Progress

It is astonishing how things change culturally even in the tearooms world. We are alerted to the shifts when we are asked by more and more people for certain things.
In my first year we were asked perhaps every couple of weeks whether we had anything gluten-free. Now it's at least twice a day.
In my second year a few people began asking whether we had anything dairy-free. Before that I think I was asked only once in the entire season. Now our dairy-free cakes are always available.

This year the shock came early. Over the Easter weekend we were asked time and time again, "Do you do contactless"?
I had no choice but to act.
So today we feel we've entered the 21st Century. After a fashion.
Contactless is all very well but the terminal is still on a 'phone line so it only speeds the process up by a few seconds.
We have a few more steps before it hits the really impressive mark.

Lock in

We don't have many celebrities in our neck of the woods so we get a little excited if we spot one.
Ann Widdecombe turned up in my first season. She drank tea in the garden.
Roger Cook came with friends for lunch in the conservatory a couple of years back.
Matt Baker did a Countryfile episode two years ago in the Church and Court but it was out of tearooms season so we didn't even get to make him a coffee.
Today we had real excitement when this man came with his family:

I can tell you very little except they all sat in the garden and ate sandwiches. Sean Lock himself had our homecooked ham & tomato. I may have to change the menu: "as sampled by...".
Since he was kind enough to patronise our place we thought we'd return the favour and this evening have attempted to buy tickets for his forthcoming tour, Keep it Light.
No joy. Only single seats left.

Ours is not to reason why

Favourite order of the day:
"Skinny cappuccino please with chocolate, a regular one with no chocolate and two chocolate brownies."

Thank you.

Not a particularly busy day except in one respect.
The first man in this morning (latte and toasted tea cake) was carrying a crash helmet. He asked if he could bring 10 or so motorcyclists for a coffee break en route to Cosford in June.
Then at 11 o'clock a couple came to see me about a tea party in early May for their daughter's 21st birthday (22 people).
Just after they'd left a couple with a young baby arrived to ask if we could host their daughter's Christening party (30+ people) in July.
And then this afternoon Joy from a gardening group in Gloucestershire asked me about lunch for 20-40 in early July.

We've also had an extraordinarily large number of REALLY nice people in today.
The kind of people who go out of their way to let us know that they've enjoyed their visit.
The kind of people who keep us smiling broadly.
The kind of people who write this sort of thing:

It is to them that I raise my first glass of wine this evening. Oh alright then, and the second.

On Wednesdays he goes shopping...*

Friday was sunny but cold and we had a lot of cold hands needing to be warmed by hot drinks. Among the first were a couple of mums and their children.

Who were all boys.

The girls, they told me, had just been dropped at a "pony pamper day". Which obviously prompted a few questions.

Apparently the girls would first ride the ponies and then pamper them - would brush them and put clips in their hair. Then they'd paint their nails. The nails of the ponies that is. 

Who knew?

Towards the end of the afternoon a man ordered a cream tea. 

The lady with him said to me , "Make that two," and then to him "and I'm paying". 

"That's nice," he said, "but why?" 

"Well you chopped that tree down for me," she answered, "and then made that gorgeous curry."

A friend indeed. 

*...and has buttered scones for tea. 

Can't Touch This

Sunny and lovely meant we were busy today. Not Bank Holiday busy, thank goodness, but kept-on-our-toes busy. The sort of busy which means we get into a stride and the day flies by. 

We have an order system which uses wooden spoons instead of table numbers. 

Each orderer is given a painted spoon with a number on it and asked where they're planning to sit (main tearoom? conservatory? outside?). When we have a tray ready with their tea, lunch, cake, we then call out the number and find whoever is waving the brightly coloured wooden thing at us.

Today I took an order from a lady and offered her spoon number 27. 

"Do you mind if I get my daughter to come and pick it up?" she asked, "I just don't like touching wooden spoons." 

Miss Heard

Confusion reigned when Mary was talking to two couples who were leaving after lunch towards the end of today. They asked her a question which she thought was' "Do you sell your hand cream?" We have gorgeous Heyland and Whittle stuff in the ladies' loos and do, indeed, sell it.
So Mary answered with a big fat YES and walked them to the gift display.
Where they looked totally baffled.
They hadn't asked about hand cream.
They had asked whether we ever sold our ham.
Each couple left with a parcel containing thick slices of it.
And no hand cream.
Mary left giggling.