by Jo Thomas
‘I wanted to talk to you too,’ I say. I have to tell them as quickly as possible. I hope they won’t hate me. ‘The thing is . . .’ I start.
‘It’s difficult, but . . .’ Brenda is saying.
‘I don’t want to rent the Butterfly Bar.’ I force out the words, then gaze at them like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
‘We don’t want to leave the Butterfly Bar,’ Brenda blurts out at the same time, and stares at me, wide-eyed and worried.
We look at each other for longer than necessary, digesting what the other has said, and then we both burst out laughing.
‘We don’t want to leave. We loved being here so much yesterday. After we came back from the UK, we realised we were just unpaid babysitters there. We’d much rather the family came out to stay with us here and made a proper holiday of it.’
‘This is our home,’ Harold puts in. ‘Bugger Brexit. They’ll have to carry me out kicking and screaming. I’m more Spanish now than British. And the price of a pint! No, I’m Hernando from now on, and this is where I’m staying.’
And we all agree that that’s a perfect name for him, and that he shouldn’t be going anywhere.
‘Actually, I have some news,’ I tell everybody, and as they all shriek and cheer in delight, weary flamenco dancers wake and stretch in their cars and vans dotted all around the car park. Bonita makes more coffee, and the mayor and his daughters bring trays of pastries. Then one of the young men takes out his guitar and gets the party started all over again.
‘I’ll make more paella, and lots of cherry and almond cake!’ Bonita says. ‘Just like Antonio’s grandmother used to make.’
‘I’ll help!’ my mum calls out, to Bonita’s delight. A pupil!
‘And I’ll help Miguel,’ says my dad. Miguel has fetched a cherry-picking ladder and is putting more fairy lights from the barn in the trees down the drive, for later that night when it gets dark, just like I imagined when I first arrived.
As Ana the cat weaves her way around the trees, purring contentedly, Olivia goes to help Frank restock the bar in the barn.
Antonio smiles at me, pulling me close to him. ‘I think this is becoming a family affair!’ he says. He drops his head and kisses me, and I never want it to stop.
We all pull together, and as word gets out, the fiesta starts up all over again. We dance, drink, eat and celebrate the cherry harvest and new beginnings. Everything I want is right here, right now, and I’m going to savour every minute of it. I finally feel that I’ve stopped planning tomorrow and am living for today. What’s on my mind, Facebook? Me? I’m Beti Winter, I’m going nowhere, and that’s exactly where I want to be. Olé!
Bonus Material
Tapas
I love tapas! Tapas are little taster plates of Spanish food. When I started writing Sunset over the Cherry Orchard I turned to Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Does . . . recipe book for inspiration. He has a whole chapter devoted to tapas and many of the dishes I’ve listed here are in his book. Tapas apparently started in Andalucía, where the little plates were used to cover the glasses of sherry drinkers in bars, to stop flies getting into the drinks. These snacks started as thinly sliced bread or meat. The meat was usually ham or chorizo, salty cuts that would encourage a thirst, thereby increasing drinks sales. These little plates began to evolve to become as important as the drinks themselves. Traditionally, tapas can be ordered one or two dishes at a time. You might even move from bar to bar, enjoying a drink and a plate of tapas in each one. It’s social and fun, one of my favourite ways to eat. During editorial meetings for this book, we enjoyed many little plates of tapas. It’s a great way to enjoy and share food, drinks and ideas with the ones you love. Here are a few of my favourites:
Croquetas
Croquetas are a very traditional Spanish snack. They are often made with leftover meats, cheese or vegetables, mixed with béchamel sauce. They’re then covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Rich and satisfying.
Fried squid
This dish is so simple but so delicious. Salted squid in breadcrumbs, fried in olive oil and dressed with a good squeeze of lemon juice. Just gorgeous! Or, alternatively, prawns fried in oil with chopped garlic, salt and sprinkled with lemon juice.
Albóndigas
Little mouth-sized meatballs, served in a simple tomato sauce of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, seasoning and a hint of chilli if you fancy it.
Manchego
I love manchego cheese. I love it served with a bowl of big green olives, but I particularly love it the way Jamie Oliver suggests, drizzled with runny honey and with a sprinkling of fresh thyme on top. Or you could serve it with fresh figs or other fruit. Divine.
Tortilla
A Spanish omelette, made with eggs, onion and chopped potato. Once cooked, this is fabulous served hot or cold in small cubes or slices.
Cured meats
If I’m ordering tapas I love a plate of cold cured meats. Serrano ham and chorizo, sliced thinly, are my favourites. Sometimes they are served with fresh bread and glorious green olive oil. I love the combination of the salt from the ham and the spice from the chorizo. Simple but delicious!
Patatas bravas
And finally patatas bravas, just like Bonita makes in the book. According to Jamie, patatas bravas means fierce potatoes! Crispy chunks of potato, simply fried in olive oil with herbs and salt. Served with a fiery sauce over the top.
This is just a small selection of the tapas I love. But you could always just follow your heart and have a go at a few of your own with whatever you’ve got left over in the fridge. It’s all about a taste of something lovely to complement drinks and good company, served with love. Enjoy!
Flamenco
I love dancing and the way it makes me feel. But I rarely get the chance to do it these days. Weddings, birthday parties and Friday nights in the kitchen, cooking and dancing to Simon Mayo’s All Request Friday on Radio 2, that’s about it!
When I started coming up with the idea of a Spanish book, I knew I had to include flamenco. I wanted to discover the passion of the dance. Passion and heart are what flamenco is all about. I wanted colour, heat and romance, and I certainly found these in Andalucía, where people express themselves with music and dance, particularly flamenco.
According to the website Andalucia.com, flamenco started with Indian religious dances. These dances reached Spain, when dancers were brought in to entertain the royals. In the sixteenth century, when the Moors, Jews and gypsies were persecuted, the outcasts took their music and dance with them, and this is thought to be where flamenco began.
Today, many holidaymakers who visit Spain, particularly Andalucía, will go and see flamenco tablaos; theatrical shows put on to entertain big audiences with colourful costumes and castanets. But away from the crowds and tourist trails, there is another style of flamenco being danced, more authentic and traditional, usually run by flamenco aficionados in small clubs, the peña flamenco.
Bryant, writer on Andalucia.com, describes flamenco as a passionate and seductive art form. It is also spontaneous and emotional, and really quite moving to watch. Wikipedia describes the dance as including cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance), jaleo (vocalisations), palmas (handclapping) and pitos (finger snapping).
But more than this, flamenco is about the duende.
When I started researching flamenco, I discovered there are strict patterns as to how dances are performed, with footwork and clapping. But there is a phrase which says: ‘When you learn to dance, you must also learn how to forget it.’
Everything that has been taught must then be ignored. The dancers must rely on the wisdom flowing in their blood. They must feel the rhythm of their own heartbeat and let that guide their interpretation, searching the inner depths of their soul. That is the duende. That is the fire dance.
When I started this book, I went to a dance class in Stroud with a friend a
nd learned the basics of flamenco. I loved the way it made me feel. I loved feeling the fire and the passion. It’s a dance for people no matter their age, size or background. It made me feel alive. If you have the chance to go along to a class, do. And dance like no one’s watching. Embrace the passion and colour it will fill you with. Enjoy how it will make you feel alive, and then dance around your kitchen.
Olé!
