Some birthdays call for a bit more fuss than others, and an 85th definitely feels like one of them. It’s a big one, and it deserves so much more than a shop-bought sponge and a quick chorus of “Happy Birthday” before the whole thing fizzles out. If you’re going to celebrate a milestone like this, you might as well get everyone together and make a proper occasion of it. Friends and family, stories that have probably been told a dozen times already and plenty of good food? That’s what a birthday party is all about.
That was exactly the plan for Peter’s 85th birthday earlier this month. Rather than keeping things quiet, he invited everyone over to his home in Bowness for a proper birthday feast. And with plenty of hungry guests to feed, Hog Roast Bowness-on-Windermere was more than happy to take the catering off his hands.
The original plan was our Classic Hog Roast Menu, but before the party, Peter had a change of heart and decided our Alfresco Menu was actually more his cup of tea. Luckily, changing things up was no problem for us.
Events don’t always go exactly to plan and Hog Roast Bowness-on-Windermere would much rather work with you to get things right than have you stuck with a menu you’ve fallen out of love with. And in Peter’s case, the switch was nice and straightforward, so we got on with making the Alfresco Menu happen.
The hog roast stayed firmly on the menu, slow-roasted until the meat turned juicy and tender with that beautifully crisp crackling on top. But alongside it, we put together a colourful grazing table for guests to pick at throughout the evening, comprising Italian cheeses, cold cuts, pineapple and grapefruit slices, vine tomatoes, olives, carrot sticks, chutneys and so much more filling out the buffet.
There was plenty for the non-meat-eaters too, with grilled veggie kebabs served alongside roasted baby new potatoes, sage and onion stuffing and sweet homemade applesauce. And since no birthday feels complete without something sweet, Hog Roast Bowness-on-Windermere, of course, finished things off with chocolate-smothered profiteroles and a zesty tarte au citron.
It was a suitably generous spread fit for a suitably big birthday, giving Peter and his guests everything they needed to settle in, tuck in and enjoy the celebration without worrying about what was coming out of t he kitchen next.
