a similar name.

Monday we popped in home to collect some beef from our freezer and Tuesday marinaded it in the red wine, celery, thyme and onions. Wednesday morning, fried off the smoked bacon and the strained beef veg mix, heated it all through and popped it into the large casserole. Then off we set, to darkest Wolverhamton.

As we weren't expected until 4pm I decided to go across country and to stop at Highgate Common for lunch and a walk. It was a lovely day and Rowley was having a high old time running around, we did the two mile Red Walk, more or less, think we wandered of course a couple of times but really enjoyed the diverse scenery on the way round.

My friend is someone I met through my beloved Family History research and Mike hadn't met her, or her partner before, So while we cooked the dinner and talked non-stop, as we always do, Mike decided to take her partner off to the pub and do a bit of 'Male Bonding' Now, I'm not saying they are all odd in Wolverhampton but you do get some characters. They went to the oldest pub in Wolverhampton and a very traditional Black Country pub, with beer drinking the norm.

So they were amused by the man that came in and demanded, from the multiple facially pierced barmaid, " A Port, in a small glass. With a Black Straw." How specific.

Dinner was a success and the evening, aided by constantly flowing wine, passed far too quickly. It's good to be able catch up with friends.