Since moving overseas I have made friends and found a community. Women who are in the same boat as me, away from their regular tribes, raising their kids in a foreign country and trying to master and manoeuvre day to day activities like grocery shopping and school drop offs and pick ups (which I can say I definitely took for granted back home). We share the dilemma of shortages of Vegemite, exorbitant sunscreen prices and paying double the price for a coffee as we would back home. Then there are celebratory moments we share like finding a good bottle of wine that isn’t the price of a mortgage payment, successfully managing a visit to a government department, finding short cuts that help avoid diabolical traffic and watching our children play and get along as if they are long lost cousins

Two of our tribe (and one of their husbands) all have birthdays within one week so a party was called for. My dear friend Ms Z asked if I could make an overstuffed platter, one of my favourite things these days to prepare and share. Of course I said yes! Is there any better compliment than when someone specially asks for something you make? I don’t think so. And what an opportunity to put creativity and love in to something that will be shared by this new tribe that have loved and accepted my family and me

Platters can have whatever pleases you, they can be as complicated or as simple as you like. Some ideas you could put on a platter are;

• Pâté- I make my own as chicken livers are plentiful and fresh in Bahrain
• Cheeses- hard, soft, raw milk, goat, smoked, flavoured. One of the things I noticed when I first came to Bahrain is the extensive range of cheeses available even in a small supermarket, mostly imported, made from raw milk or pasteurised milk, cow and goat cheeses,  and quite reasonably priced
• Dip- you can make your own (like guacamole) or buy some. Living in the Middle East I buy hommus and it tastes different from every deli, and will taste different day to day as it’s made fresh and to taste of the person making it
• Crackers, biscuits, bread, croutons, pretzels. This addition is practical but also gives you an opportunity to make the platter look attractive with different shapes and textures. Have spare crackers as you will likely need to top up the platter 
• Pickles
• Cured meats
• Sliced fruit, like apple and pear
• Vegetables- carrot, cucumber, capsicum, celery, cherry tomoatoes
• Dried fruit
• Nuts

Your options are endless and no platter you make will probably be the same as another. I had three cheeses on my platter, a Roquefort, Brie and an Emental. The pâté I made myself in the thermomix (in the everyday cookbook, or you can google a recipe). Everything else was what I thought would suit a party and could be picked at for hours

Sharing food is something I find very special. Food has the ability to get people talking and bring them together, exchange memories or commentary, it nourishes us

I hope you are loving easy food

CHICKEN LIVER PÂTÉ 

2 cloves garlic

1/2 brown onion

45g butter 

450g chicken livers (when we clean these they will not be 450gr so buy extra)

10g tomato paste

30mL whiskey (I used whiskey as we have plenty of that. A smoky one would work nicely but brandy or cognac would work as well)

Pinch of salt (taste when it’s finished and add more if necessary)

Leaves of 2 sprigs of parsley

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp cream

Peppercorns to put on top

40g melted butter for the top

Place garlic and onion in mixing bowl and chop 5sec/speed7. Scrape down the sides and add the butter. Saute for 3min/100C/Speed 1

Add the cleaned chicken livers (remove the sinew and rinse), tomato paste, whiskey, salt, parsley, bay leaf and cream and blend 20sec/speed 8

Scrape down the sides and cook for 10min/100C/speed 2

Divide mixture between ramekins (mine made 4). Place peppercorn on top and pour the melted butter. Place cling wrap on top and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours, mine were left overnight