Celebrations All Month Long!

Has Mother's Day been and gone? Well, actually No. Everything is so late this year and April has become a very busy month. We kick off with Mother's Day on Sunday 3rd. followed by Easter on the weekend of the 22nd. and THE WEDDING to round off the month on Friday 29th. April. Can't wait to see the dress!

Our Mother's Day cards are flying out but we also have some great chocolate ideas, delicate stationery, fun gifts and pots of minature daffodils. You can also trawl the Store with one of our hessian bags and choose your own selection of goodies. So pop in this weekend and make someone very happy!

With such unseasonally warm weather recently, I wanted to remind you of our fabulous selection of cheeses and charcuterie for alfresco dining in the days ahead. In particular, our Italian and Sicilian suppliers bring us some top notch produce which will knock spots off anything you can buy on your supermarket run. The Parma Ham and Wild Boar Proscuitto is cut wafer thin and so a little goes a long way. We have Mortadella and Porchetta Toscana in at the moment. Big meats which are big on flavour! And our fontina cheese is unusual and hard to come by. I'm trying it cubed in a creamy risotto tonight! Let me know of any ideas you may have.

I couldn't resist staging this photo. When our children were young we used to hide eggs of all sizes in the garden and invite friends round for an annual Easter Egg hunt. Most were discovered but one or two turned up in the flower beds months later or were snaffled by the dog! These foil chickens come in two sizes and are so colourful and our bags of easter eggs are all different flavours. And don't forget Vera's free range eggs for breakfast. There's nothing nicer than a softly boiled egg with soldiers.

We will be having fun with our cakes over the Easter weekend and the counter will be laden with confections to welcome you back after Lent. If you want to order Hambleton bread, muffins or tea cakes specially, please make sure you get your order in by 12th. April. Our Evening openings for the month are on Saturday 16th. and 30th. April.

Looking forward to seeing you during this festive month.

Jan

Hellebores, Homemade Scones and Mother's Day

Well, being slow to get round to the blog this month has at least meant that I can enthuse about the two brilliantly sunny days we have just had rather than grumble about the gloom of recent weeks!

These little chaps like nothing more than the warmth of the sun's rays on their petals to make them open out and delight us with their golden stamens. The bulbs in the garden at the Store seem to have weathered our severe winter temperatures pretty well and your can enjoy the snowdrops under the trees from the Garden Cafe window and see the tulips and daffodils peeping up along the path as you make your way to the front door. The evenings are drawing out and this has encouraged you to visit us later. At the end of the month the clocks will go forward and Garden Cafe will stay open longer. Before we know it, you will be asking us to put out the tables and chairs on the terrace!

Those of you who visit us regularly will know that all our food is made from scratch on the premises. Our scones are made every day and receive many compliments and our cakes, such as Carrot and Walnut Slice and Lemon Drizzle, are firm favourites with you. The teacakes from Hambleton Bakery which are toasted and slathered with butter have also been a great hit. We are now thinking about offering some of these items for you to take away. Last weekend we packaged slices of Victoria Sandwich and Indulgent Chocolate cake for you to buy and whenever we make our French Onion Tarts, they fly out. At the moment we will be selling these items on a Saturday to catch you in weekend mode. But if you want to keep your husband sweet when you return home after a girlie lunch in the week, I'm sure we could oblige!

Our Ploughman's Platter is a perfect example of the synergy between the Store and the Cafe and seems to be popular in winter as well as summer. We have the opportunity to use some of our wonderful local cheeses including the unparalled Colston Bassett Stilton, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester from Market Bosworth and Lincolnshire Poacher. At the weekends Hambleton's Olive Bread becomes the accompaniment for a selection of our Continental cheeses. Have you tried the Mountain Fontina or subtle Reypenear Goat Gouda? All kept in mint condition by Sue on the Deli counter. Do you think that salad boxes containing quality ham or cheese and our lovely mixed leaves together with Martin's honey and mustard dressing would hit the spot? Let us know what you think and share any ideas you have.

Our Saturday Evening openings continue to go well. The next dates are 19th. MARCH, 2nd. APRIL (Mother's Day weekend), 16th. APRIL and 30th. APRIL. We are hoping to welcome you in somewhat kinder weather as the year progresses!

Brian Robinson is returning again this year with his fabulous selection of Hellebores for sale at the Store. He will be here NEXT SATURDAY 12th. March from 11.00am until about 1.00pm. Last year I bought a gorgeous double white one which has settled in beautifully despite the raw winter and has three flowers on it. Also to die for are the dark nearly black ones! Fill the gaps in your garden with these stalwart beauties but, be warned, come early to avoid disappointment!

Finally we mustn't forget Mother's Day, late this year, on April 2nd. Why not choose some jams and goodies from the Store, pack them into our hessian or wicker containers and we will decorate them with ribbons and flowers for you.

It's always the thought that counts!

See you soon

Jan