Winter Blues!

We have been struggling with staff absence this past couple of weeks - winter colds have pretty much got all of us at some point and even Lisa and I had a day off each to sit at home feeling sorry for ourselves. Thank goodness the first day of Spring is just around the corner!
Speaking of Spring  - we have planned a complete Spring Clean for Monday March 19th - so we will be closed on that day. Advance warning - we will also be closed on March 24th - because Jenni's getting married!! We shall be open again on Sunday March 25th as usual.
The menu is gradually changing as the new spring vegetables appear - our Vegetable Broth with dumplings is still really popular, Spiced Parsnip soup is being made as we speak by the lovely Amy (the spices on the roasting vegetables for this soup really do give a rich and aromatic flavour to the dish.).

   We have Lamb Tagine on at the moment, served with a tian of crushed new potatoes and salad- we get nearly all our meat products from Vivian Olds in St Just - it's just lovely to serve local produce whenever we can, and Spring lamb is simply delicious.

 We also get our local veg and fruit from John Skewes at St Hilary, he delivers first thing in the morning and we love to see him for a quick chat - and a very accurate weather forecast!
We've introduced a rich Chocolate Mousse and a Pear Frangipani tart this week so do let us know what you think of them.
We have had a few large groups wanting to book tables for lunch - so we've made a decision to accept bookings for 10 or more people.
Off now to plan a delicious Mothering Sunday menu - let's hope it's sunny so that you can enjoy a yummy lunch whilst watching the sea and listening to the birds!

What a review!

What a fabulous review in the Western Morning News - we had a full page spread of lovely comments and scores of 10 out of 10 in every category! We've had many new customers this week, on the strength of the review. One couple came down from Launceston for lunch and another couple drove 120 miles - wow!

We had a visit from GB Boardriders Shifting Horizons Transition Programme last week - they're working with young people and introducing them to a variey of different work environments. We spent a very interesting couple of hours answering questions about Peppercorn Kitchen, how it all started, our vision for the future, how we find and enrol our wonderful staff etc.
They also offered some really helpful comments regarding our blog and website. For instance - we have never mentioned that we recycle our plastics, glass and cardboard; our waste vegetable peelings and any stale bread goes to a local pig farm and our take away containers are all bio-degradable and some are made from recycled materials. We have also now joined Facebook and Twitter - thanks to you guys!

We received a wonderful gift from the heavenly Di Cox - Hooker Supreme - here it is - the Peppercorn Girls wall hanging- decide for yourselves who is who!!

So this week our Moroccan Briks have been really popular. They take an age to prepare, but Amy is meticulous and they look beautifully symmetrical when she makes them. We have tried Spinach and Feta Briks, Chocolate Ganache and Banana Briks (obviously a pudding dish!) and today we made Lamb Kofte and mashed potato Briks. The Venison Casserole with creamy mash is a more rib-sticking option for those needing a more substantial lunch - possibly followed by Star Anise Rice Pudding?

Lisa has perfected the art of piping meringue for the Pavlova bases. Mine were an extraordinary shape when I tried them - a bit like an upside down thimble! I shall have to get some practise in, I think!

We're off for a press release photo shoot tomorrow - with Ben from Ben's Cornish Kitchen in Marazion. I had what was definitely the most delicious meal of my life so far - at Ben's last Saturday evening.

 If you haven't been there yet - BOOK A TABLE!!

Publicity!

What a magical week!

It's been great fun at Peppercorn - busy, busy lunches; cards and e mails from appreciative customers (how absolutely lovely is that?); we've joined Taste of the West, applied to join the West Cornwall Food Guide and tomorrow we have a review coming out in the Western Morning News.....let's hope it's a good one!

I have to say that our staff training on Thursday evening was a joy - Di came along as our baking consultant and tutored the lovely Angela - who now makes sponges to die for!
Honestly - they're huge!!! Photos to follow I think.

The dish of the week has to be the Peppercorn Pavlova - an individual circle if piped meringue, with tangy lemon and lime curd topped with delicate peaks of chantilly cream and drizzled with a blackberry and blackcurrant coulis. There are still a handful left, if you're quick.....!

Next week we have a Children's Morning Birthday Party - so I anticipate some stupendous 'photo opportunities coming up.

Fritter heaven!

So this week has been largely about Fritters....
The Green Fritters with Lime, Chilli and Coriander butter is a real favourite with our customers, but sometimes change is good. Carrots are currently cheap, tasty and readily available and chickpeas provide a lovely creamy texture so Carrot, Chickpea and Parmesan Fritters were creatd by the lovely Lisa this week. They are wonderful! They rise like scotch pancakes and are very light; they have a crunch from the carrot, creaminess from the chickpeas and a salty tang from the parmesan. Of course - they contain a little cumin too - Lisa made them after all, and cumin is her trademark!!
Next will be the  Beetroot , Butterbean and Cardamom Fritters - I can't wait!

Today, Amy and I have ben making vatloads of Lime and Lemon curd - we sold three jars within an hour - so hurry down if you want to buy some before it all disappears.

In the summmer we picked lots of blackberries and blackcurrants and froze them. January seems a good time to transform them into a scrummy red fruit coulis with which to top our Peppercorn Pavlovas. They are individual Pavlovas which contain home made lime and lemon curd, freshly whipped and piped chantilly cream and our gorgeous summery coulis. Can you afford to miss out on this treat?

Amy - our fabulous manager - is going to add some photos to our weekly blog so that you can see more clearly the tempting offerings available at Peppercorn each week. Watch this space.......

here's a picture of the Butterbean, Beetroot and Cardamom Fritters!!!!!

It has been a busy week at Peppercorn with lots of catering for Team Teach as well as a full cafe for lunches.

My favourite dish of the week?  Spanish pork & almond stew - simple, full of flavour of bay, thyme, garlic and obviously pork and almonds!

Apparently there are some huge mackerel ripe for the catching so if anyone fancies jumping in the nearest kayak and bagging a few we'd be more than happy to take them.

Forecasts are predicting cold and clear this weekend, so a good walk ending with a roaring fire and a hearty dish at Peppercorn may be just the ticket!

Christmas is Coming.....!

Crikey - November is nearly gone and the weather is still so mild. We are delighted that there are still so many of you who can sit in the garden to eat, drink and be merry. We really have been blessed with the weather this month; we've tried twice to light the Peppercorn logburner, but we had, on both occasions to let it go out before guests and staff alike expired!
Lisa is half way through her month off; she's spent two weeks in Cyprus and is sharing the remainder of her winter holiday between her family and friends. We all miss her a lot!
It seems an age since my trip to Spain, even though it was only two weeks ago that we came home. I shan't bore you with endless stories - suffice to say that Graham and I walked 500 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago. It was tough, exciting, relaxing, beautiful, hot and dry, snowy (yes, really!) and I'd do it all again tomorrow! I will post a couple of pictures on the blog eventually - if they look half decent!
One learns a lot on such a trip - and one of the most important lessons for me was that - generally- people are innately generous, kind and helpful. But then we already know that from the wonderfully loyal local trade which we enjoy at Peppercorn. Thanks to you all for enabling us to stay open throughout the year - we really do love to see you, cook for you and catch up with your news.

It won't be long until colleges and universities break up for Christmas and we can't wait to see Lauren, Jack and Emily back at work with us - where they really belong!

The menu is really changing now - to reflect the season. This week we have Rich Beef Stew with red wine and dumplings, Spiced Roasted Parsnip Soup, Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Bacon, Local Sausage and Mash with Red Onion Gravy, Aromatic Chicken Casserole and Sweet Potato Cakes with a soured cream and coriander dressing. On the pudding front we have offered a scrummy Apple, Cinnamon and Raisin Crumble and we are currently serving a fantastic Apricot, Sultana and Honey  Bread and Butter Pudding, made by the fair hand of Becca Buckland - no less! The meringues seem to be getting even bigger this month - maybe it's something in the water that those free range chickens are drinking?

We are open every day except Christmas Day - but we are reducing the hours of Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to 11am until 3pm. Other than that it's 10am until 4pm as usual and we look forward to seeing you over the festive season.

Autumn Update

Finally the weather is turning a little chillier! Don't get me wrong, I love warmth and sunshine but I look forward to the changing seasons and to pulling on the winter woollies to go on a tramp along the coast. We are all keen at Peppercorn to see the first morning when we can justify lighting the woodburner! To reflect the shortening days our opening hours are now 10am-5pm and from 31^st October we will be open from 10am until 4pm. Our menu is changing with the season so expect to see warming stews, curries and soups on our specials board as well as comforting puddings and cakes. Our creamy cinnamon and cardamom infused Dal Makhani has made a comeback, and I keep having visions of a rich beef casserole with crusty bread or buttery mash – must make it!

For all talk of colder weather and more hearty dishes, we have just had the most stunningly warm and sunny weekend at Perranuthnoe. Customers opted to bask in the late sun in our garden and I was thrilled when Karen Wall dropped by with some straight-from-the-sea mackerel and herring which meant that whole grilled herring with gremolata as well as mackerel fillets with chilli jam were on offer on our specials board. Orange blossom and cinnamon meringues proved very popular and our lemongrass and ginger cordial quenched many a thirst.

The best news of the weekend is that Rachel and Simeon Royle now have a lovely daughter, Lily-Rose, to join their two boys. Congratulations to you all! And bravo Simeon for delivering Lily in the Hayle bypass layby on Saturday evening. I kid you not!

More congratulations are due, this time to Becca Buckland on passing her driving test first time and all at Peppercorn would like to wish our very own Amy a happy 21^st birthday!

Of course, Jenni is oblivious to all these goings-on as she and Graham are somewhere in the middle of Spain enduring a heatwave and shared hostel dormitories as they undertake the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. I've had a few wonderful missives from Jenni, some describing the stunning views over the Picos and the marvellous singing of a famous Spanish singer whose name escapes me whilst other messages aren't quite as rosy – Jenni has suffered heatstroke and so has been forced to wear a sunhat. Jenni doesn't suit hats. She sent a photo of her wearing the hat donated to her by another pilgrim. I'm still giggling. Despite hardships, or perhaps because of them, I believe that Jenni and Graham are having a fantastic time and I'm sure she'll write about it on her return.

Lilla had her first morning at nursery last week and loved it! I wobbled a bit as I left her while she turned tail and crawled off to explore the toys and barely noticed my departure!