New Years Eve Party

My hubby and I hail from Scotland.

The undisputed best place to celebrate Hogmanay.......(that's New Years Eve for all you Southerners).

Listen and learn England....Scotland even gives its revellers an extra day off on the 2nd as a public holiday to get over the hangover. Civilised.



Growing up, Christmas was spent with family, and Hogmanay was for letting looooose with friends.

We have had many many amazing memorable Scottish New Years Eves, but its not practical this year to make the pilgrimage north........so Hogmanay had to come to SW London.

Recipe for best Hogmanay

Take good friends, add liberal amounts of alcohol.

Enjoy. 



This year we are having 4 families with their kids for dinner - 18 in total.  (Enough for a decent shindig, but not so overrun that we have to go one pot or buffet style).

We usually keep things as simple as possible when we do a party.  I hate not being able to enjoy the night with friends, trapped in the kitchen.  But its a special night, So I pimped up some of the courses.

One of my friends brought the cheese course, and another kids pudding, so I could concentrate on the fun bits and bobs.


For the adults we had lots of teeny tiny courses, so that we could nibble all night....

We started with Bloody Mary Shots with Parmesan Tuiles and Parma Ham Crisps (Fancy!)

Followed by  Crispy Aromatic Chicken with Hoi Sin Sauce and Chinese pancakes.   (woops forgot to take any photos)

Tiny servings of Beef Bourguignon for the meat lovers (also no pictures)   Or Spinach Mint and Feta Filo Parcel for the vegetarians

We had a lemon sorbet (served in ice shot glasses) and a limoncello chaser.

For pudding, we had Espresso Chocolate Mouse with Mini Chocolate Shortbread Stars.

Cheese and biccys with our own home made sloe gin.

And finally coffee or mint tea with Mint Crisp Clocks.

I will post links to the recipes over the coming weeks.

I gussied up our dining room, but in the last minute rush, didnt take any photos.

That was unfortunately a bit of a theme here.  As more alcohol was consumed, less photos taken.
Mr PSGC even donned his kilt (much to our kids mortification), but again no photos.

Before everyone arrived, we wrote fake resolutions on the windows to make the kids laugh.  (Most copied from the internet, but sorry cant remember where).

They added some of their own, and for us.....

Our friends son Tom is 8 !  I like his style......

- To have a good time
- To have a life.  A good one.

Profound!

Things not looking so rosy for us...Our son Jamie has a resolution "To be more annoying to his parents."  Oh joy.

The kids had a great time, and all got on well....lots of playing on our new table tennis table, football in the garden, playstation, eating and watching movies.





They all managed to stay up well after 2.00am.

This morning while I was taking Abbi to a New Year birthday party for one of her friends, the lovely Mr PSGC did all the remaining dishes and glasses......It was as if the cleaning fairy had been.

I'm suspecting he must still be drunk.

Happy New Year everyone.  Hope all of your hopes and wishes come true in 2013.