Party Like It’s 1979

For me October is the start of the party season with a plethora of family and friends’ birthdays followed by the horrors of Halloween and a flurry of drinks parties until the New Year. Around this time last year a phone conversation with my mother made me cast my mind back to when hassle was at a minimum and the Hustle was at maximum.

“What’s wrong?’ enquired my mother through a delicately balanced handset whilst I heatedly banged the third batch of burned bruschetta into the bin.

‘Well this is supposed to be fun but all it is really stressful.’ I moaned miserably, watching my mini crab cakes disintegrating and clumping in the pan.

‘Mine and your father’s parties were never such a palaver’ volunteered my mother in decade appropriate parlance.

‘I know’ I countered, ‘but it was the 70’s and all you had to worry about was pork-pie-with-egg-in or pork-pie-without egg-in and whether you had enough cocktail sticks to cover an entire cabbage in cheese and pineapple cubes’.

‘For your information …’’ she began before trailing off, ‘anyway just keep your eye on the post’.

Two days later a bundle of photocopied recipes arrived direct from the 70’s via my mother’s kitchen drawer onto my hall floor. I smiled as I opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of folded sheets, on each one she had crossed out large blocks of text where the cookery writer had obviously got it wrong and added her corrections in the margin.

I will spare you some of the more scary ones, such as the devilled eggs as I have yet to see anyone retain a modicum of decorum whilst tucking into a slippery boiled egg at a party, but amongst the many there are a few gems. I feel it my duty to share them with you now, albeit with a few adjustments, but most importantly there is no cooking involved.

Cucumber Cups. Cut a cucumber into three-quarter inch slices and with a melon baller scoop out a hollow about half the way through. In a bowl mix cream cheese with chopped smoked salmon, chopped olives, or a fresh or dried fruit such as diced dried apricots and spoon into the cups.

Celery Sticks were very popular but rather cumbersome. Crumble some Gorgonzola into wide and deep celery sticks, sprinkle with diced walnuts and secure the nuts with a gentle push, drizzle with a little balsamic. Cut into palatable, bite size pieces.

Whip and dips were huge. I famously had a Great Aunt who would travel nowhere without her trusted Butter Bean Whip in the boot, but for the sake of the Chinese silk rugs I would eschew these in favour of pâtés and very seventies sounding spreads. Remove the skin from hot roast salmon fillets and mash with equal quantities of cream cheese until smooth. Serve piled on rounds cut from focaccia (try Blackbird Bakery) topped with snipped chives.

Back in the day anything round was strangely referred to as a wheel, my mother used to make Pâté Wheels with dried round slices of apple. I tried it with fresh apple slices and it is lovely. Slice eating apples and spread with your favourite fine pâté (try Mimosa on Half Moon Lane). This sounds so simple but it is so delicious.

Roulades were very big in the 70’s; in fact nothing was safe, if it was flexible enough to be rolled up it would be and then stabbed with a cocktail stick. Lightly toast some wholemeal bread so it is still pliable. Spread generously with olive tapenade (try Mimosa Half Moon Lane) and then a layer of goat’s cheese (try Chevre Blanc from La Gastronomia; Park Hall Road or Half Moon Lane it is tart and fresh but not overpowering). Cut into soldiers and roll, securing with a cocktail stick.

You can make your own version of Gentleman’s Relish with around 20 anchovy fillets (try F C Sopers, Evelina Road), 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a whole lemon, all blended and spread on toast.

So kick back those Chinese silk rugs, put some tunes on the deck and follow the above for a Saturday night full of fever without the fervour.

This article appears in the October issues of www.semagazines.co.uk