Festive Fun: My Fantasy Christmas Dinner Party by Linda Hill

Today it's my absolute pleasure to hand over the reins of the blog to fellow blogger Linda Hill from Linda's Book Bag to describe her perfect festive Dinner party... over to you Linda.

It’s a real pleasure to be having a Christmas meal here on your blog Sharon. Thanks so much for hosting it today.

Now I’m no longer working I miss a work’s do, although my husband Steve and I tend to have our own ‘work’s’ meal out together in the run up to Christmas and we have loads of Christmas meals with friends and family, with my book group, the garden group and at other social events in December.

Obviously I want you to be part of the group as we celebrate our evening. You’ve become such a good friend in real life as well as through the bloggisphere. I’ve added this little Santa cactus to decorate the table as I’ve managed to keep him alive since you gave him to me over a year ago – or was it two years ago? Time passes so quickly.

It’s a pretty basic menu but as it’s my dinner I can have what I like and don’t often get chance to eat! I’d like to serve cocktails as my guests arrive and mine will be a Mai Tai. As I can’t drink ordinary wine without falling over, passing out or being ill we will just have to have champagne throughout the meal – it’s such a hard life!

We’ll begin with hot baked Camembert with crusty French bread and plum chutney. As that’s quite rich we will then have a raspberry sorbet as a palate cleanser before lamb shanks with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mixed vegetables, including cauliflower cheese, and gravy. When I was small my Mum made the most glorious jam roly poly and I haven’t had it as an adult so we’ll have that with custard as dessert.

After we’ve eaten we can settle down with tea (or coffee if you must) and mince pies and then I’m going to spend the rest of the evening drinking Bailey’s on ice.

I thought I’d introduce my guests and explain why I have invited them.

My first guest is not an author, but a character and one I think anyone who knows me will expect. It’s Paddington Bear. I’ve loved Paddington since I was a child and still have my childhood books with a few newer ones my husband has bought me over the years. I suppose we’d better add in a jar or two of marmalade to the menu too. I have never forgotten the joy of reading these books. Steve occasionally still reads them to me, doing all the different voices and I was once thrown out of a teachers’ library in Peterborough for laughing hysterically at Paddington Takes the Test! I’d love to chat with Paddington about how he felt when he was helping Mr Curry knock in fence posts with a large mallet and he did exactly what Mr Curry said when he told Paddington, ‘When I nod my head, you hit it.’

My second guest is going to be author Chris Whitaker because he’s very funny and such a brilliant writer and raconteur. I loved Tall Oaks and All the Wicked Girls which I’ve reviewed on my blog and can’t wait to read We Begin at the End. I must admit to having a bit of a fan girl moment when I met him in person. I’ve already warned him I will be stalking him until he agrees to come to the Deepings Literary Festival in 2021.

My next guest is the metaphysical poet John Donne. I know he’s been dead for almost 400 years but I adore his poetry. The Flea is my favourite poem of all time and the romantic in me loves the fact he got married in secret. I’d relish the opportunity to ask him more about his poetry and life.

As I’ve got three males already I think I’ll invite a female author next. I’ve thought long and hard about this choice and there were so many female authors I wanted to choose but I’m going to ask along Fionnuala Kearney because I know her in real life and I love her writing. Her novels The Day I Lost You and The Book of Love have both appeared in my books of the year and I was thrilled when she gave me a signed copy of The Book of Love when we last met up.

And finally (although I realise I’m cheating here as he doesn’t write books but he is the author of lyrics) I HAVE to sneak Bryan Ferry in to sit next to me… enough said!

Once we’ve eaten we’ll play ‘The Throwing Game’ as it’s a family tradition at Christmas. I think we’d better move your breakables out of the way as I imagine both Chris and Paddington might be a bit ‘enthusiastic’ about this.

I’ve brought two packs of cards and three wrapped mystery gifts. I’ll share one pack of cards amongst all of you. I’ll shuffle the other pack and then, turning one card over at a time, call out the cards. Whoever has the card, must put it down and they can claim one of the three gifts, but they may not keep it as whoever has the next card may want it. If they do, the gift must be thrown to them. We’ll repeat the process until I’ve called out all the cards in my pack. When all my cards have been called and all your cards put down, whoever is holding a gift can open it and keep it.

If we’ve been drinking cocktails, champagne and Bailey’s all evening I’m not sure our throwing aim will be up to much…

I think we’d better end the evening with a few Christmas songs. My singing is awful but I think Bryan Ferry can lead us through this and I’m sure I can persuade him to sing Love Is The Drug before we all head home to nurse our hangovers.

Thanks for hosting us Sharon! Happy Christmas everyone!

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