From Acorns...

It was like being on the set of a spaghetti western when the flat-packed sections arrived and the men began to assemble them, but it was amazing how quickly the building started to come together. Jenni and I practised serving in the kitchen area, and I was pleased to find that despite pregnancy bump that I can turn around in our broom cupboard of an office!

We've had such an exciting week at Peppercorn Kitchen. Ian from Property Care turned up on Tuesday afternoon with what looked like a load of Ikea wardrobes, but within minutes it seemed the timber frame cafe began to take shape. We had to keep a watchful eye between customers to make sure that we recorded each stage of construction, and that was pretty difficult with the speed with which the men were progressing. It seems that bacon sandwiches on site are a good incentive!

Speaking of food, Jenni and I are pretty pleased with our blackcurrant ice cream, our lemon balm and marjoram sorbet and our cardamom chocolate mousse. Last week was definitely the week of puddings. This week, Jenny from the hairdressers in the yard gave us a marrow, which set us thinking. So, we de-gorged and fried marrow slices in olive oil, added a schnitzel coating with gluten free breadcrumbs and then topped it all with feta and olives marinated in oil infused with fennel, mustard and black onion seeds. We really must remember to take pictures of the food.

The way that the day works at Peppercorn is very different from down at the beach café. There is a gentler pace; people seem more inclined to linger over lunch, taking time to enjoy a pudding and a second drink. We knew that we wouldn't have the surge of orders for take aways that we had down the road and this change has given us the opportunity to think very carefully about the menu and to come up with food that excites us. We hope our customers feel the same!