Thu 06 Apr - 55@55 again?

[DaveRL]

Apologies, I must back out. Something has come up that I must attend. Sorry to miss this, it will be fantastic, have a good one.

[idj123]

Am intending bringing the F55 with me to drop off at the 80s mega matrix tasting next week.

Would it be possible to update the attendees in the opening post as there's been a bit of to-ing and fro-ing as of late?

[Alex Bridgeman]

First page updated, as requested.

[flash_uk]

We seem to have 13 now. Jorgen mentioned that Sten and Stefan might like to come. Is there a place for one now?

[Alex Bridgeman]

I'd be happy to fill the spare space and if either Sten or Stefan can make it, they would be most welcome.

[jdaw1]

Question for discussion. Should the Ports be arranged into flights, or otherwise grouped on the placemats?

1955 Ports to arrange are currently, I believe: Ck, Cr, D, F, GB, G, Mz, N, S, T, and W. Reasoning welcomed.

[DRT]

Sorry, chaps - I have to withdraw from this one as I will now not be in London that evening.

[Gonçalo M.]

Hi all,

I have been following the forum over time, but blame me, I have not been very active here. Despite this, is there any chance I could join you for this tasting?

[JB vintage]

Hi,
We have to cancel our participation and hope to join you soon at another tasting.
Jorgen

[Alex Bridgeman]

Hi, We have to cancel our participation and hope to join you soon at another tasting.
Jorgen

Sorry, chaps - I have to withdraw from this one as I will now not be in London that evening.

Shame you'll both have to miss this tasting, but sometimes work just gets in the way!

Hi all,
I have been following the forum over time, but blame me, I have not been very active here. Despite this, is there any chance I could join you for this tasting?

We have space, so you would be very welcome to join us! I'll send you a private message with details on what to expect.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Question for discussion. Should the Ports be arranged into flights, or otherwise grouped on the placemats?

1955 Ports to arrange are currently, I believe: Ck, Cr, D, F, GB, G, Mz, N, S, T, and W. Reasoning welcomed.

I wasn't planning on arranging anything into flights.

[JB vintage]

Shame you'll both have to miss this tasting, but sometimes work just gets in the way!

We will have to bare the insufferable consequences of missing this wonderful occasion.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Having updated post 1 with the people attending, I now need to update the list of who is bring what:

1.James Maitland — Croft 1955;
2.AHB — Gonzalez Byass
3.JDAW — Taylor
4.SCD — Noval (adopted)
5.CPR — Dow
6.MPM — Sandeman (adopted)
7.IDJ — Fonseca (at B&F)
8.THRA presumed to have reconfirmed — Graham
9.JK reconfirmed — Cockburn
10.JK's +1 reconfirmed
11.CA confirmed
12.GM

Goncalo would like to adopt. Chris is still rummaging in his cupboard to see if he can find a 1955 VP. Justin's +1 hasn't indicated if he has a bottle or needs to adopt.

[idj123]

To confirm that the F55 is currently residing at the B&F.

Would be good if we could include the W55.

[Alex Bridgeman]

To confirm that the F55 is currently residing at the B&F.

Good point. Could people please get their bottles to the B&F as soon as possible to allow them to settle.

Charles - would you have the opportunity to visit Seckfords and perhaps collect James's bottle from him and deliver it to the B&F prior to Aril 6th? If you could, I'll drop James a note and see if he's willing to do this.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Would be good if we could include the W55.

Tom has offered a bottle of Warre 1955 for adoption. He also has a bottle of the astonishing Mackenzie if we want to include that shipper again (and some others if anyone is still struggling to find their bottle).

[Alex Bridgeman]

Minor change to the line-up, Chris having managed to get hold of the Sandeman. Mike - can I suggest that you drop Tom an email and enquire whether you can adopt the Warre?

Having updated post 1 with the people attending, I now need to update the list of who is bring what:

1.James Maitland — Croft 1955;
2.AHB — Gonzalez Byass
3.JDAW — Taylor
4.SCD — Noval (adopted)
5.CPR — Dow
6.MPM — needs to adopt
7.IDJ — Fonseca (at B&F)
8.THRA presumed to have reconfirmed — Graham
9.JK reconfirmed — Cockburn (at B&F)
10.JK's +1 reconfirmed
11.CA — Sandeman
12.GM

Goncalo would like to adopt. Chris is still rummaging in his cupboard to see if he can find a 1955 VP. Justin's +1 hasn't indicated if he has a bottle or needs to adopt.

[Justin K]

Alex,

My Cockburn 1955 is already in the B&F thanks to Derek (I mistakenly referred to it as Crofts). As I won't be arriving until that evening would someone decant it?

My plus 1, no doubt, will pm you.

[flash_uk]

Minor change to the line-up, Chris having managed to get hold of the Sandeman. Mike - can I suggest that you drop Tom an email and enquire whether you can adopt the Warre?

Will do.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Justin has reminded me that his Ck55 is at the Boot & Flogger already, having been deposited there by DRT some months ago. List updated.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Time to start thinking about food for April 6th. Please could people decide what they would like to eat. Please pre-order at least starter and main For convenience, the menu we have available is:

Starters
Truffled Mac & Cheese v. £5.25
Potted Cornish crab with seaweed butter and sourdough melba toast £8.25
Wild mushrooms on garlic and rosemary toast with basil pesto v. £7.50
Baked goat’s cheese salad with beetroot and honey and lemon dressing v. £6.95
Duck liver pâté with toasted sourdough bread and pickled cucumber, onions and cornichons £7.25
Severn and Wye smoked salmon plate £7.95

Main courses
Slow-cooked chicken leg in red wine, shallots, bacon and mushrooms with roasted garlic and spring onion mash £13.95
Grilled gammon steak and hand-cut chips with gooseberry ketchup, fried pickled onion rings and duck egg £13.50
* add black pudding £1.00 *
Grilled scallops and bacon with tiger prawns, spring onion and chilli £17.95
Chargrilled sirloin steak 220g with hand-cut chips and grilled tomato £23.00
* add Béarnaise or green peppercorn sauce £2.00 *
Davy’s bangers and mash with Madeira and onion gravy £12.50/£13.95
Wild mushroom risotto with Portobello mushroom, kale and Ticklemore gf. v. £13.95
Roasted sweet corn and quinoa salad with avocado, grilled halloumi, lime and coriander gf. v. n. £12.50
Cod Florentine with creamed spinach, poached free-range egg, chive hollandaise £16.50
Linguine with chilli, basil, pecorino and heritage tomato v. £12.95

Sides
Triple cooked chips £4.25 · Buttered new season potatoes gf. v. £3.75 · Broccoli with lemon, almonds and chilli gf. v. n. £3.75 · Creamed spinach gf. £3.95 · Market salad gf. v. £3.95

British cheese board - Served with crackers, chutney and grapes
Tuxford and Tebbutt Stilton made in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Cow’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
Stinking Bishop made by Charles Martell & Son in Gloucestershire. Washed rind cow’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
Somerset Brie made by Lubborn Creamery in Somerset. Soft cow’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
Westcombe Cheddar made by Tom Calver in Somerset. Hard cow’s milk cheese, unpasteurised
Ticklemore made by Debbie Mumford in Devon. Hard goat’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
Blue Monday made by Alex James in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. Semi soft cow’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
Cornish Yarg made by Catherine Mead in Truro, West Cornwall. Semi hard cow’s milk cheese, pasteurised v.
One cheese £4.00 · Two cheeses £7.00 · Three cheeses £10.00 · Four cheeses £13.00 · Five cheeses £15.00

Desserts, puddings and savoury
Flourless chocolate cake with crème fraîche gf. v. n. £6.95
Peach melba, vanilla poached peach with caramel sauce, meringue and raspberries v. n. £5.50
Bramdean pudding £5.25
Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce v. £6.95
Treacle tart with custard v. £6.50
Welsh rarebit £4.50

Coffee and mini puddings
Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce v. £4.95
Portuguese custard tart v. £4.95
Vanilla panna cotta with nut biscotti and rhubarb n. £4.95

Fortified and Dessert wines (50ml, 100ml, bottle)
Davy’s Finest Reserve Port 20% £3.35 £6.70 £35.00
Graham’s Fine White Port 19% £2.80 £5.85 £29.50
Quinta da Silveira 10 year old Tawny Port 20% £4.95 £9.90 £52.00
Sandeman Vintage Port 1994 20% £6.65 £13.90 £70.00

[Gonçalo M.]

Apologies for the content of this message. I have tried to send Alex and Tom private messages regarding adopting a bottle, but the messages did not go out. I have sent e-mails to both.

[flash_uk]

Apologies for the content of this message. I have tried to send Alex and Tom private messages regarding adopting a bottle, but the messages did not go out. I have sent e-mails to both.

If the messages are showing in your outbox, then they have actually sent. They vanish when the recipient reads them.

[jdaw1]

Draft of the food order.

[flash_uk]

Food for me is the same as usual, potted crab and the steak rare with side of broccoli. Thx.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Could you put me down for no starter, sirloin steak, medium rare with skinny fries (if possible, hand-cut chips if not) and a bearnaise sauce please.

[CPR 1]

Truffled Mac & Cheese
Black and blue steak and side of spinach

Thanks

[Doggett]

As per recent tastings... can I just feed on wonderful company and port and not from the menu please.

[idj123]

Truffle Mac and cheese for starter please followed by the sirloin steak (medium rare) with a side order of creamed spinach.
Thanks

[Alex Bridgeman]

James would like no starter; a mushroom risotto main with a side salad; no dessert.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Chris would like to start with the duck liver pate, followed by the slow cooked chicken leg with a side of broccoli, rounded out with the flourless chocolate cake.

Julian - would you be able to update the pre-order please?

[jdaw1]

Salad indeed, my giddy aunt!

Updated.

Edit: still missing Tom, Justin, Gonçalo.

[CPR 1]

Dow 55 safely deposited at the Boot & Flogger

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Alex Bridgeman]

Could those who have not yet deposited their bottles at the Boot & Flogger please do so as soon as possible - or let me know that you have not already done so.

The current line up of ports looks like this:

1. James Maitland — Croft (at B&F);
2. AHB — Gonzalez Byass (at B&F);
3. JDAW — Taylor (at B&F);
4. SCD — Noval (at B&F);
5. CPR — Dow (at B&F);
6. MPM — Warre (adopted from THRA, at B&F);
7. IDJ — Fonseca (at B&F);
8. THRA — Graham (at B&F);
9. JK — Cockburn (at B&F);
10. JK's +1 — Offley (adopted, to be paid to THRA on the night; at THRA);
11. CA — Sandeman (at B&F);
12. GM — Mackenzie (adopted, to be paid to THRA on the night; at B&F)

I plan to spend my lunch hour decanting and then to pre-pour about an hour before we start. Help with the pre-pouring and putting out of glasses would be greatly appreciated. Note that since there are only 12 of us the pours will be slightly more generous than usual.

[jdaw1]

T55 entrusted to the care of Hannah at the B&F.

[flash_uk]

I plan to spend my lunch hour decanting and then to pre-pour about an hour before we start. Help with the pre-pouring and putting out of glasses would be greatly appreciated. Note that since there are only 12 of us the pours will be slightly more generous than usual.

I should be able to help on both fronts.

[jdaw1]

Please could the placemats be inspected, and critiqued or praised.

[PhilW]

Please could the placemats be inspected, and critiqued or praised.

I've rarely seen such a shoddy pile of festering shabbiness, a catastrophic display of inept and cankerous disdain, a disgusting mess which... oh hold on, you said critiqued, not criticised, I'm terribly sorry. Hmm, critiqued or praised, err... Yes, they're lovely, very good show.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I plan to spend my lunch hour decanting and then to pre-pour about an hour before we start. Help with the pre-pouring and putting out of glasses would be greatly appreciated. Note that since there are only 12 of us the pours will be slightly more generous than usual.

I should be able to help on both fronts.

Thank you.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Please could the placemats be inspected, and critiqued or praised.

They look good - I'm happier with two sheets of A4 than the single sheet of A3.

Some small requests for changes please:
1) Dagger will be the Offley 1955 provided by THRA via Mrs Justin
2) Mackenzie will be provided by THRA via Gonçalo M.

I will print the pack on Wednesday 5th

[jdaw1]

1) Dagger will be the Offley 1955 provided by THRA via Mrs Justin
2) Mackenzie will be provided by THRA via Gonçalo M.

Done. Please check not overly rotten and offensive.

[Alex Bridgeman]

1) Dagger will be the Offley 1955 provided by THRA via Mrs Justin
2) Mackenzie will be provided by THRA via Gonçalo M.

Done. Please check not overly rotten and offensive.

Could you email me the pdf or put a new link onto TPF? My cache won't load the amended version from the link above.

[jdaw1]

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1955 Cockburn;
• 1955 Croft;
• 1955 Dow;
• 1955 Fonseca;
• 1955 Gonzalez Byass;
• 1955 Graham;
• 1955 Mackenzie;
• 1955 Quinta do Noval;
• 1955 Offley;
• 1955 Sandeman;
• 1955 Taylor;
• 1955 Warre;
• Placemats;
• Food order;
• Planning and arrangements.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've just clicked on the food order link, thinking that this would be a good way for me to send it in to them on Monday.

The link appears to be broken.

[jdaw1]

Was missing trailing “.pdf”. Fixed.

Also missing orders from Gonçalo, from Justin, and from Tom.

[Justin K]

Duck, sirloin steak med rare, hand cut chips (def not skinny) spinach. Desert depends on my adherence to Lenten obligations!

[jdaw1]

Duck, sirloin steak med rare, hand cut chips (def not skinny) spinach. Desert depends on my adherence to Lenten obligations!

Food order updated.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Food order sent to B&F

[Gonçalo M.]

With my sincerest apologies and with great regret I will have to go back to Lisbon tomorrow and will not be able to join you. I have been tied up until very late in the closing of a transaction for the last week and I was hoping, until just now that could join you. I hope there is another chance. In the meantime I will be posting on the vertical of Niepoort's Garrafeiras I did recently.

Enviado do meu SM-G935F através de Tapatalk

[Alex Bridgeman]

With my sincerest apologies and with great regret I will have to go back to Lisbon tomorrow and will not be able to join you. I have been tied up until very late in the closing of a transaction for the last week and I was hoping, until just now that could join you. I hope there is another chance. In the meantime I will be posting on the vertical of Niepoort's Garrafeiras I did recently.

Enviado do meu SM-G935F através de Tapatalk

That is a shame, it would have been nice to have met you. Hopefully there will be another time when you can make it.