Slow, but steady

On a normal Friday, at about 11.45 we experience what I think of as a kind of Jurassic Park effect.  Ripples emanate out from an invisible core in each water jug and the crockery chinks out a rhythm to accompany the jangling cutlery. ‘They are coming’ we mock, but, truly, there’s little we enjoy more.  At 12.00 last Friday, there were precisely 3 customers in the café, two of whom were members Renee’s family.  No offence Louise and Max, we were glad of your company and Sonia too, of course. 

Naturally, I began to panic; it is my default setting in most situations; what if our novelty has worn off?  What if someone had a horrible time during their last visit and now everyone hates us? What if I hurt someone’s feelings?  What if?  What if?  What if? At this point the room did begin to rattle and shake, for me at least, I think it even began to spin a little.  Not that I am extreme or anything!

As it happened, I was probably worrying a little more than was strictly necessary; a steady flow of delightful people joined us over the course of the next 2 hours.  When I settled into it the steady pace was actually quite helpful!  I felt able to be an attentive hostess as well as waitress and I even had lunch.  It was delicious.

Renee was much more stoic about the situation, she usually is.  She correctly commented that the pace of the tortoise is much preferable than that of the hare because it is sustainable; not just in terms of custom, but also wear and tear on the staff.  Indeed, when service finished, we weren’t as exhausted as we have been on the crazier occasions.

The lesson learnt, I think, was that I need to be prepared for the stampedes and the waddly, toddly days.  Both are likely to be part of the lifecycle of the café, as long as people come, it really doesn’t matter.

Speaking of coming, we hope to see y’all on Saturday 17th for the celebration party: 1-3PM @ Terront Road Salvation Army Hall. 

Check out our beautiful website: www.fillingthegapcafe.co.uk

 It’s amazing, thank you Zambezi Digital for your awesomeness and for answering my daft, dumbass question without laughing.

Friday, I'm in love

I can't quite believe that I haven't used that quotation yet!  I am almost disappointed in myself!

Maybe it's the slight groggy haze of minimal sleep from a combination of body clock mix up from 'falling back' and poorly 4 year old, or the fact that I am a little buzzed on brandy fumes from feeding the Christmas cake we made this afternoon, or perhaps it's just the fact that it's half term, so I get lots of lovely boy time; but I am feeling rather warm, fuzzy and blessed.  The people I care about in America have all escaped hurricane Sandy unscathed and I am thinking that I won't complain about the cold snap any more.

Friday was fun.  We had a small but efficient team and were busy but not rushed off our feet.  Perhaps it was  our subconscious awareness of the inset day at our childrens' school, but Renee and I ended up putting together a Sesame Street style alliterative menu!  Pork with provencal potatoes and coffee cake or cookies for dessert.  Big bird and Groover would be proud.  I have always thought of myself as a bit of a muppet!

The day was enjoyable because the steady pace enabled me to reflect on how blessed I am and to be grateful for it.  Of course it's hard work, but isn't everything that's worth doing?  I get to do a job that I care about in my own community with people that I like, that has some family flexibility.  Who knows, I might even get paid one day.  You cannot have it all.  After the craziness of the week before it felt good to gain perspective.  I do not doubt that the craziness will return, I certainly hope it does in terms of custom, I guess that's why it is good to take stock when we can.

I am off to enjoy the week with my gorgeous boys and buy lovely things for the opening event.  No cafe this week, but we'll be back on November 9th.  Happy half term.

Lessons learned and life savers.

‘I can handle it’, ‘No really, I’m ok, honestly’, ‘Don’t worry, thanks, I have it covered’.  Any and all of these phrases are likely to be the reply you receive if you commit the heinous crime of offering me help!  I like to think of it as being hard working and independent, but the truth of it is that I am a stubborn control freak!  But even the extremely uptight must learn their lessons, as I did last Friday.

To put my level of neurosis into perspective, a very dear friend of mine, Chris, who did teacher training with me, used to call me Ally McBeal and it certainly wasn’t due to my waist size.  Having been my friend and worked with me for a while now, Renee knows that there is little point trying to convince me to accept help when I have set my mind to an independent, crazy crusade.  Such was the case on Friday morning.  Jenai’s lovely littlun was poorly, so she was unable to join us.  The week before having been quiet, I decided that one person in the dining room was ample.  Oh how wrong I was!

The lure of delicious steak or halloumi fajitas in a cosy neighbourhood café on a chilly day brought us a wonderful crowd of lovely customers.  Opps.  No amount of stubborn independence was going to get everyone served in way they each deserved.  I began to feel regret and nausea crashing in tsunami sized waves in my stomach.  Renee and I have put so much into Filling the Gap N15 and here was I about to ruin us by being too pig-headed to accept help.  We have both always been desperate for everyone to leave the café feeling that they have had positive, enjoyable experience.  My choice put this in danger; a long wait with a hungry child isn’t anyone’s idea of fun.  Fortunately, Renee’s superwoman powers never take a day off.  Unbeknownst to be she had lined her fabulous mum and sister, Josie and Louise, to help out in the dining room.  They more than stepped up and saved that day.  Renee’s is truly a family full of wonder women and I am eternally grateful to them all; for patience, planning and provision.

So, like a child given just enough rope to begin panicking, but saved from disaster by those who are wiser, more mature and not necessarily older, I have learned my lesson.  It was a successful service and we completely sold out of food. 

We will have to make more of whatever is on the menu this week, will let you know when we hear what wonders Fareshare have in store for us.

On Friday November 2^nd, Filling the Gap N15 will be closed for half term hols.  We’ll be back the following Friday and gearing up for the opening party.

'You ain't seen me, right?'

I wouldn't say this was a direct quote from Malcolm, but that was the gist.  Of course, once someone says 'don't look at the camera, just act like I'm not here', look at the camera is all you can do.

Over the last 2 weeks, marvellous Malcolm Hadley has been lending us his significant talents once again, but this time in the area of moving and still images.  Asking no more than a free lunch and to be utterly ignored, he has taken some amazing stills and film for us.  Thank you Malcolm.  The pics are amazing and I will include a couple in a moment.  I cannot blame Malcolm for the fact that my chins seem to have multiplied in a number of the images, or the fact that I am whiter than a snowstorm in the Canadian rockies. My genes, rather than Malcolm's amazing talents are to blame.  I will also never tie my apron above my non-existent waist again.  As I said, love the photos, especially the ones I am not in.  I do not wish to sound ungrateful in any way.  Malcolm, we love you.  Thank you.

I can't wait to see the moving images.  In addition to all the exciting media production, we also served some rather lovely food.  Embracing the onslaught of October, we served up warming autumn ministone soup and warm roasted tomato and potato salad.  In honour of national chocolate week, like a need an excuse, dessert was a choice of either brownies or choc chip shortbread.  Ironically, the sun shone, but everyone loved the seasonal fare anyway.  Roll on the cold weather, I think!

All hands on deck

Friday was certainly no maritime disaster, I am just referring to the sudden tide of volunteers.

Natalie joined us for the first time on Friday, having only met us the day before.  We also met several other volunteers and are starting to be able to out together that rota I have been dreaming about.  It is colour coded and everything.  Natalie proved herself to be competent, helpful and flexible and she can't have found the experience too distressing as she is coming back this week.  Yay.

This is only a brief post, as Renee and I are burying ourselves in celebration party planning and spending the grant money that just landed. Thank you very much Big Lottery.  Much care is being taken and much research is being done to ensure that we spend it well.  Our first purchase was the delightful fridge that you can, hopefully, see if I uploaded the picture correctly.  See our smiling faces? Who would have thought that chilling equipment could bring so much joy?!

Here comes a regular

Perhaps this song reference is a little to sombre for the energetic, jovial occasion that was Friday’s reopening.  It is, however, a fantastic song and we did have a number of our fabulous regulars in attendance, so I am going to go with it.  I bet ‘The Replacements’ never dreamed they would be referenced in this context, it’s not very rock, roll maybe though! (Roll, sandwiches, get it?!)

Friday was great.  As I said, many of our delightfully regular friends (not a toilet reference) were in attendance and we had the pleasure of some new faces too.  Our leaflets and little red riding hood act worked also, and we sold some take away. Hooray!

Our lovely Jenai was ill, poor thing.  I had a colossal panic at 7am when I received this news, Jenai is more than friend and volunteer, she is my security blanket. Bless her for letting me know so early.  However, everything fell into place, as Giuliana, Grace and Loi, our newest volunteers, thank you Havco,HhH stepped up and filled the gap.  I am full of cheesy puns today, aren’t I?! They more than filled a gap, all three were wonderful in their own right and we could not have functioned without them. 

Renee and I feel truly blessed by the volunteering support we have received and since we have asked for it, it has kept on coming. It was a concern at first, but the trickle of interest has recently become a torrent. We are meeting 3 more willing and lovely people this week and have been offered some surplus veg from a neighbouring grower’s back garden – you don’t get much more local than that.  Like the pieces of a giant jigsaw it is all beginning to fit together.  I am thinking of creating a volunteer rota, which excites me more than it should, I do love a list. 

Looking forward to this Friday.  I wonder what goodies we will get from Fareshare this week?  It certainly keeps us creative and on our toes. I can confirm that dessert will be a retro themed, but still delicious, pineapple upside-down cake with custard.  Perfect for the chilly change in weather (cue heat wave for Friday.) 

Get well soon, Jenai because we love you, not just so you can come back to work!  She will not be pleased with me for doing this, but it does not feel right to blog today without wishing Renee a fabulous birthday.  Hope you day got more glamorous after the school run this morning.

Our life is not a movie, or maybe

In the future, when some cool indie company decide to make a film about the early days of Filling the Gap N15, the scenes depicting this week will definitely be a high speed montage.  It will show Renee and I looking tired, but determined as we leaflet, bake, promote, email, blog, cook some more, do PR , recover from the Harvest Festival and juggle family, life and general autumn coldiness to an upbeat guitar-based rock song which conveys that we are exhausted, but understand that there is merit to our grafting.  I am thinking something along the lines of ‘Times Like These’ by the Foo Fighters or ‘Hold On’ by Alabama Shakes to keep it contemporary!  I wonder if Kristen Stewart will be prepared to go blonde to play me?  Even her recent cheating nastiness hasn’t quite spoilt my giant girl crush on her, or on Bella anyway!  Maybe Emilie de Ravin? Am sure she could handle my accent!  Ellen Page would be a perfect Renee; petit, pretty and sarcastic. This is not a cuss, I adore sarcasm.  Delivering 500 leaflets has given me a little bit of time to daydream, can you tell?

The City Harvest Festival was a fantastic experience.  It must have been the official last day of summer; he sun shone, the people were friendly and the animals were beautiful.  We sold out of everything! 100 sausages in wraps, 122 portions of cake and innumerable teas, coffees and cups of juice!  It was fabulous; exhausting but fabulous.  Now that it is done, we are focusing all of our thoughts on Friday and the re-opening.  Party plans are still very much in the pipeline for when funding is secured, but for now it is full steam ahead with the help of the wonderful Fareshare. 

If felt like Christmas morning last Wednesday afternoon as Renee and I unloaded the crates of goodies.  We both found it hard to believe that any supermarket in its right mind would reject any of the perfectly lovely produce that we now have squirreled away for Friday.  Based on this delivery, we are pleased to announce that Friday’s menu will be:

Main: Sausage, chorizo and bean stew with flatbread and couscous.

Dessert: Sweetshop cake or butternut squash muffins.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get.  I cannot wait to get the tablecloths out, don my apron and throw open the doors.  There has been so much necessary pen pushing and hoop jumping, that it will be great to get my hands dirty again.  Serving food and creating a community space is what we set out to do, after all.  We hope you will be able to join us.  Future box office smash or not, this is what I want to do.

What have you got for harvest time?

Sing it with me:        ‘Somebody’s got some local, organic sausages,

                                Somebody’s got some local organic sausages,

                                Somebody’s got some local organic sausages,

                                To put on the harvest table’

Ahh that song brings back some memories; the parquet floor, my grey pinafore dress, Miss Sutton hammering away on the out of tune piano as the September sunlight streamed into the lunch hall.

I dearly hope that it was not just Liphook Infant and Junior Schools who sang this song every year for their harvest festival, in my mind it was as common as ‘We plough the fields and scatter’, anybody with me?  Back then it was always tins of beans and chocolate biscuits on the harvest table anyway.

That has all changed, thank fully,  as we will indeed be serving delicious local, organic Lambourne sausages and very local free range eggs in hand made flatbreads with salad, onions and homemade ketchup at the City Harvest Festival this Saturday (22^nd) at Capel Manor in Enfield.  Renee has skilfully hand made nearly 200 delicious flatbreads this week and we are keen for you all try them along with some wonderful, local as you can possibly get organic meat.  Yummy.  In keeping with the Harvest theme I will be preparing some fruit and veggie themed cakes: Velvet chocolate beetroot, lemon drizzle, feisty ginger squares and squash muffins.  Our old favourites tea, real coffee and organic apple juice will, of course, be available too.  If you prefer vegan cuisine, come and visit our friends at Norman Loves Soup who will be serving nearby.  Who wants digestives and tins of mushy peas when all this is on offer?  There will also be lots of family fun and chances to meet the animals. 

http://www.capelmanorgardens.co.uk/events/city-harvest-festival.html

Renee and I are very excited to be part of this. It is going to be a wonderful day. We hope to see you there.  Now it’s back to planning the baking….only 150 portions to make by Friday…good job I love it!

It's not about the ..........

No offense Jessie J, but I am inclined to think that you are left to simply ‘make the world dance’ because the ‘money, money, money’ is already taken care of, by your record contract presumably.

Although our little company was born out of a passion for change, we are very much beholden to the bank, or rather the grant, in order to get it off the ground.  My kids love that song and I am very taken with the sentiment; being motivated by belief, not image and cash is admirable, aspirational even, but you sort of need the cash stash too, or it remains just a just a dream.  I am sure this is no revelation to you!

Yet there is a beacon of hope on the horizon, we have been provisionally awarded a grant by the lovely folks at Awards for All.  Hooray, cue the music, balloons, dancers and most importantly…. the dishwasher!  Renee and I are extremely excited and mentally spending it on delightful equipment for the kitchen.  No more ‘crazy cat lady’ stares and comments as we drag our blenders around the corner in shopping trollies, no more piling the dishes high on the tiny draining rack, HUZZAH! Of course we must be more measured in reality.  The money is not ours until it is in the bank and there are strict parameters about what we can spend it on, but each and every item will be needed and cherished. We can also set about planning a celebration event with games, merchandise, free food and entertainment, just as we dreamed.  I am feeling blessed.

Please do not think that my opening rant is change of heart on my part.  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I am as much now as I have always been and always will be a believer in living according to your beliefs and morals; my ideals, my faith and my family will always be my motivators.  I guess my point is that you have to work bloomin’ hard to put the wheels in motion and get the help you need, financial or otherwise.  

Somewhere a clock is ticking....

….and that place is right here: we should hear about our pivotal funding within the next 24 hours!  I am not saying pivotal merely to be prosaic, we will have to rethink pretty much everything if it doesn’t come in.  Partially because we have been awarded funds from another body on the proviso that we get significant financial backing from somewhere else too and partly because neither of us has a spare £8,000 under the bed, who does?!  My chest feels tight just thinking about it!

That said, Filling the Gap N15 will re-open on September 28^th, come what may.  Even if it’s with the same bare bones of equipment that we ran the pilot with and even if we have to operate on a café to café basis; Renee and I will be there serving the healthy, affordable food you love, with a smile.

If that’s just too darn long to wait, you could always visit us at Capel Manor for the City Harvest Festival on Saturday September 22^nd from 10am to 4pm.  Renee will be serving some delicious local, organic sausages with flat breads and salad and I’ll be rustling up some home-made cakey delights too.  It’s a very family friendly affair, so bring the kids to meet the animals and join in the fun.  Some friends of ours, Norman Loves Soup, will be there too, serving yummy vegan fare.  Hope you can make it.

On a slightly lighter note, hope you all had lovely summers.  Renee had fabulous weather in France, whilst my tent partially blew down in Devon!  Fortunately the local Cider and ruby red steak made up for it!  I mustn’t moan, I love the west county and we had tons of fun exploring beaches and rock pools during our week on Cornwall.  We didn’t camp for long and I’m not sure I ever will again.  The site and tent were lovely, but 4 days of being cold is more than I can stand.  Yes, I am a wuss who likes dry clothes and walls and roofs that are made of bricks!  Maybe I’ve just been living in the city too long, nah, not possible, I love it here.  Oh and thank you, Snow Patrol for the title!

Stumbling blocks or chances to climb?

This is my attempt at optimism, being Eeyore not Tigger, it’s not my natural state.   So, the initial grant application did not come through.  Blast and botheration!  The reason was microscopic, but undeniable, so we have made changes and resubmitted.  Although that might not seem like too much of a stumbling block, it does rather delay everything we want and had planned to do in the autumn.  Also, having been knocked back once, our confidence has taken a bit of a hit and we are reluctant to set anything in stone without the assurance that cash is coming.  Having no funds is less of a stumbling block and more of a giant boulder.

Which is where my second metaphor, and hopefully the old Scottish stubbornness, kick in.  Faced with the decision to carry on with the café and food festival come autumn, or to sit, wait and circle the drain of despair, Filling the Gap N15 has decided to take the high road, ‘climb every mountain’ and use this giant sized boulder in our way as an opportunity to climb.  In other words, we’re going to do it anyway – so there!  The tiny profit we had accrued from the pilots will serve to facilitate the food festival and we will just have to open the café in September with nothing but loyal customers and a keen sense of willingness.  Certainly, the much desired equipment and big party (can’t really call it a grand opening event anymore, but we will celebrate) will have to wait, but we have coped up until now and we will prevail.  The café and business mean too much to us to cave in at this latest and largest of hurdles, even if it is a huge one.  If it doesn’t work, then at least we’ll know we went down fighting.  Yet at the heart of it all, we still truly believe that it can and it will.  This will be enough to drive us one and I am eternally grateful that our families aren’t entirely financially reliant on us yet.  That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger!

Pregnant Pause

I’d like to start by saying that neither Renee or myself are with child, I am merely referring to the fact that although the café will be on hiatus for a couple for months, we will be madly busy in expectation and planning of the wonderful things that are to come.  No that babies aren’t lovely and all that, but I’m very happy and blessed with my two, thank you very much.

Slow roasted pork or paneer skewers with painted hills potatoes and crispy salad were enjoyed by all last Friday.  Jenai was back in the dining room and Matthew had his maiden voyage in the kitchen.  Turns out, he had been hiding his light under a bushel and he is a great cook.  In fact, he will be guest cheffing for us in the autumn, in between climbing sheer rock faces, gigging and all the other amazingly cool things he does for fun which I really admire, but make me feel old!  All went well, with a steady stream of customers.  The clumsiness gremlins only made a brief appearance, but long enough for me to break 2 cafetieres and very nearly fall head first over the sofa.  Nobody was sitting on it at the time, fortunately.

So as the summer, well at least the school holidays, begin, we press the pause button on serving food on Fridays and shift into over-drive on getting everything perfect for the grand opening in October.  Thanks to all of you who have done the pilot journey with us. 

Watch this space…………WE’LL BE BACK.

With a little help from our friends

When the cheese cake hit the fan big time on Friday morning, Matthew, Malcolm and Debbie swooped in, capes flapping in the breeze, to rescue us.

All was well, all was planned; Renee and Malcolm had devoted much of Thursday to producing a delicious feast of dhal, two types of curry (chicken and veg), salad, raita and poppadoms.  Then Friday and I arrived with calamity tucked into our back pockets!  I am known for being extremely organised and uncontrollably clumsy in equal measure, merely one of many ridiculous contradictions that is me, I like to think the two things balance each other out, sort of.  Anyway, it would seem that I left my organised self sleeping on Friday morning and a Mr Bean-esque persona took her place; bumbling, disorientated and disorganised, not exactly the kind of person you want in the kitchen!

I forgot scales, ingredients and failed to notice limes which were cunningly hidden in plain sight, so I had to interrupt the Taylor’s breakfast time, sorry Renee.  Whilst Malcolm calmly and expertly finished and perfected his culinary masterpiece, I flapped and flailed, but somehow eventually produced a subayon which tasted great, but lacked at little in the presentation department.  It was only as half past nine approached that I realised that we were going to be one down; our key player Jenai could not make it today.  We were about to trial our new ordering system – how could this be happening?  My head started to spin, I thought I might pass out and sent a call up to the heavens for sanity and back up. 

That was when the phone rang.   The heavens delivered Debbie to us as guest waitress for the day.  Matthew helped me set up and made a delicious fruit salad before disappearing of to climb something in the rainy Peak District and it all worked swimmingly.  Perhaps the catastrophe was all in my head!  We saw many smiling and enthusiastic new faces alongside our faithful, fantastic familiar ones and sold out of curry before I could even dip a poppadum in the sauce.  Our fabulous friends even stayed and helped with the clearing up.  Thank you Debbie and Malcolm for services above and beyond the call of duty, we owe your family.  I hope we didn’t out you off ever helping us again.

So my quotation might have been a little predictable, but at 9.30am the brilliant outcome of the day could not have been.  I had given in to panic, but nothing played out as I had expected.  Shame on my lack of faith.  Fear not future customers, I have duly chagrined myself, banished Mr Bean and, moreover, Jenai is back for Friday, so please come and join us for a lunch this Friday.  Please.

Spicing things up

It's curry week at Filling the Gap N15 courtesy of our première guest chef, Malcolm.  We will be providing the much needed warmth that the British summer has, once again, failed to.

There will, of course, be a meat and a vegetarian option, both equally delicious and enticing you to scoop them up with a home-made poppadom, yummy.  We will be cooling things down with key lime pie or zingy fresh fruit salad for dessert. Don't worry, we have kept the spiciness elegant and child-friendly.  Malcolm is a dad of three and assures us that his recipe is a family favourite.

Hurry to join us, as there are only two sessions left before our summer "break".  I do not use these quotation marks lightly, which is a pet hate of mine, by the way ("Get well soon" just seems rude!)  Although we won't be opening again until October (gasp, sob!) our time will be spent chasing up the funding applications, getting the kitchen up to scratch and most excitingly planning our opening event for Saturday October 6th.  Funding applications have been sent out and prayers have been sent up, but come hell or high water, we will be open from October. It would just be great to do so with some funding under our belts.
October seems like a long time, but all these stinky, adminy gremlins must be conquered so we can get back to the real business we enjoy; serving food to our community.  With some fun in the sun (hopefully, rain, rain go away) and a couple of sandcastles with the kids thrown in, the autumn will soon come around.  Who knows, it might even we warm enough to eat outside by then!

Tick Tock

One year ago Renee and I were two full time Mums with two part time careers in teaching and nutritional therapy, and friends, of course.  Today, fortunately and most importantly, we are still Mums and friends, but also now directors of a very small, very local, Community Interest Company that allows us to flex our nutritional therapy and teaching muscles from time to time also.  I feel blessed.

Of course, the learning curve has been steep and we are still a million miles away from smooth sailing, financial stability, wages and any kind of business finesse, but we have actually done it!  It has been a crazy juggle, lots of hard work and laugh out loud (LOL!) funny at times.  Those who know me know that I tend to lean more towards self deprecation than praise, but on this occasion even I have to say that I am pleased with how far we have come.

This is starting to sound like the dedication from someone's first novel (another ambition of mine - maybe next year!) Our faithful friends and customers have been fabulous, as have Louisa, Giovanni, Hayley, Jenai, Julie, Judit, Giuliana, Malcolm and Matthew; with their amazing advice, patience and volunteering wonderfulness. But I would also want to say that Rich and Ian, Grace, Joe, Gideon and Seth have been brilliant and supportive too throughout the changes that have needed to happen.

So now we look forward to the final stages of the pilot and set our sights on September.....opening every week and the food festival....funding: don't fail us now!

Standing room only

As the title implies, Friday was a squash and a squeeze and we sold out of food again.

Once again we were blessed with a sunny day, so when the place was empty at 12.05pm, save two customers, one of whom was asleep, we thought that everyone had decided to take advantage of the weather and picnic in the park.  We were wrong.  At 12.10pm a steady stream of customers began arriving and they didn’t stop.  Soon our 40 seats were filled, one family ate on the sofa and another party had to wait a good 20 minutes to sit down.  Fortunately they are good friends of ours and didn’t grumble in the slightest; thank you Margarita, Val, Isabella, Louis and Charlotte, you are golden.  The only thanks we could offer them was to save the last piece of sweetshop cake for the little girls, which was by that point a bit sticky, but nevertheless in demand elsewhere. 

Like an episode of Sesame Street we seemed to have a letter of the week for our menu. F. Falafel and Fishcakes.  Both of which were delicious and completely gone by the time service was over and I wanted some.  This is becoming a pattern, but I am glad of it, if we can sell out the pilot, then there is a much stronger chance of it working in September when we open every week.  Of course I am aware that the same folk won’t come every week like they are now, but word will get out (even if we have to drag it out with our bare hands) and people will come and bring their friends, just as they have done so far.  We even had some new people who weren’t friends, relations or friends of either.  One lady came in, nosed in the kitchen, refused even so much as a cup of tea and moseyed off again, I think she was a spy! We must be getting good!  Glad she came when we were bursting at the seams, weep in fear competitors!

So it’s off to half term and more funding applications we go.  Fridays will seem much more sedate, until July 6^th that is!

Roll up, roll up

Does your life ever feel like circus, or is it just me?  Although I appear to be the Ring Leader, I am actually a combination of Juggler, Lion Tamer and Clown; the latter mostly due to my ridiculous clumsiness which causes frequent comedy trips, slips and falls over invisible objects!  There is a slight irony here as I am, in fact, very scared of clowns, very scared indeed; what are they hiding in those giant shoes? 

Maybe it’s because I have just finished reading and loving ‘Water for Elephants’ (haven’t seen the film, anyone know if it’s any good?), but the circus seems like and ideal analogy for café life just now.  Fantastically enjoyable, exciting and energetic and I certainly hope we are putting on a good show.  Yet in the back of my mind I am always terrified that if I drop the ball just once, the show is over, the tent will fall down and there’s a possibility of a stampede!  Not that I am extreme or anything!

Our wonderful customers are in no way animalistic: they are charming, faithful and polite.  My, and indeed Renee’s, sense of anxiety stems from the fact that until we get our much needed funding, it all feels dreadfully precarious, sort of like walking a tightrope.  We are jumping through banking hoops, filling in forms and keeping the plates spinning and all of these things are necessary, but they feel like they are a distraction from the main attraction: the café we are trying to create.  The sideshow is necessary in order to facilitate the main event, but that what makes us feel like Jugglers.  The Lion Tamer comment was more a reference to my kids.  Have I extended the metaphor enough?  Actually I wrote ‘like a circus’ didn’t I, so that’s a simile…………………

This has to work, it is our collective passion for our very own neighbourhood.

This Friday, the last café session until July 6^th, we will be serving up delicious falafel followed by a chaser of either feisty ginger squares or sweetshop cake.  Please come if you can.  Bring your friends, enjoy the sunshine and we promise not to throw knives at you.

Yeeee Haaaaaa

It's cowboy week this week at Filling The Gap N15, although I am hoping that it doesn't turn into the baked bean scene from 'Blazing Saddles'!

We will be serving delicious home-made cowboy beans with sausages or halloumi, depending on your preference, with crispy salad.  Followed by either marble cake or gingerbread sheriff's badges (stars!).  We will not insist that you drink coffee and wear a Stetson, but our coffee is real and amazing.  The choice of head-wear is entirely yours!

Last week's cafe was fantastic, so much so that we ran out of food.  Renee's Meze was outstanding and received much praise and the chocolate brownies weren't bad either.  It felt good to be back and no Ark was required because this amazing warmish yellow thing appeared in the sky, just for us, I believe the people of the southern hemisphere call it the 'sun'!  Terront Road Salvation Army Hall was once more a-buzz with chomping, slurping, chatter and play.  Thank you loyal, lovely and supportive friends, for coming back to us and welcome to anyone who visited for the first time.

Looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.  See you at high noon folks.

The Ark

Having sloshed to nursery to drop off my youngest, before the slosh to school to drop off my eldest, Gideon, he commented that we should just borrow Noah’s ark to make it easier because it’s been raining ‘like forever, Mum’.  Although he is old enough to realise that although I am a control freak, the weather is not at my command, Seth, my youngest still believes that I have sent the rain to prevent him from wearing shorts even though it’s summer (apparently) so he should be allowed, Gid does, sort of, have a point!  I know there’s a drought, we should be grateful etc, etc and I am, honest, it’s just that I’m short, my trousers are too long so I have wet trousers and my wellies leak!

However, I am hoping that this wet spell, which is due to last throughout May, I hear, will make you all want to escape the dreary greyness by joining us for the Filling the Gap N15 May Café (see how I did that, so slick you never noticed!)  Although none of you resemble animals, we are happy to be the ark-esque safe haven as the torrent flows and even if it doesn’t!  We even have a new 2-by-2 price plan, sort of!  £5 buys a main meal for an adult and a child with as much water as you can drink.  Each additional child costs £1 each.  Tea, coffee and yummy, local apple juice and a selection of home-made cakes are available too costing £1 - £1.50.  Yes, this is a little more than last time, we admit it, but we had to find a way to make everything sustainable whilst remaining dedicated to our ideals and principles so that our little café will one day be able to stand on its own currently Bambi-like legs and feet.

The May menu looks like this:

Week 1- Meze plate: a selection of homemade delights including feta and tomato bread, served with salad and humus.

Dessert options: Chocolate brownies or fruit salad

               

Week2- Sausages or halloumi with cowboy beans and guacamole served with flatbread and Mexican street salad.

Dessert options: Victoria sponge or gingerbread stars

Week 3- Fishcakes, or veggie cakes served with two types of salad, bread and sauce.

Dessert options: Feisty ginger squares or sweetshop cake

Rain or shine, we hope you can walk, swim or sail along to join us, but please leave your menagerie at home, if your kids are anything like mine, they are animal enough!

Tandoori and truffles

Not on the same plate, you understand, but these were the courses on offer last Friday, the final instalment of Filling the Gap N15’s pilot scheme part 1!  It was, in fact, tandoori chicken or paneer with brown rice pilaf and chocolate cake with truffle topping.

                                   

The stunning, sunny day enabled us to throw wide the backdoors so that the kids could enjoy racing around the yard before, during and after they had eaten.  We had fewer customers than in previous weeks, many folks were picnicking, I believe, but this enabled us to take time and discuss what had come before with some of our cornerstone attendees.  The response made me emotional to say the least, although I hope I hid it.  People want more! They want us to do it again and to keep doing it!  They complimented the food, the venue and the atmosphere.  Renee and I were bowled over, every bit of angst, juggling, staying up late, getting up early and trialling dishes with our sometimes reluctant families (‘Not this again, Mum’) was worth it.  Now we really feel like we have a business of our very own.  We have even had our first review, thank you very much; please take a look at the lovely blog of our lovely friend Rachel: www.londinimum.wordpress.com

Our deepest and most sincere thanks go out to everyone who attended and supported us in many and various ways this last month.  You are invaluable to us and not just as paying customers.  Ian and Rich, our encouraging and often patient hubbies, had even planned a congratulatory surprise dinner on Saturday night.  Bless them, they are both balding and lovely.  Rich had to tell me, however, because I am a control freak who in his words ‘doesn’t do well with surprises’.  Guilty as charged.

So with much happiness and much too much delicious Malaysian food in our bellies we have set about planning our next steps………………………drum roll……………………………………………………….

Filling the Gap N15 will be reopening in May 2012 for three dates only:

·         Friday May 11^th

·         Friday May 18^th

·         Friday May 25^th

@ Salvation Army Hall, Terront Road, N15

We hope to see you there.

You gotta give the people what they want!  Modest aren’t we!

Cat Women

Pushing a borrowed (now returned) Tesco trolley around your very own neighbourhood is an interesting experience to say the least.  Clunking with a deafening metallic rattle as the pans and tins collide with every bump in the uneven pavement, Renee and I have been hard to ignore when transporting bits from our houses to the Terront Road Hall.  Our neighbourhood being Haringey, there are one of two reactions from most passers-by:

1.       They are so conditioned to the general state of anything goes craziness that they look once and then consciously look away for the fear that we are in fact lunatics who have cats following us everywhere, much like that school teacher in ‘South Park’ (my flagrant use of stereotyping will be explained below)

2.       They laugh out loud and point!

I prefer option one, although it does raise some interesting thoughts about our perceived attitudes to homelessness in Haringey, hence my somewhat offensive use of generalisation.  No doubt we Londoners have learnt to ‘look away’ as a defence mechanism to avoid unpleasant confrontations or an even more unpleasant knuckle sandwich, but are we happy to just write people off if their behaviour or circumstances make us uncomfortable?  I think we are all guilty of that sometimes aren’t we?

This feels particularly resonant because on my way home from an amazing week three of the pilot, I met a man on my street picking through the wheelie bins which were awaiting collection, loading up his trolley with anything even barely edible.  I had some of our leftovers with me, and he accepted them with too much gratefulness, I ran home to get him some more food, but he was gone when I got back out.  I wish I had told him to come next Friday.  I am nothing short of grateful for the amazing, beautiful families who are coming to eat week in week out at our pilot, they are our bread and butter, no pun intended, but I’d really like us to be able to meet the needs of some of our other neighbours too.  I bet we could learn loads from each other.  If you know anyone who could use a good meal, free of charge, of course, if it is not within their means, send them along to us.

WHEN: FRIDAY 12 – 2

WHERE: TERRONT ROAD SALVATION ARMY HALL, N15

ASK FOR RENEE OR KATE

Sorry if I have disappointed anyone with my philosophical rant!  The title is misleading if you were hoping for references to the skin-tight lycra wearing DC femme fatale.  I can’t speak for Renee, but I look nothing like Halle Berry in, or out for that matter, of a catsuit, mores the pity.  Good job I can cook, eh!  (Just joking, I am a feminist, I promise)

All are welcome

Having learnt the tough ‘never say no’ lesson in week one of our pilot scheme, the doors were well and truly flung open last Friday!  We served around 50 people with healthy turkey or feta burgers and fudge cookies and I even got my husband to eat courgettes, so, all in all, I’d say it was a great success!

Renee and I were slightly daunted by the 44 pre-booked covers who promised to come, so when a few people arrived with friends and some ‘walk-ins’ stopped by, all hungry and expectant, we were bordering on hyperventilation.  Being the consummate professionals that we are, no one noticed, I hope, and we kept on serving.  To our surprise, no loaves and fishes style miracles were required, although I was very prepared to pray for such things, and everyone left  fed and happy.  Moreover, the atmosphere was brilliant; friendly, laidback and nothing short of energetic, as far as the kids were concerned.

It seems impossible that we are half way through and even more impossible that we should be thinking about what comes next.  One month on, one month off?  Pop-ups?  Events?  There are many possibilities and variables to be considered, one thing is for sure, we don’t want the buzz of interest to die.  Yet without funding the café will never get off its feet, not in any sustainable way anyway.  So it is back to the plans and applications processes, but with renewed vigour fuelled by the knowledge that Filling the Gap N15 can be a success.  There is most definitely a market, clients and a gap that we can fill!

Looking to break our current record this Friday, so if you feel like coming along……………………….

Crocodiles!

My Dad has this great saying, which seems to apply to any number of situations:

‘When you’re up to your arse in crocodiles, it’s difficult to remember that the original idea was to drain the swamp’.

I freely admit that my butt is feeling a little snapped at just now!  I put this down to two things:

1)      The fear of the unknown which is manifesting itself in my terror that I will actually have to use my recent first aid training during the pilot scheme!

2)      The rather more realistic reminder that being a full time Mum with a part time job is a very tricky juggle – not sure how I managed to forget that!

So here I am, blogging to remind myself of the ‘original idea’………….

We, the families of this side of the glorious borough of Haringey, do care about what we eat and are tired of having to schlep to Crouch End to get a kiddy friendly, healthy lunch.  We also don’t want to spend a fortune for the privilege.  Yes, that’s it, that’s the reason.

Throughout this pilot and beyond, Renee and I are setting out to create the kind of place that we would want to share lunch with our families and friends, eating healthy, reasonably priced food.  Now that I think about it, I really believe that Friday was the first step towards this dream becoming a reality.  There was a fun, friendly atmosphere; kids were playing, good food was eaten and enjoyed.

Naturally we are eager to fulfil our agreement with Fareshare and use food rejected by supermarkets to create our dishes, thus reducing waste and promoting seasonal eating.  It is all part of the dream, but sadly this will not be possible until we open our doors on a more permanent basis.  Yet, reflecting on it all, I am reminded that this is possible and the pieces of our seemingly unmanageable jigsaw are already beginning to fit together.  It’s good to remember who we are and why.  Ok, now I feel excited, so the crocodiles can get lost! 

We are still taking bookings for March 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd if anyone is interested.  We are at Terront Road Salvation Army Hall, N15, doors open at 11.30, food served from 12 – 2.

Here’s what we will be serving:

March 9^th: Healthy turkey burgers with Turkish bread and roasted vegetables or feta and courgette patties with Turkish bread and roasted vegetables.  Fudge cookies for dessert.

March 16^th: Butternut squash risotto with or without bacon, served with salad or green veg.  Cranberry muffins for dessert.

March 23^rd: Chicken casserole with bulgur wheat pilaf or tandoori tofu skewers.

Sponge pudding and custard for dessert.

We would love to see you there.

Totally Amazing

Last Friday afternoon I was left elated and emotionally exhausted after the first pilot session.  It all went rather well, if I do say so myself. 

The food was delicious, thanks to Renee and the clientele were the finest and most supportive local friends and family we girls could ask for.  THANK YOU.  Nothing would have worked without the mad skills and constant assistance of Julie, Giuliana and Jenai, who did anything and everything they were asked and more. 

Can’t wait to do it all again this week.

If at first you don't succeed.....

 

My Scottish heritage aside, Robert the Bruce would be proud of us! We have try, try tried again and again and again to transform our wonderful idea into an actual legal entity and this week we suffered our latest , time consuming, irritating set- back.  Apparently ‘Filling the Gaps’ is too similar to ‘Filling the Gap’, which, although officially closed, is still on the register at Companies House, so our application has been rejected!  Argh!!  But, being the undeterred little spiders that we are, application number, oh whatever it is now, is already completed and ready for submission and ‘Filling the Gap N15 CIC’ hopes to do better than its dearly departed predecessors….and all of this in the days leading up to the pilot scheme!

On the other hand, I am happy to say that prior to opening the doors and feeding anyone, the pilot scheme has been a great success.  The response from our friends, family and community has been fantastic and we are fully booked for the first three weeks, with only a couple of spaces in week four: any takers?  Folk have even been lovely enough to pay up front, as we the unnamed are as yet to be funded!   I am humbled and grateful you awesome people, thank you and I hope you enjoy the grub.  God willing and the creek don’t rise, we might even break even!  This is in part due to my fab friend Rachel, who introduced us to the wonders of Bookers.  Wow, it was great, who would have known that two grown women, Renee and I, that is, Rachel is no longer such a Booker newbee, could get so ecstatic over giant quantities of olive oil or the price of ground coffee, fair trade,  of course.  It was a proper adventure, akin only to a child being given their pocket money to spend as they wish in a sweet shop, and they did have giant jars of cola bottles too!  Fear not, we were consummately mature and responsible, sticking rigidly to the budget, that’ll be my Scottish roots again!

So with two days to go (GULP), Renee and I are once again riding the seesaw of terror and excitement; it seems to be becoming a theme.  We can’t wait to do it, but it needs to be as perfect as we can make it, because our diners (Oooh, get me) deserve it and because all the eggs are in the basket now, and we seriously want this to work.  When it does, we can start working with Fareshare, save some food, stop some waste and provide the kind of community space we have been dreaming of.  So many dreams……..let’s hope this first step is a pleasant one! 

Re-structuring? Already?

Oh blogger!

Happy New Year, is it too late to say that now?!

We start 2012 with the sad news that Filling the Gap CIC is deceased!  Renee and I murdered it when we discovered that no one will fund a company limited by shares because there is the potential to rake in the profit from dividends.  Although we never had any intention of doing this, prospective funders do not know the quality of our moral fibre and we have received some good advice, from a number of lovely, helpful people, that restructuring now will save later pain.  So we have…..

Please be upstanding for ‘Filling the Gaps  CIC’, a Community Interest Company that happens to be a private company limited by guarantee!

To honest, our choice to be limited by shares was made in excitement, exuberance and error!  We fundamentally misunderstood the notion of liability and feared losing houses etc.  Now, thanks to Making Local Food Work (MLFW) and the lovely Mark and Hayley, we get it!

It’s not entirely back to square one, just some changes at Companies House and the Bank.  The worst part has definitely been trouping through more  Articles of Association.  A degree in English is no match for that crazy brand of over-punctuated legalese!  Once we had made the decision, it was just a case of getting on with it.  Renee is much better at this than me.  I tend to spend pointless, wasted hours considering too many, impossible variables from ridiculous angles, Renee, however, wisely ‘Let’s deal with now, before it becomes a problem’.  So we have……..

Hayley from MLFW has been invaluable in helping us to move forward.  Alongside helping us develop our business plan, she has suggested a pilot scheme…….

So if anyone in the N15 area fancies being fed lunch every Friday for the month of March for £20, drop us an email. Kids eat free.