Chapter 29
Today was the day! The Turkey and Tinsel lunch had snowballed in a matter of weeks.
What had started out as a small village lunch for perhaps a dozen elderly people, so she’d thought, had transformed into a gathering for the lonely, the elderly from the environs, and two minibuses filled with many of the residents from the Kirkton Care Home.
Well, Cath mused, Andreas’s mother, Maria, had sadly never got her ‘great escape’ lunch, but this group were about to get theirs.
And, amidst all the angst about getting a festive feast ready in time, plus renovating a village hall, remembering what it was all for warmed Cath’s heart.
In the old school kitchen full of pots, pans, veggies ready to boil and four turkeys basting, she just needed to hold on to this thought and know why it was all so very worthwhile.
Andreas was there beside her. They had decided that the pair of them would lead the cheffing – two was enough.
It was no good having too many cooks in the kitchen.
They seemed to be able to work well together: Andreas now lifting out one of the massive turkeys ready to baste it, while Cath was setting out her parboiled Maris Piper potatoes in goose fat–oiled oven trays, giving each other space and support at just the right time.
With her aproned friend (yes, the naked statue was out again!) bursting into a cheery blast of ‘Four turkey’s basting, three pans a boiling, two chefs a singing, and a Christmas pudding in a Christmas tree,’ in the style of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, Cath couldn’t help but laugh.
And of course, it wasn’t just the two of them; they had their trusty supper club support gang here, the others currently busy in the hall. Plus, a team of willing (and not quite so willing – in the case of Nikki’s three boys) extras.
The turkeys had been in for almost three hours, as she and Andreas had got there super-early.
The extra-large school ovens had coped with the four big turkeys; she was working on at least twelve portions per bird.
And there was also room in the ovens for the trays of roast potatoes to go in for the last hour of cooking, which would work, in a rota at least. Once the birds were out and left to rest, the pigs-in-blankets – which Lily and Nikki had spent the last half hour making – rolling streaky bacon strips around mini sausages – would pop in along with trays of Dan’s Special Stuffing Balls.
All was prepared on that front, and Cath had a list of timings next to her, so nothing would be forgotten.
It would be a full-on day of cooking, for sure.
Next, Andreas was on with the sprouts, having decided not to boil them. He was halving them, ready to pan-fry in a Mediterranean twist, with olive oil and pine nuts – he couldn’t help himself.
Cath had baulked at making a pudding for so many people on top of the mountainous work involved for the roast dinner, and had originally intended on buying several packs of shop-bought mince pies, but baking queen Lily wasn’t having any of it.
Happy to organise that extra job herself, she’d brought in tubs of homemade spiced-cinnamon shortbread and mince pies galore, with Lily and her mum apparently having been in their element.
On top of that, yesterday, Lily’s restaurant had got wind of her charity activity and encouraged her to cook some extra batches of mince pies there using their large ovens, and even providing the ingredients.
The restaurant team had helped her to get creative with them, and there were stars and snowy icing-sugar tops, and some with a touch of cheeky Alnwick rum in.
Dan had also taken a phone call at the shop, just three days ago, and the wonderful young lady from Rachel’s Pudding Pantry – part of a farm near to Kirkton – had stepped in, having heard of this kind community event through the care home, offering to donate a dozen of their large homemade Christmas puddings.
She’d even come through and dropped them off at the shop.
Her Granny Ruth had recently had some respite care at the home, and was now thankfully recovering well back at home.
Cath had had a tear in her eye at all that.
This event was proving to be a real collaboration.
With a blob of thick double cream, the delicious puddings and pies would be sure to go down a real festive treat. A truly scrumptious end to the meal.
Lily popped some Christmassy music on, and the preparations went up a notch.
She headed into the storeroom to find some large platters to later display her biscuits and mince pies on.
Nikki was still in the hall putting the final touches to the tables, now spacing the small white dishes of cranberry sauce at equal intervals.
The Brownies craft session had come up trumps with a small handmade gift of a robin on a log or a stick reindeer with bobbly red nose, now set out for each guest. Freshening up the sprigs of holly, small branches of pine, along with fir cones, on the windowsills and tables, Nikki looked around her and was delighted with the decoration.
Back in the kitchen, Dan had joined them and was now laying out trays of long-sliced parsnips ready to roast, adding oil and a drizzle of honey and thyme leaves.
And Cath found herself humming away to ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’ along with Michael Bublé, as she popped the water heater on to boil and set out rows of the WI cups and saucers ready to offer a welcome drink on arrival.
Will was stood at the functional stainless-steel sink doing a spell of washing up.
After finishing her task, Cath thought she’d go and help dry up, and was at the draining area next to Will.
It was the closest the pair of them had been since the supermarket, and Cath could almost feel electric strobes coming off him.
She couldn’t be sure if they were trying to send her away, or draw her back in.
Whatever was going on between them was damn unsettling.
She really didn’t know what to say to him, so merely gave a small smile and kept herself busy.
Right, she needed to stop thinking about Will in that way. It wasn’t to be. They’d tried and failed. He’d made that clear, after all. She had more pressing things to be getting on with today, she reminded herself.
Their stalemate hadn’t gone unnoticed, however.
‘What’s up with you two?’ Nikki whispered, cornering Cath in the storeroom a few minutes later. ‘I notice Mr Frosty is back, and it’s not the bloody snowman I’m talking about.’
Cath couldn’t hold back her sigh. ‘Ah, things have got a bit complicated, Niks. I’ll explain more later … This really isn’t the right time.’
‘Okay, of course … but hey, I’m here if you need. Or, if you need me to kick someone’s butt.’ She gave a kung fu–style gesture with her foot and raised her hands, nearly knocking over a shelf of crockery. ‘Oops.’
Cath laughed softly and then said, ‘Well, I think we need to get back to the very important task in hand.’ It was already ten-thirty.
Their VIP guests would be arriving for teas and coffees at twelve o’clock.
With dinner to be served at one p.m. sharp.
A small yawn escaped her. She’d been up since five-thirty.
But other than having one quick coffee break, there was no time to rest on their laurels.
In less than an hour, the turkeys would need to be taken out to rest and kept warm under foil, whilst the veggies were roasted or boiled, and the stuffing and pigs-in-blankets cooked.
Dan and Andreas had offered to do the honours carving the meat, and then there’d need to be a production line to serve up.
Cath actually had a tick list for each stage, to help stop her mind exploding with angst!
If it all came together as planned, it would indeed be a veritable feast. She’d keep her fingers crossed, that is if they weren’t so bloody busy.
The supper club team only had to finish cooking, and then serve what was essentially a roast dinner for, what, a mere forty-odd people. What could possibly go wrong?