We were invited to an all-day houseparty for New Year with the same friends I’ve seen the new year in for at least 12 years. Which was like OMG totes lovely.

There are some murmurings about the idea that next year, “we” might like to “go out” for New Year and enjoy dancing and revelry in black tie at a hostelry.

Which is a completely bad idea. It will mean eating expensive mediocre food surrounded by cretins I can’t bear, drinking wine at massively over the normal price. It will also involve dancing. And if that weren’t bad enough we will have to do it rented clothes while the girls get to wear exciting stuff.

No, thanks.

So, anyway, this year. Our hosts borrowed our friend’s Raclette which got switched on and let us cook our own food at various times of the day from midday to midnight. In addition, we all contributed stuff to a buffet. Having been asked to bring savoury stuff, I marinated some chicken breasts slivers overnight in soy, EVOO, lemongrass, ginger, chilli and garlic and then brought it along with a jar of satay sauce. I also took along the leftover turkey and bacon pie I made on the night I forgot I’d agreed to go for a curry, and made some savoury muffins according to this recipe. They were interesting, but not all of them got eaten.

It all looked a little like this: