I am writing to you in glorious sunshine. What a tonic! Our resident robin at the Store sings from morning to night, the rooks are squabbling over nest sites in the village and here are the first of the species crocus visible from the Cafe windows.
Brunch continues to be a great success. We seem to have hit the spot with your weekend requirements. Martin is now making herby sausage and bacon patties served with scrambled eggs and mushrooms or vine tomatoes. Yum! And we have found that little creamy French Onion Tarts go well with a couple of slices of grilled Free Range Bacon. Its very hectic in the kitchen so do remember to book your table.
The weekend of March. 13th & 14th. is Mothers Day weekend and Nettie is working on some extra special muffins with hand made flower decorations. Have you tried her Rosewater and Pistachio ones, or Orange Curd, or Apple Crumble? We can't keep up with her inspirational cooking. We don't usually take table bookings for tea and cakes but Mothers Day is different. Book to avoid disappointment.
An extra treat on Sunday 14th. March is our annual Hellebore Sale. Perfect for Mothers Day. Brian Robinson will have a stand outside the Cafe from 11.00 until 1.00 pm. He grows all the plants himself with his wife Sharon and there are some gorgeous colours...pure white, speckled and blotchy pinks and dark burgundys. They get snapped up, so come early. This hellebore is growing in the cafe garden and we bought it from Brian two years ago. Its not the most hospitable of locations but it struggles along delighting us with its delicate blooms
Eight students had a ball at our Knit and Felt Workshop! Bev Beattie brought a fantastic range of yarns and got everyone knitting furiously. The afternoon was spent mastering knitted flowers which are felted onto the body of the bag and everyone went home full of enthusiasm and brimming with ideas. Several of the students have been back to show us all the finished product. We have now decided to encourage knitters to get together at a Knit & Natter session
every Wednesday morning in the Cafe 10.30 until 11.45 (unless staying for lunch). Come and share ideas and show us what you've done. The purchase of a cappuchino or a pot of tea will oil the vocal cords!
Also from this month onwards we will be stocking some of the yarns used in the making of the bags. Many of you have said how hard it is to find good fibres and we could have sold the balls of yarn used to advertise the course last month ten times over! You will find them in the glass cabinet in the off-licence (no connection, of course!)
Our next Workshop is on Monday 19th. April when you can try your hand at Needle Felting and Embellishment. More in the April Blog and in the Store.
Whoever forecast the colours for Spring/Summer 2010 must have known that we would be emerging from one of the hardest winters for decades. Soft lavenders, shell pinks, sorbet lemon and lime are all shades that have been selling well in the Store and the delicacy of the jewellery and laciness of the new Spring scarves have struck a cord with you all. We are now adding stronger accents of turquoise and magenta...dare you not to be tempted by the new woven straw handbags in ice cream stripes!
See you soon.
