1. Spring is here
After the excitement of proper snow in St Just, it has been wonderful to bask in genuinely hot sun for the past week.
There seems to have been an amazing amount going on, none of it especially relevant to the business but all relevant to life in the café, and all impacting on us.
Perhaps it’s because we were away for a month, perhaps because we live in such a close and friendly community surrounded by so much beautiful countryside, perhaps it’s the years catching up, but it does seem to take longer to get down to doing the chores, especially when there’s a dog to walk, books to read, a garden to tend.
On a walk from the Count House to beyond Botallack Head and back yesterday, I saw the first bluebell of the year in the Valley of Dead Bones, also a small toad which I carefully moved off the footpath so he (?) wouldn’t get squashed. Four choughs gave a magnificent flying display over the mines stacks; cliffs are golden with gorse, the valleys filled with daffodils and primroses, footpaths are starting to be fringed with wild garlic.
West Penwith in Spring is hard to beat.
West Penwith in Spring
Cape Cornwall in Spring
2. Family News
Maia is three months old, weighs over 15lbs and continues to entrance. Thank goodness for digital photographs and the email. At least we can see how our grandchildren grow and get an idea what they are up to on a regular basis.
Facebook is another great way to keep in touch, though it does seem to be a mighty public way of doing so. Still, we get regular news and photos of Ellie in Brisbane. She loves her new job, the Australian way of life and the climate.
Just after we left Canada, Jake installed his first commissioned work of “public art.” We saw him putting the final touches to his sculpture, of a woman on a bicycle, with a cup of latte in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, avoiding a large tree complete with a nest, two chicks and their parents!
It has been installed outside a coffee shop in downtown Victoria, capital of British Columbia, about 300 yards from the Government Building.
Jake's first commissioned public work
Jake’s Intallation in Downtown Victoria, British Columbia
It’s a typical Jake cartoon, but forged out of steel, not drawn on paper and has been well received by the public, many of whom have been singing its praises to the manager of ‘Serious Coffee.’
We do miss Ellie and Jake, Miranda and the children. They have followed the ancient tradition of Cornish men and women, voyaging far overseas to seek work and a new way of life.
At least we don’t have to wait months or even years to hear news of them, as their Cornish ancestors did when their young voyaged round Cape Horn to Valparaiso in the early part of the nineteenth century.
3. Cook Book News
Very sadly, Jenny is retiring at the beginning of May. She has been with us from the start and has become world famous for her wonderful cakes and scones.
We will be having a farewell party in May, and have started a collection for Jenny’s farewell gift. Donations can be made at The Cook Book. If you would like to send a cheque, please could you make it out to The Cook Book and send it with a card giving your name & address.
We welcome Sheila Tyler onboard and hope that she will enjoy working at The Cook Book.
Summer Opening Hours
From Saturday 28 March we’ll be open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm
4. “COLLECTIVE”
The Spring Art Exhibition at The Cook Book
We are delighted to be hosting “COLLECTIVE” – the spring exhibition of paintings by St Just artists. The preview is on 3rd April and the exhibition runs until 10th May.
5. Coincidence
When Sarah Lay showed us the stunning photographs for the 2010 Evocative Cornwall Calendar the other day, I was amazed to see one of a sunset taken from Gwenvyr.
I had taken almost exactly the same picture from above Progo at exactly the same time.
Coincidence
It’s very much better in the calendar which will be published quite soon.
6. An Apology
We are really sorry, but we just have to raise our prices this year. As with all small businesses, there’s a fine line drawn between paying your way and not paying your way. Last year we absorbed the hikes in the prices of electricity, water, ingredients, supplies etc. This year we have no choice but to put up the price of our food and drinks.
We hope that you will find that The Cook Book still offers good value for money.
7. Banjo Cottage
There are still vacancies at Banjo Cottage – Ellie’s beautiful home in the heart of St Just. If you want somewhere to stay for a week or two, please go to our Links page and look up Banjo Cottage.
8. Recipe of the Month – Chunky Cook Book Chicken Soup
Quantities depend on how many you are feeding!
Sauté fresh chicken carcasses, chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs until sealed
Sauté, separately, plenty of chopped onions, celery and crushed garlic
When the onions are soft, add the sautéed chicken, still on the bone
Cover with water. Boil until the flesh is cooked through and starts to fall off the bone
Skim off and ditch the fat
Remove from the heat, drain and save the stock
Remove the chicken
Save the onions & celery
Pick the flesh from the bones, cut it into cubes and add to the cooked onions & celery
Added chopped carrots, ground pepper and any herbs
Cover with the stock, adding more water as necessary
Bring to the boil then simmer until the carrots are soft
Serve with a hot garlic baguette
