Welcome to my final Week In Pictures and Happy New Years Eve! What are your plans for this evening?

A lot of people will talk about goals for the year ahead and reminisce about the year just past but I choose to let this pass. Last year I remember saying 2017 was going to be my year, but it hasn’t! Not in a bad way let me add, but nothing much has changed from New Year’s Eve 2016 to New Year’s Eve 2017. With this being the case, this year I choose to keep Schtum! Of course, I have had highlights but I don’t want to tempt fate; I will leave my future in the hands of whoever would like to take on the challenge!

So, let me round up what I have been up to this week instead. Of course, it has been a Christmas with many kinds of cheese consumed. I dread to think how many cheesy calories have been snaffled but they have all been worth it. My love of cheese knows no bounds!

It all started at Christmas Eve lunch with Steve’s parents and pretty much continued from that point on. In fact, my fridge is still 90% full of cheese (not complaining!). My Christmas celebrations centred around friends and family. Like I said, Steve’s parents came for lunch on Christmas Eve and from that point, we had a steady stream of visitors. My stepdad and sisters stopped by alongside Steve’s friend Alex, my friend Alex and Rose. We sampled wines from around the globe with my bottle of Sharpham New Release and Rose’s Bulgarian orange wine being highlights. Cheeses galore (obviously) lovingly chosen and transported from Borough Market on a packed train by my sister, Estella. She told me that the pungency of the cheeses was quite the thing on the 10.06am from Paddington!

Christmas Day was a family affair for the most part but keeping with tradition my chum Serena stopped over for brunch. Delicious pastries, homemade banana bread and a yoghurt and fruit extravaganza that had taken its inspiration from an Instagram picture of Felicity Spector. We cracked open a bottle of Crémant du Bourgogne that was a Christmas morning gift from a friend Emily. Something new to my pallet but delicious and the perfect start to Christmas Day.

Serena took her leave and we started unwrapping our pressies whilst listening to carols. It was truly festive and got us in the mood for a walk despite the terrible weather. No one likes being cooped up on Christmas Day and the added dangling carrot for Steve, Alex and Tim was the prospect of a pint at the end of it!

After drinkies and braving the storm home my guests watched the television whilst I hit the kitchen. My lunches on Christmas Day are by no means traditional but do keep with the festive vibe. Being a non-meat eater I like to cook fish with a nod to Christmas with roasted sprouts and a wonderful Farro and roasted vegetable dish by Diana Henry. For dessert, we had the most wonderful chocolate orange trifle made by Serena. More cheese followed and then a food coma followed by bed!

Boxing Day was our opportunity to get out on the Moors. I had booked a table at The Rugglestone in Widdecombe In The Moor. We took a pre-lunch stomp at Hay Tor that certainly blew the cobwebs away culminating in getting rather soggy from the rain. However, it was truly worth it. Lunch was a feast and well deserved. Plus, it gave us the opportunity to thaw and dry out. I have since heard that Dartmoor has had snow.

On Friday afternoon I headed off to Topsham with Steve. Despite the grey weather we managed to do a little exploring and I finally got to visit Sara’s Petite Cuisine.

We took a walk around The Goat Walk and took in the views before heading back to The Globe for a pre-train warm up!

On Saturday I had the pleasure of having a lunch date with my friend Viki at Tara’s Busy Kitchen HQ. We ate more cheese and Christmas edibles. I have to say I will miss the opportunity to eat cheese and biscuits at every meal time! Viki baked a wonderful spiced pumpkin bundt cake with her new tin. It was a vision to look at and an absolute joy to eat.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my weekly roundups over the last couple of years. It’s time to mix things up a bit. Hopefully, I can focus on stronger content without the constant pressure to produce a weekly post. Don’t worry though; you can still catch up on my daily thoughts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so give me a follow. Have a fabulous New Years Eve whatever you decide to do. I am hoping to be in bed by 12.01am! Cheerio for now!