This past weekend was surprisingly hectic. For no reason but life colliding in funny ways. Cake failures, toilet malfunctions before dinner parties, door keys melting in your lock while hold countless bags of groceries. But when the air cooled outside on a beautiful spring day, right in time for champagne in my blooming garden, life seemed not so bad at all. I host a group of five for an al fresco birthday celebration for my closet friend Andrew. After champagne toasts, we enjoyed Grilled Steaks with Stilton and crispy shallots,twice baked potatoes with sprung peas, Parmesan and chives and blueberry and peach cobbler. With a little extra red wine to keep the mosquitoes away.

I’ll spare you the details of the remaining part of the night (karaoke and bar hopping) and let you imagine the rest. I’ll share the recipes this week.