Summer at Rachel's Pudding Pantry

by Caroline Roberts

  Rachel needed to visit Ruth soon. She had a special request to make of her. Perhaps she’d pop over tomorrow and check on how her granny was; take her some fresh eggs and some homemade soup from the Pantry. That might perk her up a bit.

  With all that had been going on recently, Rachel hadn’t had time to plan particularly well for tonight’s meet-up. So yesterday, after baking the lemon and blueberry muffins when she had been feeling low, she had typed up that recipe to hand out at this evening’s meeting. She thought they could have a chat about ‘baking as therapy’. What were everyone’s go-to bakes when they felt a bit down or needed to take their mind off things? She hoped it would prove to be an interesting theme. It would certainly be a conversation starter, anyhow.

  A quarter of an hour before the start time, Rachel was all set up in the Pantry with cups and saucers at the ready and the lemon and blueberry muffins stacked temptingly, centre-stage, at the club’s table for the evening. The members soon started arriving, taking up their seats with friendly ‘hellos’ and easy chatter.

  As the guests filtered in, Rachel overheard young mum Alice whispering to Hannah, ‘Have you seen their Instagram page this week? It’s been dreadful.’

  ‘Yes, I know, I feel so sorry for Rachel and Jill.’

  So, word was out. Rachel felt her cheeks burning. Bad news really did travel fast in this village. It wasn’t surprising, really; everyone seemed to be on social media these days – even Granny Ruth, rumour had it!

  By seven o’clock, there were eleven Pudding Clubbers at the table: Charlotte, Eve, Jan and Brenda, Denise and Christine, Alice and Hannah, as well as Pamela and Nigel, and stalwart, Frank. Daniel had already sent in his apologies as he was filling in for holidays at the care home and had taken on an extra shift, and Kirsty’s little boy Callum had a sore tummy, so she was staying home just in case. Rachel took a deep breath, and thought she might as well make a start.

  ‘Hi, everyone. Hope you are all doing great.’

  ‘Yum, these look good, Rach. Are we having a muffin night or something?’ asked Brenda.

  ‘Not quite …’ Rachel suddenly wondered if her theme might seem a bit dour.

  Before she could mention her ‘baking as therapy’ idea, Denise burst in with, ‘Ooh, before we get started, I must ask: how are the wedding preparations going? Not long to go now, lass. The village is getting rather excited about it, I must say. So lovely to have a happy event to look forward to.’

  ‘We can’t wait,’ added Charlotte – who was seated next to Eve – with a beaming smile.

  ‘What is it now, just over two weeks?’ asked Pamela.

  ‘It is indeed,’ Rachel managed a smile. There was a buzz of anticipation in the air. The wedding was so near, but there seemed to be so many hiccups along the way, and she hadn’t been able to let herself relax and enjoy the build-up to it at all – especially with the latest social media problems.

  ‘Ooh, can you remind us of the colour schemes for the flowers and dresses again? I want to make sure my mini cupcakes work well with it all. Can’t have any garish icing clashes,’ quizzed Christine.

  ‘Yes, now don’t forget, Rachel, that we are all more than happy to contribute to the wedding catering, so don’t you and Jill put too much pressure on yourselves. It’s all in hand. We’ll make sure there’s plenty for a real feast,’ added Denise, with Jan and Brenda nodding vigorously in agreement.

  ‘Absolutely,’ continued Christine. ‘All of us here have been planning our bakes, and Daniel’s on board too. We will be sure to have a wonderful array of goodies on offer. We’re bringing our cake stands to help out, too, so every table at the reception will have its own “Tower of Treats”.’ She grinned.

  ‘Aw thank you, guys.’ Rachel felt warmed by their support, and by the offers of help so freely given.

  ‘Well, the colours in the flowers are white, soft pinks and a touch of cornflower blue,’ advised Eve. ‘So, anything along those lines would be lovely, thank you.’

  ‘Oh yes, I’ve heard all about the flowers from Wendy,’ added Brenda. ‘They sound absolutely beautiful.’

  ‘Perfect,’ said Christine, ‘and some of the other WI members will be helping out too. I’ve even got a certain Vanessa offering to bake some mini cheese scones.’

  ‘Oh my, beware,’ jested Charlotte, ‘they might be laced with curry powder or something out of spite.’

  ‘Hah, I doubt it, actually, seeing as I’ve invited her,’ explained Rachel, ‘so, I’m sure she’ll make sure they are her best ever, as she’ll be there to listen in to all the comments.’

  ‘Wow, that was kind in the circumstances,’ remarked Jan. There had been several ‘moments’ between Rachel and village gossip Vanessa in the past, the most notable being Rachel’s carrot cake beating hers in a cake competition at the country show, which had really put her nose out of joint.

  ‘Ah well, most of the village have been invited. It seemed a bit mean to exclude her, and well … let bygones be bygones, that’s what I say.’

  ‘As long as she doesn’t want to come back to the Pudding Club too soon!’ Frank chuckled. ‘What a nightmare she was.’

  ‘Hah, yes. Oh, the wedding is going to be so amazing,’ gushed Alice. ‘Thank you so much for inviting me and Simon, I’m so looking forward to it. I’ve got a babysitter lined up and everything.’

  They were all excited for her and rallying to help; that in itself lifted Rachel’s spirits. She hoped to goodness that Tom bucked up soon … she really, really hoped there would actually be a wedding for them all to go to.

  ‘Right then, back to today’s Pudding Club. My theme this week is “baking as therapy”. You know the kind of thing, so, we’re talking your turn-to bakes if you’re feeling a little low.’

  ‘O-kay.’

  ‘Right …’

  They were waiting to hear more so she thought she may as well explain. ‘Well, despite all the excitement of the wedding, I have to admit I’ve had a bit of a tricky week.’ It felt okay to be open with this supportive bunch.

  ‘Oh, pet,’ Jan was the first to speak.

  ‘Aw, hun, you should have told me,’ Charlotte added.

  ‘So, you might have heard about the recent negative reviews. I have to say there have been some downright nasty comments on the Pantry’s Facebook and Instagram pages,’ Rachel added.

  ‘Yes, we had, lass,’ said Nigel, on behalf of them all, ‘and I’m sorry to hear it.’

  There were nods, and utterings of, ‘Such a shame’, ‘So sorry’, ‘Oh no, I hadn’t heard.’

  ‘It’s okay, it’ll all work out somehow, I’m sure.’ Rachel tried to sound upbeat, but her words were followed by a sigh. She decided not to share the private problems between herself and Tom. That was something for the two of them to sort out.

  ‘But that’s so unfair,’ cried Pamela.

  ‘And just not right.’ Christine frowned. ‘The Pantry always puts its customers first, it’s real service with a smile.’

  Checking with Rachel that it would be OK, Nigel took his phone out and started reading out some of the comments from TripAdvisor. The audience looked shocked.

  ‘Unfriendly staff … lack of ambience … What a load of shite!’ Brenda was indignant.

  ‘It’s a lot of utter tosh,’ added Frank, looking upset and annoyed. ‘If I could get my hands on the little blighters … well, it shouldn’t be allowed.’

  ‘Well then,’ Denise cried out, ‘if someone can put downright nasty and untruthful comments on, then surely we can put on some very lovely truthful ones.’

  ‘Of course we can,’ rallied Eve.

  ‘The Pudding Pantry is brilliant and has such a lovely cosy, atmosphere. I’ve made some real friends here,’ said Alice, who’d only recently moved to the village.

  ‘Well, as soon as I get home, I’m going to put on a five-star review,’ added Hannah.

  ‘That’s so mean, calling the staff rude, and going on about “the unfriendly younger woman”.’ (There had been anothe
r vitriolic comment this afternoon.) ‘What horrible timing with your wedding being so soon too. Oh … do you think there might be some kind of link?’ Charlotte ventured.

  Her words hung in the air, and then they dropped like a bad penny. Perhaps there was.

  ‘Some miserable, bitchy old bag of an ex … I wonder …’ Eve joined in. ‘It seems a big coincidence that it’s all started just before you’re about to marry gorgeous Tom, right?’

  ‘Do you think …?’ Rachel was finding it hard to fathom that someone could be that calculating and nasty. Yet, there was this court case now coming up with Caitlin … who knew?

  ‘Seems plausible,’ added Denise. ‘Never did warm to the woman, I must say. I remember that Caitlin well.’

  ‘But I suppose we’d better not cast aspersions, when we really don’t have any proof …’ Jan was erring on the side of caution. ‘Not that I liked the girl much either, to be fair.’

  ‘No, you’re right, Jan,’ said Rachel. ‘Enough of the speculation, so let’s move on with tonight’s “baking ourselves better”, shall we? And to start, I’m going to pop the kettle on, make us a big pot of tea and pass around those blueberry and lemon muffins.’

  ‘Now that sounds a grand idea,’ said Frank with a warm smile. ‘They’ve been making my mouth water ever since I arrived.’

  Bless him. Rachel wondered how well he had been faring at home in the kitchen since his wife died. He had always put on a brave face and said he was managing fine, mentioning that he made sandwiches for himself, but he always enjoyed the home baking here at the Pantry, eating heartily; perhaps he hadn’t had an awful lot for supper. Maybe she should pack him off home with extra snacks or a dish of soup now and again. Rachel made a mental note for the future.

  ‘Oh my, these are wonderful. I love the fruity berries and then you get that zesty zing,’ commented Hannah after taking a big bite.

  ‘The sponge is delightful, very moist,’ added Jan.

  ‘Definitely a hug in a paper case,’ Alice grinned.

  ‘And perfect with a cuppa.’ Rachel passed the hot drinks around. She took her seat again, ‘So, folks, spill, what are your favourite bakes when you’re feeling a bit blue?’

  ‘Well, I do enjoy a spot of baking if I’m feeling a bit off,’ admitted Brenda. ‘I think it’s having to concentrate on the ingredients and the process, the weighing out, mixing. And then, it’s like alchemy what happens in the oven, and next … hey presto, you have, hopefully, a gorgeous cake. And it can cheer other people up too, something to share, so it’s not just for yourself.’

  ‘Brownies are my go-to,’ confessed Eve. ‘It has to be something chocolatey and they are just the most comforting thing ever.’

  ‘I’m with you on that,’ agreed Hannah.

  Denise sighed. ‘Do you remember our old Labrador, Barney?’ she said fondly. ‘The day we had to have him put down, we all went home and made a big chicken pie, in his honour. Chicken was always his favourite. His defining moment was stealing the leftover half-chicken from the kitchen counter top while we were eating our roast dinner one day, the monkey!’

  ‘Aw, bless him.’

  ‘Mine would be crumble with plenty of custard,’ said Christine. ‘Great to eat and to make. It’s simple to do and I just love the feel of the mix on my fingertips, you know, when you rub in the flour and butter – definitely therapeutic. Way back, I remember my mum used to make it for me when I was revising for my A levels to keep me going.’

  ‘Mum’s sticky toffee pudding has to be one of mine,’ added Rachel, remembering poignantly that special night with Tom, sharing sticky toffee pudding with him in the early hours of the morning, in the lambing shed.

  ‘True, that stuff is amazing. Heaven in a dish, that is.’ Frank gave a grin.

  ‘Rice pudding, made with really good double cream and then baked oh-so-slowly. The smell and then the taste …’ chipped in Nigel. ‘Reminds me of home.’

  ‘Oh, I really am in pudding heaven. Thank goodness we have these muffins to munch on,’ said Charlotte.

  ‘They are delish. Love the lemony tang.’

  ‘Yeah, I add the grated zest as well as the juice of a lemon. The recipe’s there typed up for you all to take home too.’

  ‘Brilliant, I’ll be making these with little Amelia very soon.’

  The chatter continued over tea and cake, and Rachel watched her Pudding Club family. And it wasn’t the muffin that was cheering her up, though that did help, it was her fabulous and supportive friends from the Pudding Club. This baking-loving group were just the best tonic for those blue days. They were going to support her in the battle against the troll online – could it be Caitlin? – and they were going to play a huge part in making a gorgeous feast for the wedding. They had hearts of gold, the lot of them.

  Something Blue

  Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

  A perfect pick-me-up for those feeling-blue days

  Ingredients

  220g (7½oz) plain flour

  1 tsp baking powder

  Pinch salt

  125g (4½oz) unsalted butter, softened

  220g (7½oz) caster sugar

  2 eggs (at room temperature)

  Juice and zest of 2 medium lemons

  4 tbsp milk

  150g (5oz) blueberries

  Makes 12 medium muffins or cupcakes

  Method

  Preheat oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas mark 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake or muffin cases.

  In a large mixing bowl, slowly whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

  Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, slowly mixing. Add the lemon juice and zest, and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients in three stages, with a little of the milk at each turn. Mix thoroughly.

  Finally, gently fold in the blueberries with a wooden spoon until evenly dispersed.

  Spoon the mixture into the paper cases (two-thirds full) and bake in a preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until golden brown. The tops should spring back when lightly touched, and test that a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

  Ah, baking therapy!

  31

  EVE

  ‘Oh hi, Rach, what’s up?’ said Eve. The sight of her friend’s face popping up on her mobile always cheered her.

  It was Friday, late afternoon, the day of Aiden’s art exhibition launch. Eve’s stomach was already feeling churned up. She moved out into the hallway away from Ben, fearing that her voice might tremble and give her away.

  ‘I’m okay … I was just wondering whether you were going to go to the exhibition tonight? Have you thought any more about it?’

  ‘Ah, yeah, I thought I would.’ She was trying her best to sound casual.

  ‘Are you sure that’s wise, Eve?’ Her friend’s tone was caring, rather than judgemental.

  ‘Umm, well, he’s just a friend, after all.’ She was speaking in hushed tones and had wandered into the dining room now. ‘It’s for the launch of his new collection, at the gallery. There’ll be loads of other people there …’ Her voice dipped to a whisper as she checked the hallway and ducked back out of earshot.

  ‘I suppose … but just be careful, and look out for yourself, okay?’

  ‘I will. Hey, and thanks.’

  ‘Well, you know where I am if you need me. Or, if you need an excuse for a quick getaway, I can call you … get you picked up. We can have a CODE X or something … like in the movies. You can text me from the toilet and I’ll make the emergency call, you know, like Amelia’s been throwing up or something, and you need to get back immediately.’

  ‘Hah, okay. But I’m sure I can manage an hour or so at an art gallery without incident. I’m not sixteen you know.’ (Okay, so yes, she did feel a bit like a giddy teenager with a crush right now; it was weird how those feelings didn’t change with time. They could still feel as intense and chaotic at twenty-seven, like your heart was on spin-cycle. But she was a mature adult
with a child … and a husband, and she had it all under control.)

  ‘Okay, fair enough.’

  She could do this thing. Go and see an exhibition, appreciate a fellow art lover and creative’s work, make some constructive comments, and then come on home. Easy.

  But she couldn’t help the frisson of excitement she was feeling at the thought of seeing Aiden again. And then there was the haircut that she’d finally got around to having done this week, and the new top she’d bought online. But she’d needed those things anyhow. It was nothing to do with Aiden, she told herself.

  ‘Right, well, I’d better go.’ She was wandering back through to the kitchen. ‘Ben’s home now,’ a warning that the conversation needed to play safe from here on, ‘and we need to grab a quick bite of tea before I head off out. You all okay?’ She deftly switched the conversation. ‘Oh, any more news on the trolling situation? I put a fab review on TripAdvisor for you today, by the way.’

  ‘I saw that, and thank you. And, so many of the Pudding Clubbers have been adding great reviews and comments too. You’re all stars. The Pantry’s overall rating has come right back up again.’

  ‘Well, that’ll show Caitlin.’

  ‘If it is her …’ Rachel was still trying to keep an open mind. ‘A big “if”. I did mention it to Tom when I called him last night, though. He seemed concerned, but I tried not to make too big a deal of it either. He’s got enough on his plate right now, what with the hearing next week and all. We’ll get through that and then – hopefully – we can finally relax a bit and enjoy the run-up to the big day.’

  ‘Was he still being a grump?’

  ‘Yeah, a bit, I suppose. But I’ve decided that positivity is the only way forward; I’m going to be supportive and try and cheer him up a bit. In fact, I think I’ll take him a picnic lunch tomorrow whilst he’s out cutting the hay. It’s always a full-on job.’

  ‘That sounds a good idea. Look, I’d better go, hun.’ She was aware that time was ticking away.

  ‘Okay. Take care, Eve.’ The words were said with warmth and a hint of caution.