PikNix for a Valentine's Treat

Seventeen Friends and Members of Wadebridge Rotary Club sat down to a true Feast of St Valentine on Saturday 16 February at a beautiful home in St Jidgey.  Here Chef, Rotarian Nick Pickles of PikNix, presented his guests with a sumptuous Dinner that began with an Amuse-Bouche of Wild Mushroom Cream with delicate Parmesan thins (those superbly crafted thin biscuits of exquisite taste and texture) and ended with a Liqueur chocolate and vanilla panna cotta, accompanied by a spicy autumn fruit compote and ginger crumble biscuits that was 'to die for'.

The guests were there to have a superb meal - let's not be mealy mouthed about this - and also, but most importantly, to help to raise some much needed funds for The Safe Water Trust.  The Trust is a not-for-profit charitable company, with the single objective to develop and provide a solution for safe drinking water to people in developing countries and for use in locations that have been hit by major disasters.   From this Feast of St Valentine evening a cheque of £200, representing both personal donations and the entire profit from the event (courtesy of PikNix), will be winging its way through to The Safe Water Trust.

As Nick Pickles of PikNix said on the night: "My vision for this evening was to use my skills to cook a fine dining menu for up to 20 guests, provide some fine wine to complement the food (this was achieved with the great assistance and generosity of Wadebridge Wines), raise funds for one of our, Rotarys, charitable organisations, namely The Safe Water Trust, and last but not least ensure a good time was had by all.  Judging by the clean plates, smiling faces and conversations around our three tables tonight, I believe we have realised that vision and that this evening will be the forerunner to many more such happy occasions.  I do want to say a very big thank you to my two valiant helpers my wife Jane, Maddie a family friend and our hosts Paul and Patricia."

In case anyone is still reading and wants to know what else this happy group of gastronauts ate, here goes: after the Amuse Bouche, came Home smoked (yes, Nick has his own smoker) salmon pate, cured salmon, dressed beetroot salad and leaves, followed by the main course of Ballotine of Devon (I know, I know!) duck, stuffed with pork, orange and pistachio nuts, cherry sauce and seasonal vegetables (including red cabbage to die for - yes, again!).  Of course there was coffee, tea and homemade petit fours as a final fling, just to fill any lingering gap the diners might have had.

If you too would like to join the Friends of Rotary at their next gourmet dinner, then watch the space on the Club' web site for details.

(photos by Rtn. Trevor Wiltshire)