Our Celebration Meal

To celebrate our civil partnership, we wanted a place that would be pretty, fun, local, relaxed, and yet formal-in-the-respecting-the-occasion-way-and-not-the-stuffy-way.  We chose the Junk Rooms in Stirling, where we would feel just as comfortable going for a pot of tea as we would for a meal or a cocktail.

The staff were awesome.  In the weeks before the meal, they chatted to us about what we wanted and took very good care of us on the day.  We met with the chef Chris two times and discussed our food likes and dislikes and ideas, which he used to create a three-course set menu.  After giving him a few dietary requirements, we told him to use the seasonal offerings and have fun with his creations.  His food was beyond awesome and all our guests really enjoyed their meals.  (Disclaimer: As a vegetarian, this will probably be the only time I ever post photos of meat here!)

We had the lucky 13 (family members) join us in a lively and lovely meal.  Celebrating with everyone was just so beautiful and full of love that  it was one of those times when life is so bursting with joy, you enter into a slower and sublime experience.  This part of the celebration played the important role of slowing the day down for us, after the ceremony seemed to be over in a blink!

My mother in law and sister in law created the table decorations.

Our set menu:

Roasted tomato and red pepper soup, wild rocket pesto

Smoked Scottish Salmon, beetroot and orange dressing, watercress salad

Crimson lentil pave, broad bean and artichoke brother, sautéed chard

New season lamb, rosemary scented roasted potatoes, carmelised shallots, wilted spinach, red currant reduction

Summer berries, vanilla marscapone, raspberry dust, lemon grass foam

Textures of chocolate.

It probably sounds cliché, but our Civil Partnership day was the best day ever!