Tag: Tessa

A Few Diary Notes & Memories About Evenings, Second Half Of January 1997

Photo by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0

18 January 1997: John Random (Burns) & Jenny Mill At Sandall Close

I think this was the first time we had dinner with those two. Janie dutifully wrote in her diary “fish only, no meat” so my guess is that we did indeed eat fish.

Who would have thought that, inadvertently, we’d see those two for a meal almost exactly 25 years later, but we did indeed go to their place in Bromley for a super meal on Sunday 16 January 2022.

24 January 1997: Bridge At Maz’s Place

I’m guessing here, but the four would probably have been Maz (obvs), me (also obvs), Andrea and Tessa at that time.

I think Maz was living in Becklow Road, Acton by then.

The eating and drinking will have been as central to the evening as the bridge, if not more so.

25 January 1997: Dinner At Stuart & Cathy’s Place

Stuart Kent (“Little Mick” Kent, my dad’s cousin’s son) and his partner Cathy Andrews.

They lived in Muswell Hill in a rather eccentric-looking penthouse apartment designed in an uber-1970s garish style, which they had inherited from the previous owner – an unusual look they clearly liked & had enhanced.

Very pleasant evenings, all three, I’m sure.

Rather A Lot Of Dinners, Parties & Dinner Parties Over The Summer Months Of 1995

Ossobuco – picture by Stu Spivack via Wikipedia Commons

It was that sort of era, really, the 1990s. Dinner parties and small gatherings.

Listing The Events

  • 24 June – “Tessa’s party” – Tessa played bridge with me, Andrea and Maz. She lived in Acton;
  • 1 July – “Duchess Japanese meal” – that would have been at Momos on Queen’s Parade. Janie and I often ate there in those days, quite often making it a Friday evening treat after work. It was a superb, authentic Japanese place, run by Mr Asari. We still miss it. We decided to treat the Duchess to the place for her birthday that year;
  • 15 July – “Kim & Micky [for] dinner” – at theirs I think. Janie and I went to the Canal Cafe to see NewsRevue the next day.
  • 29 July – “John & Jolli” – that will have been John Thompson and his partner Jolita. I think they came to Sandall Close for a meal.
  • 5 August – “Bernie, Heather & Dave” – these are people we met in China in 1993. We owed Heather & Dave hospitality as we had been to a party up their way (Bedfordshire/Northamptonshire). Bernie was a laugh.
  • 26 August – “Dinner with Anthea”
  • 27 August – “North China restaurant” with Andrea and others?

The menu is absent from Janie’s diary for the above events, but absent for:

An Ossobuco Evening With Daniel, Julie, Michael, Elisabeth, Kim & Micky, 3 September 1995

Daniel had migrated to Australia and paired up with (perhaps already married) Julie. This was their first visit to the UK together. Janie cooked a wonderful Ossobuco meal for all of us that evening.

Special in so many ways as a dish, this was also her signature dish from the first time Janie ever had me over for dinner, so it seemed appropriate:

Ossobuco At Janie’s Place, 16 August 1992

A very special evening, that one.

More Listings As We Move Into Autumn

  • 10 September – “John & Mandy” – possibly our first visit to their place in Wanstead, as I wrote down directions;
  • 14 October “Kim, Micky, Phillie & Tony” – dinner at Sandall Close
  • 15 October “Michael & Elisabeth” – dinner at their place
  • 4 November “Murray Elliot lunch” – Ros’s dad. We were off to see Ros in Turkey a few days later.