Happy birthday

My mother would say she has no place in a food blog, and indeed, I´ve never seen anyone who cares less about cooking. She says that food is ephemeral, and that if she puts a lot of effort into something, she wants it to be around for a little longer, so she can receive compliments any time. Which she does, a lot, since it´s beautiful and unique. Check it out .

However, she loves food, and she loves entertaining. Chez maman you literally never know how many plates to lay the table with. We may be five, we may be eight. Maybe someone´s on a diet, or doesn´t eat meat, or arrives late from an exam, or gets up early to catch the sports news. Whatever the case, there´ll always be plenty of good stuff for everyone, a confused din of babbly conversation, and more than likely you will find some of your personal space taken over by either of the dogs.

And this is on a normal weekday lunch, mind.

She is also a firm devotee of the merienda, and loves to sit at the big dining room table, handing out slices of shop-bought cake, ham and cheese sandwiches, and topping up coffees and teas for anything up to a dozen people.

But since today´s her birthday, there will also be a proper cake, with many layers and fillings. So that´s it for today. Little lunch in preparation of that high tea, and certainly no dinner. Felicidades.