Sarah Winter presents the Floating Feast

Regrettably I have no photos of this event, but that just makes it feel even more cotton-pickin' exclusive.

I just got back from seeing Sarah Winter's second instalment of La Boite Scratch, and it was fucking fantastic! It was downright delightful - a personal, interactive and inherently original experience.

Initially, each person is given a personalised letter to read, and then led towards the dinner. The reveal of the room was perfect. Walking in from the drizzling rain outside into room's cosy and intimate atmosphere was awesome - in the warm the lighting was a soft plain wash that shined on the table and there was a soft, ambient piano track looped in the background. In the centre was the table, ready and set for our arrival, laced with tasty finger food which balanced, defying gravity, above off monochrome balloons.

After our Zooey Deschanel look-a-like hostess seated us down and welcomed us, we were challenged to maintain the plates at their height while taking food and replacing it with other objects and food, while simultaneously engaging in activities. We were given a menu of missions that we could undertake - I wished I wasn't wearing daggy winter casual clothes. It was so much fun, meeting and greeting people, attempting to learn everyone's middle names, discussing obscure dreams, confessing profound fears and desires, and even playing on a nearby piano. The most imaginative part was seeing people prepare their tea using the floating teabags - so cool! The best bit was looking around and glimpsing at everyone with a smile on their face having a good time.

It was just so good. In a small room with such an exquisite set-up it felt so intimate and exclusive. Luckily I got the chance to dine and chill with some really cool people (David Berthold, Sandra Gattenhof, Shari Irwin and Sarah Winter sat mere meters away!) that weren't a bunch of timid prudes. There was a bit of a downside since there was this gargantuan pot of beautiful flowers that obstructed your view of half the table, but in a sense it made the space seem even smaller and even more exclusive. Lower the flower pot and have a round table, then we'll be peaches and gravy.

The worst thing about this entertainment was that it had to eventually end. An hour is just not enough - you just want it to go on and on, you want to talk to everyone, try everything - I want to have it twice the length and twice the interaction! But not twice the people, as I loved the intimacy of the small group. Maybe even there could be a final task or puzzle for the group to contribute to if they wanted to? Regardless, in it's incarnation tonight it was still practically perfect.

Winter is a genius, I actually think after this I love her. I don't love much theatre, but I'll be raving about this for a while. A wonderfully sophisticated, charming, and intimate evening that I feel privileged to be a part of - I would gladly pay five times the price to experience it again.

If you unfortunately missed out on seeing it, envy me.

Recipe for Butterbeer

Our first attempt at Butterbeer.

"Butterbeer is the drink of choice for younger wizards. Harry is first presented with the beverage in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Although House-elves can become intoxicated on Butterbeer, the amount of alcohol contained in Butterbeer has a negligible effect on Witches and Wizards. J.K. Rowling said in her interview to Bon Appétit magazine that she imagines it "to taste a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch." Butterbeer can be served cold or hot but either way it has a warming effect." - Wikipedia

There has lately been a big buzz for the recipe of Butterbeer, which is available to purchase from 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' theme park at Universal Orlando. Although we'd never tried the drink before, Anj, Rhed, Maddy and I set out to try and create a recipe of what we imagined Butterbeer would taste like. We think this recipe is a cracker, so I wanted to share it with the interwebz. It was very easy to make and it tasted perfect. We chose to make it warm and slightly alcoholic, but it can be made cold sans the alcohol.

What You Will Need:

• Microwave
• Blender
• Spoons
• Glasses

Ingredients:

• 1 Litre of vanilla ice-cream
• 1 Litre of Cream Soda 
• Bottle of Toffee Syrup
• Bottle of Butterscotch Schnapps 

 
 Method:

1. Add ice-cream to a blender, and pour cream soda on top. Blend together until the ice-cream is well mixed into the soda and the mixture is consistent.
2. Add the desired amount of toffee syrup into the blender with the mixture, and blend until it's mixed it. 
3. Pour a small (or a lot, it's your choice) amount of the butterscotch schnapps into the glasses, and then add the mixture, making sure to leave a little space between the mixture and the top of the glass (as the foam will rise eventually).
4. Microwave for one minute in the microwave on high heat. The foam will separate to the top and the drink will now be warm and ready to drink.

That's all there is to it. Although I highly recommend it, if you don't want it to be alcoholic you can leave out the schnapps and compensate with more toffee syrup, and probably some brown sugar. The beverage can also be served cold without the microwaving. Also, to make it more aesthetically pleasing, it could be worthwhile to add a few drops of orange food dye, which I'll be sure to try the second time I make it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did. It'd be good fun to drink Butterbeer, or the remaining schnapps, while playing The Harry Potter Drinking Game!

Looking pleased with our work!