Munching Around Millbrook

Saturday just gone saw the usual suspects assembling for the first of the new round of safari suppers; this time it's suppering with attitude. Oh alright, then - suppering with a theme.

As Mrs The Millbrooker and I were in charge of the main course we got to choose the theme; the crew had muttered assorted stuff about themes being a country or a period of history, but in the end we plumped for "circles and spheres".

The evening's festivities began in orderly fashion at Shazzerooneypoos' nesting hole. We were moderately delayed because Liability Meeson wouldn't come out in time for the half-seven kick off on account of Strictly Come Dancing still being aired at the time. I think she's got a thing about John Sergeant (who does seem to have an uncanny resemblance in body shape to her beloved Richie "Comb-Over" M). In the photo above, clockwise from the back of Little Lush Lewis's head (closest to camera): half of The Sump, Mrs The Millbrooker, Richie "Comb-Over" Meeson, Mrs The Sump, Dong doing what he does best and the always entertaining Liability.

Shazzerooneypoos had built a scrummy starter of smoked mackerel mousse, served in boule shapes (of course - it's circles and spheres, remember). Sadly no photos survive of the fishy fare; I did take one but the flash was too strong and all you can see in the digitised picture is a white blob. We washed it down with plenty of red (or white) stuff before hightailing it to Millbrooker Towers for the mains.

Seen above, tucking into my offering of posh burger and chips (home made steak mince burgers flavoured with horseradish and filled with mature cheddar; rounds of roasted potato accompanied by rounds of butternut squash and peas and dressed with a Stilton sauce) we have Liability, The Sump and Dong.

Then the intrepid company began the long trek to Comb-Over Villa high upon the mountainsides of Millbrook to sample Liability's round things. Here's Shazzerooneypoos, yours truly and Comb-Over talking nonsense around the vertiginous household's dining table with The Sump and Mrs The Sump facing away from the camera.

Liability had done wonders with a pineapple pavarotti AND a home made cheese cake. Those of us who are carefully watching the calorific intake thought "bugger this for a game of soldiers" and had both. Here's the pavarotti-lova that was elegantly plonked in front of me:After another spot of quaffing, it was time to descend the north face of Maker to Sump Towers for cheese, biccies and petit-fours. And more quaffing. This is the moment that I thoughtfully destroyed everyone's night vision by flashing at them during the descent, Comb-Over got it smack in the face first, followed by Liability and The Sumps, with Shazerooneypoos and Dong bringing up the rear.Eventually we reached a metre or two above sea level and settled into Sump Towers' Comfibum (trademark) upholstery.We scranned down on some lovely spheres of minty fondant along with globular truffles and choccies (not to mention a wide selection of local cheeses); The Sump cracked open a bottle of jolly decent port, too; generous fellow that he is.

Come the early hours, Mrs The Millbrooker and I trogged the short way home, waving cheerio to Dong and Shazzerooneypoos who'd also decided that discretion was the better part of not pouring any more falling-over juice down our necks. Sunday morning was little difficult as far as gaining an appropriate level of consciousness is concerned, but we made it in the end with help from The Sump calling around having found my temporarily mislaid camera somewhere within his abode. He kindly took a snap of his hairy friends before returning the much loved snapping machine:As always, thanks to everyone who put in so much effort to make their course a stand-out feast of scrumminess - we're looking forward to next time when, I believe, we will have starters at Sump Towers, mains at Dong's or Shazzerooneypoos's, puds at Millbrooker Towers and cheese etc etc at Comb-Over Villa.

This means that Dong and Shazzerooneypoos get to choose the theme. Be afraid. Be very afraid.