Happy 2011!  January is supposed to be the quietest month of the cafe year, isn't it?  Not so at Peppercorn.  Jenni buggered off ski-ing for a week in the belief that Amy would have a gentle introduction to the new year.  However, much to our surprise and delight trade has been very brisk and our staff have more than earned their stripes.  We feel privileged to have such a wonderful group of people working with us.

Our regular menu continues to work well and we have been thrilled at customers' response to our Specials Board.  Puddings have really taken off; Jenni is making piles of meringues to keep up with demand and Amy can't bake enough scones with her new recipe for extra sweetness and light (thank you Chef Robert for sharing!).   We hate waste, hence the popular introduction of fresh lemon curd cake and creme brulees made witht the hundreds of egg yolks left over from the meringues.  On the subject of cake, Di's deliciously moist chocolate beetroot cake with chocolate ganache and sweet geranium flowers sells almost before it is put out on the counter.  Equally, her orange and poppyseed cake is a welcome and juicy addition to our cake repertoire - particularly yummy with a generous dollop of Cornish clotted cream!  For those of you nostalgic for those childhood winter warmers, try Lisa's creamy vanilla rice pudding infused with star anise.

Here are some photos of our village open afternoon.  How many familiar faces can you spot amongst our customers?