I feel alive! What about you? This weather has been so fantastic. When we get brilliant sunshine in April or May and hardly a breeze in the air, you couldn't wish to be anywhere else on this planet but HERE! Who else has enjoyed a glass of chilled white wine or prosecco on returning home from work these past few days? Or rushed out into the garden to tidy up after the winter, assess the damage from snow and frost and get in the first vegetable seeds?
Customers to Garden Cafe have sat out on the patio for the first time in the last fortnight basking like lizards in the sun while they enjoy an alfresco lunch or tea and a slice of Victoria Sandwich. Just to remind you that all our cakes are made on the premises or by Annette (those stunning muffins) or Sue (you love those bakewell tarts and sticky toffee puds). The flour used is organic, the sugar unrefined and the eggs from Vera's free range hens in Kinoulton.
We know you come back again and again to savour these and it so gratifying to have our regulars visiting in sun and in rain... you can even tell the day of the week when some of you walk through the door!
Come and see us while our front garden is at its very best. We have narcissi taking over from daffodils, blue and white anemones, parrot tulips and polyanthus. Richard has even managed to get stripes on our lawn.. well sort of!
Later in the year, it is harder to get such a good display as the trees take up all the moisture and everything becomes very dry. If anyone knows of mid summer plants that can survive dry shade, let me know.
I am desperate to get out the May blog as soon as possible because we have a real treat for you. Arriving this Friday we will have bunches of WILD GARLIC. We tried it last year and it is truly delicious. It takes a quick wilting in olive oil in a wok or a couple of minutes in boiling water. A bit like spinach it is brilliant with poached or fried eggs or crispy bacon or pancetta. The season is very short so we would expect to have it in every Friday for maybe the next three weeks.
With such cold night temperatures the ASPARAGUS season was due to start late but we have heard that the recent warmth has brought the crop back on trend and we hope to have our first bunches this weekend. There is nothing better than simply cooked spears with melted butter or Hollandaise sauce. We are getting the latter in from Ouse Valley next week and it will be freshly made for us. When you want something a bit different then try this excellent recipe from Gordon!
Serves 4
700gms Asparagus Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, 8-10 slices of Parma Ham, a block of Parmesan Reggiano for slicing good, quality Balsamic Vinegar
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Snap off the coarser part of each stalk and blanch the rest of the spears in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in a bowl of iced water and drain again. (This keeps them brilliantly green and stops them from overcooking). Heat a griddle pan until hot (I think you could do this on the bar-b-que as well). Toss the asparagus gently in a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper until coated evenly. In several batches, griddle the spears for 1 - 2 minutes on each side until they have seared stripes. Pile the griddled asparagus on to a platter and arrange the Parma Ham slices round it. Shave the parmesan over the asparagus with a vegetable peeler, drizzle with the balsamic and tuck in. Needless to say, all these ingredients are available at the Store!
There's not a week goes by that we don't have new deliveries of jewellery and gifts to tempt you. A lot of you will be familiar with our Nesti Danti soaps from Italy. All the scents are irresistible so it's very hard to choose. However, at £4.25 for a bath size, they are a snip and make lovely presents. Many of you have asked for notecards and gift bags and we have got charming ones in from Roger la Borde, bright and summery. We find it hard to keep our greeting card section stocked up and many of you have said how good our selection is. Thank you! We are always looking for something new and some of our customers come armed with their birthday calenders and stock up for next few months!
Within these paragraphs, I have mentioned some of the people who help to make Colston Bassett Store what it is. It is a fine balance to keep up the standards and we couldn't do it without dedicated staff who all share our enthusiasm and commitment. Sue who keeps our cheese counter pristine, the front of house cafe staff who always welcome you, the weekend sixth formers who keep us entertained (and up to date!)
Come and pay us another visit soon
Jan
PS. The Garden Cafe will be taking bookings for the evening of Saturday May 22nd. We'd love to see you.
