Veggie food group lunch

We had such a good time last night. Phil was on good form despite the severe pain he’s in with his crumbling vertebrae and Carol more relaxed. They stayed till after 11 so it was dark when they went. I read my book for ages after as it is quietly amusing and it has really drawn me in. “Learning toSwim” by Claire Chambers.

I felt tired this morning but had to get on with my contribution to the U3A food group lunch. The theme was American veggie food as it was 4 July. I wasn’t sure what veggie food would be typical so I made burgers with chickpeas, rose harissa, cumin, sesame seeds, parsley and a few other herbs. I bought burger buns but it would have been better without them, as they were more like falafels and seemed quite dry though I spread the buns with some spicy hummus.

Alison went TexMex with a spicy sweet potato thing, Angela did stuffed peppers, and Judith made a lovely MacCheese with added broccoli, leeks and spinach. Suzie was our host and made what she called Slump but I’d call it Slump and Grunt as it was quite filling - a fruit mixture with scone on top. We had a lovely 3 hours covering films, books, hearing aids, children, the Duchess getting the £5.5 million for her vanity project, places to visit in Manchester, slavery, NHS and of course food.

I left some sweet peas and a book with Colin for Linda. They were going to Chris for a meal last night and she fell off the doorstep. Minor injuries in Alnwick think she has broken a small bone in her ankle so she’s got a boot till she gets to see orthopaedists. I hope it’s ok for them going away to Dorset in a week.