Unsafariing Safari Supper

How can this be? A safari supper with no safari?

Well - a while back we got the news that La Sumpetta had been having a slightly less than comfortable time in Turkey. Since then, and since some more medical interventions into La Sumpetta's mobility, things are improving - but still not to the extent that we can expect to see her skipping merrily around Millbrook, in and out of fellow safariers' assorted abodes.

So, if Mohammed can't go to the mountain; the mountain must go to Mohammed. Not that I'm likening La Sumpetta to Mohammed, nor the rest of us to a mountain (although, checking Comb-Over's tummy measurements might potentially give cause for such an analogy), but I'm sure you get the idea.

All of this means that, with the summer hiatus of safariing officially over, the new season of trogging around to each others' houses to eat a single course of a four course supper in each has begun. Saturday evening just gone saw the inaugural unsafari supper as the usual suspects descended onto Sump Towers, each bringing their course with them.

More or less at the appointed hour, Sump Towers' sitting room was awash with Millbrook glitterati. Here are Comb-Over, Shazzerooneypoos and Dong enjoying a pre-noshing slurp of Turkish beer.

You might have already worked out that the evening's theme was the country of La Sumpetta's most recent injury related tribulations.

Which, rather nicely, leads us to the starters: supplied, prepared, cooked, chopped and everything else by Shazzerooneypoos and Dong. 'Twas a delicious medley of Turkish recipe mezes. The chopped and lightly spiced liver was very yummy indeed and I was especially pleased to find a small chilli to chomp upon.Now, usually at this point I'd have a photo to show you of the intrepid safariers traipsing through the winter's dark and cold evening to another venue for mains. But for the reasons that you've already read about, everyone's bottom stayed firmly in place as The Sump pottered about in his kitchen doing the last minute prepping for the main event, which came out looking like this:Yes, indeed, home made and beautifully presented doner kebabs. As it happens I'm one of those sad souls who likes kebabs even when I'm sober; The Sump's version of the time honoured minced-lamb-on-a-stick recipe was lovely. Despite being officially "on a diet", second helpings just had to be done. Here's Liability alongside her ever-loving Comb-Over doing exactly that.

The main course of these events is traditionally the time for the toast to be made in time-honoured fashion, so once the table had been cleared, glasses were raised to Millbrook's favourite first cousin once removed octogenarian - to Auntie Jean.Seen above raising their glasses to my Sandbach dwelling relative, clockwise around the table and starting at the extreme left, we have Shazzerooneypoos, Dong, Liability, Comb-Over, yours truly, the Sump, La Sumpetta Snr (currently exalted as The Angel of The North due to her upping sticks and moving into Sump Towers on a temporary basis until La Sumpetta can move about a bit better) and La Sumpetta herself.

Mrs The Millbrooker and I supplied puds - a Turkish recipe rice pudding that was (and still is - I've got several ramekins left in the fridge) very sweet and very yummy. And very rich - the relatively small bowl seen here was plenty.Last, but by no means least, Liability and Comb-Over provided the cheese and biccies, some grand Turkish coffee and (more importantly) the port. Liability did her clever artistic thing and put on a grand show with the Turkish flag very nicely represented in camembert and cheddar.Thanks of course, go to everyone who worked hard on their bit of the meal, and to The Sump and Long-John-Sumpetta for supplying the venue.Cheers, all - here's to next time.