Nice view, shame about the company (or lack of)
Boxing day was my dads turn to play host. He and Sue have just moved into a beautiful river side apartment in Battersea with an amazing view as you can see from the picture above.
From the minute we arrived I knew something was not quite right. He was certainly not being his usual garrulous self and was spending more time in the bathroom or alone in the garden than with his children. Then shortly before we were due to sit down to eat he announced that he was not feeling too well and would not be joining us.
Being a concerned and caring son, I asked Sue if everything was OK. With a wry smile she told me that father was feeling worse for wear not due to the prevailing flu epidemic but because he’d drunk one too many glasses of something the night before and was suffering from the hangover from hell. “Oh how the tables have turned” I remarked.
As well as leaving us without his normally charming company, dad’s absence had the further impact of leaving us without a chef. Sue is hugely talented at many things, though cooking, she will tell you, is not her forte. In this respect my father is usually the one leading the culinary proceedings in their household.
Though step up to the plate she did and in magnificent style. She picked up a couple of ribs of beef from their favourite butchers, the ‘Butcher & Grill’ in Battersea and cooked them to perfection, which took about an hour and a half at 180 Celsius.
I had the task of carving the beast, which of course I relished. Two ribs of beef provided enough meat for about 10 people and without my father we were only 6 so there was plenty to go round. Even with Ben present!
It was melt in the mouth stuff. Some of the best beef I have tasted in a long while.
The host did eventually join us for a short while, though was not particularly amused when I began to poke fun at his diabolical behaviour. He will not be living this one down for a while.
Beef ribs (cooked entirely by Sue)
