Charet's birthday cake

Today is Charet's birthday, and to celebrate, Charet and her partner Marco hosted a wonderful lunch at their house. After a miserable day yesterday, today shone bright, sunny and warm. We dined al fresco in Charet and Marco's courtyard with Charet's two cats, Geordie and Morty, prowling hopefully around for a tidbit.


We started with dumplings with soy, chilli and mustard sauces, followed by a hearty meal of fettucine with prawns, mussels and asparagus made by Marco. The piece de resistance was when Charet brought out the gorgeous birthday cake pictured, which Charet had baked herself. It was a rich, decadent chocolate mud cake, with fluffy, sweet meringue sandwiched in between the two layers, then smothered in chocolate ganache and topped with juicy blueberries. This cake was Charet's own invention, and I was very impressed!


It was a wonderful, lazy afternoon, in which the sun shone and the wine and conversation flowed. A big thank you to Charet and Marco for hosting such a lovely afternoon. And happy birthday Charet!