There’s something rather nice about sitting down to enjoy a meal with other people. Usually, when we think about going out for dinner, we think about going with family or friends. We arrange a date, book a table and make an evening of it. But what if you just fancy getting out of the house? Perhaps you live alone, your family lives miles away, or you simply fancy a bit of company without having to organise anything. Why should you need a special occasion, or even someone to go with? We think there should be somewhere you can just turn up, pull up a chair, enjoy a good meal and perhaps have a chat with somebody new. It’s hardly a revolutionary idea. But we think it’s something we could all do a little more often. So we’ve been thinking about how we might bring more people together at The Shepherd’s Inn. Our answer involves a traditional Mexican dish that looks rather like chilli con carne, a Danish word that’s difficult to pronounce, and a simple idea about sharing food.

Chilli con Carne? Not Quite.

As some of you will know, Az is Mexican. And one of the things we’ve always wanted to bring to The Shepherd’s Inn is the sort of Mexican food she grew up with. Not necessarily the food you find in Mexican restaurants, but the everyday dishes people cook at home. Family recipes, passed down through generations, using simple ingredients to make something really rather special. One such dish is picadillo. Now, if we told you we were serving chilli con carne, you’d probably have a pretty good idea what to expect. But picadillo? Perhaps not. The two dishes might look similar, but there’s an important distinction. Chilli con carne is generally associated with Tex-Mex cooking — a culinary tradition that developed in Texas through the blending of Mexican and American influences. Picadillo, on the other hand, is a traditional Mexican home-cooked dish, made with minced meat, tomatoes, vegetables and spices. Some families add potatoes, carrots or peas. Others have their own particular combination of chillies and seasonings. Like most good home cooking, everyone has their own way of making it. Neither is necessarily better than the other. They’re simply different food traditions. And for Az, picadillo is a little taste of home. It’s hearty, comforting food. The sort of thing that’s best enjoyed around a table with other people. Which brings us rather neatly to Denmark.

A Danish Tradition with a Rather Long Name

Ras has Danish roots and a particular fondness for a tradition called fællesspisning, which roughly translates as communal dining, or simply eating together. It’s a wonderfully straightforward idea. People come together around shared tables to enjoy a good, affordable meal. Some arrive with friends or family. Others come on their own. The food brings everyone together, but the evening is really about the company. There’s no great ceremony to it. You don’t need a special occasion, and you certainly don’t need to know everyone in the room. You just turn up, find yourself a seat and enjoy your supper. We think there’s something rather lovely about that.

A Cumbrian Village Pub

When you think about it, the traditional British village pub has always served much the same purpose. It’s somewhere people meet, catch up, exchange news and occasionally put the world to rights. And that’s very much what we want The Shepherd’s Inn to be. Not just somewhere to eat and drink, but somewhere people feel welcome and part of the community. And as the colder months draw in, with food and heating bills seemingly forever going up, having somewhere warm and welcoming to spend an evening feels more important than ever. A hearty meal that doesn’t cost the earth, a warm pub and a few friendly faces. Sometimes that’s all you need to lift your spirits and warm your cockles. Of course, we’re not suggesting that sharing a bowl of picadillo is going to solve all the world’s problems. That would be asking rather a lot of a bowl of mince. But giving people an affordable reason to get out of the house, catch up with their neighbours or meet somebody new? That seems like a pretty good place to start.

Pull Up a Chair

So that’s the thinking behind our social dining evenings. We’re bringing together Az’s Mexican family cooking with Ras’s Danish tradition of communal dining, and adding a little Cumbrian village hospitality. The idea is simple: one hearty, freshly prepared meal, shared around the table at a price that makes eating out a little more accessible. Come with friends, bring the family, catch up with your neighbours or come along on your own. There’s no need to dress up, no special occasion required and we’re certainly not going to make anyone introduce themselves. This isn’t a networking event. It’s dinner. Good food, good company and great value. And if you make a new friend along the way, so much the better. And if you can’t make it this week, don’t worry. We’re planning to make social dining a regular event, twice a month, with more hearty meals and good company to look forward to. Keep an eye on our What’s On guide for upcoming dates.

There’s always a place at the table for you.

Rasmus & Azareth