The dulcet tones of Dolly Parton are blasting from the speaker. Ellis, Lucy and Georgia are in the cooking part of the kitchen prepping a dinner while I sit at the table attempting to write a newsletter to catch you up on the last few weeks. A series of timers ring from Lucy’s phone, counting down the minutes for the mini fondant potatoes in the oven and the scallops on the stove.
As I write, I can overhear Ellis getting lessons on knife skills - Lucy effortlessly taking him under her wing as his life long love of cooking has drawn him away from more electronic pursuits in the house to the kitchen. Georgia is singing “I Will Always Love You” as she washes up after them both.
With both the older kids set on their tasks, Lucy and I head out to the garden to harvest veg. We fill a basket with bright green pea shoots I planted a few weeks ago, dazzling blue kale that survived the fire as seedlings and wood sorrel from the hazel coppice. As we walk through the garden, we chat about what is in season (all the kale) and what will be appearing on menus soon (kale, broccoli and fennel).
My phone has been ringing all day - folks enquiring about pizza and dinners now outnumber calls that tell me that I have been in an accident (I haven’t) and my Microsoft Security has been breached (we are Apple people). I have dough to make once Lucy and Ellis are finished with prep for tonight’s private dinner. I hope that the 5kg I am planning will cover the guests tomorrow, but live in a mix of fear and hope that we will get walk ins. With mixers that can’t handle more than 1kg of dough, it will take awhile get it on to the proofing stage though my only complaint about the process is the doughy eye boogers I will end up with tomorrow. I love it.
As we head back into the kitchen, Lucy and I notice a white car in the courtyard and hear voices in the barn. We wander over and as we ask if we can help at all, we are met with an enthusiastic couple. “This is so exciting!!” they tell us. We chat and find out they are holidaying in the area and were just out for a drive and found us. “We can’t wait to come back!!” they exclaim as we hand them a stack of pizza fliers to take with them.
Lucy heads back into the kitchen with the bowl of veg. I watch through the door as Ellis asks her about what to do next, Georgia finishes drying the dishes and Theo pops out to ask what time he’s working tomorrow.
I can feel the prickle in my eyes of tears on their way. “It’s good here” I think as I head back in and close the door behind me.
We have had a bit of a rejig of the schedule and have paired back a bit. Rather than trying to do everything all at once, we are focussing on doing a few things well.
First up, our Wild Pizza Nights are now at least twice a week - Thursdays and Saturdays. Booking in advance means we can make sure we have enough dough for you!
Our Farm to Table dinners have had a rethink. We will now be offering once a month feasts, each with a theme. Our first dinner is August 11th and 12th, with the theme of summer.
Our August Feast celebrates the bounty of summer in the garden. Vegetables are the stars of the show in August, with an abundance of freshness at its peak. Don’t worry, omnivores, you can bet on some gorgeous, seasonal meat on the menu as well. ;)
Our September dates are up as well, 8th and 9th…smack in the middle of Foraging Fortnight, so expect dinner to be WILD!
I love your descriptions of everyone busy joining in and doing and just *being* 🥰 It all sounds wonderful and exciting and exhausting, all at once! 😊
You sound so much more happy and hopeful in this newsletter, Kat, and it’s wonderful to read. Best wishes to you all 🩷
Thanks for sharing thoughts about a day in the life of Kat at Gartur Stitch Farm