Seven years ago, on 31 January 2003, we bought the “St Just Tea Rooms” with the vague idea of running a ‘book-café and absolutely no idea of what was involved. Looking back, it seems incredible that we opened at all. It’s more incredible that we are still here, well into our dotage, and that you, dear guests, still come in, still love the place.

Winter Refit

It has been a cold winter.

St. Agnes’ eve—Ah, bitter chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold;
The hare limp’d trembling through the frozen grass,
And silent was the flock in woolly fold:

Not so silent in the Cook Book, nor much quoting of Keats.
We had to close early in order to guarantee that essential materials could reach us in the icy weather. It was just as well, for once we started to remove the flooring in the kitchen, scullery and servery, and the worn out units, we found more work than we had anticipated. It was also bitterly cold, so much so that we had to buy fan heaters to get the temperature up so that the glue would stick. Once again, it was a team effort, and once again it was organised beautifully by Becca. A big thank you to everyone who worked so hard to ensure we opened on time.

What’s so special about books?

That is a question asked more frequently in the press than in a second-hand bookshop. Nevertheless, it is a question to be taken seriously as more and more people try out ‘e-books,’ more and more money is spent on developing and producing cheaper, lighter versions, and even more money spent on marketing them.

Take any book from a shelf. The first thing you do is feel it. You have to because it’s in your hands. The texture of a well-made book, printed on good quality paper in clear type; bound in leather or cloth covered boards so that it falls open naturally – that is special.

If you are like me, the next thing you’ll do is smell it. If it is in good condition it’ll have that unforgettable smell of ‘book,’ of the dust from a library, a trace of the glue that binds it, of leather or cloth, the faintest scent of its history. If it’s a newish book, it will have a whole range of different smells.

An old book that’s been stored in a damp place has a strong, musty odour. That’s another reason for smelling old books. That smell can be removed by leaving the book open over a tray of clean cat litter in a dry room for a day or two, or by reading it slowly, slouched in a chair before a roaring fire.

Imagine holding, reading a book that was published while Shakespeare was alive, or one printed before Charles I was executed; or finding one sent out to a young airman held in a prisoner-of-war camp, with all the stamps of the Red Cross, the camp library, the donor inside the front cover; or one published by someone you know, and who will sign it for you.

Most books are pleasing to the eye. They are well-proportioned, some have clearer type than others; really old books have paper that has gone grey with age; some are quite heavily spotted with brown – ‘foxed’; some have beautiful illustrations, others have none.

Above all, you will have in your hands the whole text, and you can start where you like, flick backwards and forwards without effort; if it’s your book you can write in the margins, underline, add cuttings, photographs, dried flowers, letters, tickets, fold corners (if you must).

When you go out, you can slip a book in your pocket or bag, read it where you like – on the train; having a sticky picnic on a sandy beach; it’ll dry out and still be readable if you drop it in the bath; dogs can chew it, children scribble in it – it will still be a book you can enjoy.

Particularly special is the silence that falls when children are immersed in books, when their imagination is soaring, concentration is total, the outside world far away.

Philippa has a delightful encounter

In an attempt to persuade a guest to spend a little more money, I enquired if he might like a piece of cake to follow his baguette. He declined politely, saying that sweet food had never appealed. I agreed, but added the proviso that Turkish Delight was the perfect exception in my book. His eyes lit up – “Now you’re talking,” he said – and talk we did.

We regaled each other with reminiscences of Turkish Delight moments. The sight of the wooden box with indecipherable characters on the lid. The puff of fine icing sugar, the white waxy paper enclosing those little lumps of heaven. Rose scented, lemon scented and the wonderful pistachio-filled chewy chunks. The extraordinary consistency – my father always said that only camel’s hoof provided the perfect texture.

Before leaving the café, my friend told me of a special shop in London where he gets his supplies – I think it was Iranian. He promised he’d bring a box next time he came to St Just.
I hope he remembers.

Scent of St Martin’s

Think St Valentine’s Day – one of Philippa’s favourite flowers is the scented narcissi (the other is the anemone). It was Becca who found the advert in the Yellow Pages.

A phone call revealed friendly and helpful family farm on St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly, which sends boxes of these beautiful flowers from October to March at amazingly reasonable prices. In the summer they send Show Pinks, one of my favourite flowers.

If you want to know more, do visit their website, or ring them yourself. You won’t be disappointed. We have happily added them to our Links page.

www.scillyflowers.co.uk
Churchtown Farm, St Martin’s
Isles of Scilly TR25 0QL
Telephone: 01720 422169

Cook Book People

Welcome to Lollie Brewer, who joined us in November when Sophie Slater set off for Australia where she’s having a great time.

We say farewell to our wonderful accountant Carol Martin who is finally retiring. Carol has held our hands from the moment Philippa thought of running a ‘book-café,’ with her meticulous attention to detail and clear, concise advice, always given in the gentlest way. She is a good friend and we look forward to welcoming her at the Cook Book and at home when we will guarantee not to talk shop!

We welcome Claire Stone and look forward to working with her keeping us safe.

Website Refit

As well as the Cook Book having a refit, our website is having a bit of a brush up behind the scenes. We’re aiming to make more of our regular updates and highlight them on our home page. We should be making the switch over to the new website in the coming month or two.