Wednesday 2 June 2010

Bank Holiday Supperclub Fun







The supperclub's that we held this past weekend, were some of my most favourite to date. The sense of panic that desended over me after the boy wonder moved to Sweden earlier this year, seems to have finally disappeared somewhat. No longer am I sending emails to Sweden, asking for advice and reassurance in  the run up to each Supperclub. Through the patience, reassure and constently been told to "get a bloody grip and get on with it ". I feel as if I have finally found my cooking legs once again. So much so, we tried a two night run for the first time since the Boy Wonder left.

We had already planned a secret Lunch for the Sunday, but decided to hold a secret supper on the Saturday night for 12 people (half the ammount that we places we normally do ) at the last moment. I must admit during the first 30 minutes I had serious doubts about 12 strangers sat around one large table striking up conversation with other strangers. Even though we do seat strangers on tables with other strangers, the table sizes are either between 4 and 8 and most people come with other friends, ther was still a serious nagging doubt in the back of my mind that maybe this would be somewhat of a so called social experiment that could go  disasterly horribly wrong at any moment. I needn't have worried, I popped my head out of the kitchen door to hear the conversation flowing easily between each of the strangers and the conversation carried on until the small hours. 




Sunday's Secret Lunch was a similar affair a room full of strangers with happy faces, enjoying food, drink, conversation and laughter with each other for a fair few hours. So much so that nearly every plate that came back into the kitchen was clean and only the smallest amount of the vegetarian pie  came back into the kitchen. This was given to Olu the newest helper at the Supper Club.  The poor boy had missed out on the veggie pie the night before and had to suffice with oven chips and beans for his staff meal, as there was only leftover meat pie for helpers dinner on Saturday night !



Bless them they even applauded me and Lucy for providing lunch, with both of us having  very slow burning excessive hangovers from the previous evening's shenanigans. Guests even stayed after lunch, where the conversation  soon turned fits of laughter thanks to the hilariously funny Mysti Vine , a returning guest at our supperclub. I actually think I laughed so much and laughed so hard at her banter and quips that the remnants of my hangover thankfully disappeared before the guests left and I disappeared for Supper at a friends house (a true luxury after cooking for over 30 people all weekend, mind you I did eat supper and then promptly fell asleep on their sofa for a couple of hours! )

For me this past Bank Holiday, confirmed to me why I do this. I don't do it because I want lots of recognition or create a media persona for myself. I do this because I enjoy cooking and feeding people, hearing the clatter of cutlery and the scrapping of knives on empty plates. I find nothing more satisfying hearing people communicating and laughing with each other over a table of food and drink. This weekend's events and the guests who came, has given me more faith  and more confidence in what I'm doing and why I'm doing the Supperclubs.  
It may have been a typical Bank Holiday in terms of the poor weather but was a great Bank Holiday in terms of food, drink, company and laughs. 

(Photos. D Medrano)

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like so much fun! Wish we were there!
    there are some events where the people bring so much spark to the place and causing such a wonderful atmosphere that its electric and you wouldn't find it anywhere else even if you paid all your savings.

    Its down to your brilliant cooking too!
    Hope there will be many more to come

    uyen xxx

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  2. Thanks - had a great time with great people

    There will be more supperclubs have hopefully found a new space for the end of July - fingers crossed and all that

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