Page 20 of Summer at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘Of course, you can be the first to try it out, Frank,’ replied Jill with a grin.

A couple arrived, whose rugged footwear and practical clothing suggested they’d been out hiking. They asked for two coffees whilst browsing the glass counter with wide eyes as they discovered the delicious selection.

‘How to choose?’ The man raised his eyebrows.

‘I know,’ agreed the woman. ‘Everything looks so delicious.’

‘Well, you can always have a couple of things and share,’ suggested Rachel.

‘Or, they do a fabulous pudding platter,’ chipped in Frank with a wink. ‘Why just have one or two things when you can taste three or four,’ he added naughtily. ‘The new summer selection sounds divine.’

‘Well, we’d better have one of those then,’ the gentleman said in a lilting Yorkshire accent. ‘Just the thing after a bracing walk in the hills.’

‘Oh, it’ll have been lovely up there this morning,’ commented Rachel.

‘It was indeed; the views were stunning,’ his partner added, as they settled down at a nearby table.

As Jill went to serve the pudding platter a few minutes later, Rachel stopped her in her tracks. ‘Wait, that looks amazing, Mum. Let me take a quick pic, and I’ll pop it straight on to our Instagram and Facebook pages. The puddings look sooo pretty.’

‘And delicious too,’ Frank chipped in.

‘Yes,’ Rachel continued, ‘seeing a picture of that summer selection might well help entice a few more customers in.’

Rachel liked to keep their social media pages updated, and with images like that going online, their followers’ mouths would soon be watering.

A bustling half-hour followed, with several more customers turning up. Then they had space for a quick breather and a cup of tea for themselves.

‘We need to have a proper think about the food for the wedding, Mum. It’s less than seven weeks away now. We did say we’d make all the puddings ourselves … and we need to create some kind of savoury buffet for the afternoon reception, as well as the hog roast that Tom has got organised for the evening.’

Costs for the wedding had already been mounting. If they made the buffet themselves it would certainly save them some much-needed funds, but they were well aware it would be a lot of extra work. ‘We’ll need to decide exactly what we’ll be baking,’ Rachel continued, starting to spiral a little, ‘or it’ll creep up on us all too fast. And … there’s so much else to think of too.’ Rachel had to admit it was beginning to feel a bit overwhelming. They were still to finalise the flowers, table decorations, favours, some thank you gifts … the list went on. Thank goodness the dress at least was sorted. ‘So, we’ll need to be organised as far ahead as we can.’

‘Puddings for a wedding … Hmm, I’ll get my Queen of the Pudding Pantry thinking cap on.’ With a broad smile, Jill raised the bespoke mug that Rachel had bought her last Christmas. ‘Don’t you worry, Rachel. It’ll all work out wonderfully, I’m sure.’

Rachel hoped they’d manage to pull it all together in the end. But organising a wedding, her own wedding, on top of the farming chores and looking after Maisy seemed a big ask right now. She hated being the centre of attention at the best of times, and she now wondered if inviting what felt like the whole of the small town of Kirkton had been wise.

After a further busy spell over the lunch time, Tom appeared in his farming gear. ‘Afternoon, ladies.’

‘We missed you this morning,’ said Jill. You could set your watch by Tom’s bacon sandwich at elevenses.

Rachel had missed him last night too. Having been away all weekend, she’d stayed home with Maisy for the early evening, and then – just as she’d hoped to call round to Tom’s after putting her little girl to bed – he’d ended up having to dash out to help a farming friend bring a cow and her calf down into their shed; the cow having got herself caught up in some broken wire and in a bit of a state. So, they hadn’t had the evening together they’d hoped for.

‘Ah, I know, I was kept away earlier with a delivery. But, I’ve managed to wangle a couple of free hours this afternoon. So, I was wondering if …’ He raised his eyebrows enquiringly at Rachel. She shrugged her shoulders as she busied herself with the coffee machine. Much as she’d love to escape with Tom, she should really be helping her mum here at the Pantry.

‘Jill, can I possibly steal your daughter for a few hours, do you think? We have important wedding plans to make.’ He gave his warmest smile, the one that always made Rachel melt.

Jill wiped her hands on her apron. ‘Oh, well, I don’t see why not … it’s bound to quieten off a bit now that lunch time’s over. And it’s after-school club for Maisy tonight, isn’t it, Rachel? So, I’m sure I can manage here.’

‘Are you sure, Mum?’

Jill nodded.

‘Well, we could pick Maisy up on the way back, I suppose. That would work, wouldn’t it, Tom?’ Rachel was still feeling a little guilty at leaving her mum in the lurch.

‘Of course. No problem.’

‘Go on then, get yourself away, lass. Before I get a chance to change my mind.’

‘Thank you, Mum.’ Rachel whipped off her apron and leapt around the other side of the counter.