On Saturday the 29th February, the Friends and Neighbours team held their first "Curry Night". Thirty-five people attended, many were church members, some from the Church's Lunch Club and a few neighbours from around the Church. As people arrived at 6 pm they listened to contemporary "Café Bombay" Indian music and were invited to decipher a couple of pages of Dingbats. Nicola Barnett won the Dingbat competition and received a jar of Mango Chutney as her prize.
At 6.30 pm the first course of poppadoms with a selection of pickles were enjoyed. This was followed by a main course of either Chicken Curry (one chillie), Beef Curry (two chillies), or Chicken Casserole (no chillies); all with rice, Naan bread and left-over pickles. To cool the tongue, a dessert of mango sauce drizzled over ice-cream and served with a tangy orange and almond flavoured cookie was served. All were then offered tea or coffee.
For the entertainment, Alan Dymond set out two quizzes, the first involved answering questions, where the answers were all based on an English word where the root word came from the Indian language. The second quiz asked general knowledge questions about India. Packets of curry spices were presented to the winners of these two quizzes.
Alan Dymond then entertained us with a round of "Doctor Doctor" jokes assisted by our kitchen maids. Then a comedy routine with Alan and Brian Dryden who acted out their version of the song "Goodness Gracious Me". Brian and Alan were both "dressed" for the occasion.
In conclusion, a very enjoyable time in good company with good food and good entertainment. Many thanks to the catering team led by chief cook Margaret Cornish, ably assisted by Margaret Dymond and Pat Dryden. Thanks also to the team who transformed the church hall to the Indian Curry House.
The next Friends and Neighbours social event will be a "Murder Mystery", a Who Dunnit evening with a light supper on Saturday the 28th March. For catering purposes, a sign-up sheet will be available in the Narthex at Blandford Church for those wishing to attend.
