Page 26 of Summer at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

At that the group all whooped and gave a hearty round of applause.

The first tasting was Jill’s sticky toffee pudding served with the dairy’s honeycomb ice cream – what a delight! There were so many ‘Umms’ and ‘Ahhs’ and contented sighs, the room sounded as though it was filled with the buzz of happy bees. Next, they tried the dairy’s Eton Mess ice cream on its own. It really didn’t need any additions – being the creamiest ice cream with meringue pieces and crushed strawberries.

‘Delicious’, ‘Divine’, ‘Scrumptious’, ‘Summer in a dish’, were just some of the comments.

Then there was Jill’s rhubarb tart, paired with spiced ginger ice cream, followed by a melt-in-the mouth rich chocolate-chip ice cream to try.

‘What could be better,’ sighed Hannah, ‘than eating ice creams and puddings galore in a pretty country barn, with a view like that?’

Indeed, the summer evening sun was casting a soft, golden glow over the verdant hills and valley around them. It was a moment to treasure. Friends, family, food and Primrose Farm. Rachel couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else, and a little grain of panic filled her once more at the thought of leaving, even if only to move in next door. She pushed the thought aside, realising that Andrew was now standing quietly at the head of the group, looking at her expectantly, with the ice-cream tasting coming to a close.

‘Well, that was brilliant.’ She stepped forward, assuming a bright tone, ‘Thank you so much for coming along, Andrew, and for telling us more about the dairy, and of course letting us taste these delightful flavours. I’m sure we’ll all be stocking up – there are cartons to buy, folks. And, I look forward to selling lots of your ice creams here at the Pantry in the future.’ She started to clap, which resulted in a thankful round of applause and lots of praise from the gathering. With Andrew on his way a short while later, the group chatted amongst themselves and had a top-up brew from the big red polka-dot teapot.

‘Now then, Rachel, how are all the wedding plans going?’ asked Alice. ‘And thank you so much for the invite; that was so kind of you.’

‘Oh, you’re welcome,’ replied Rachel. ‘We wanted everyone to come along from the Pudding Club as you’re all friends now.’

‘Aw, that’s so lovely,’ added Kirsty.

‘I can’t believe it’s less than two months away,’ said Charlotte.

‘Well, I now have a gorgeous wedding dress.’ She gave Eve a big grin.

‘Ooh, any details?’ ‘Tell us more …’

‘Nope, sorry. You’ll have to wait and see on that one.’ Rachel was determined to keep schtum.

‘Oh, the suspense,’ added Eileen, with a smile.

‘So, the reception is here at the farm, then?’

‘Yes, after the church ceremony. We have a tipi arranged in the field next to the farmhouse – a bit of an expense, but we really can’t count on our good old Northumbrian weather, even if it will be summer. And, we can always use the Pantry space as well.’ Rachel really was beginning to feel excited about it all, despite all the planning involved.

‘Well, that sounds great.’

‘And what about the food? Will there be puddings is the big question?’ Pamela asked animatedly.

‘Hah, of course!’ Jill answered. ‘In fact, we’re planning a smorgasbord – is that the right word? – of puddings.’

‘Ooh, naughty but nice. Brilliant!’ chimed Brenda.

‘Well, won’t that be an awful lot of work for you both? Just before the wedding? Are you doing the baking all yourselves?’ Eileen looked concerned.

‘Well, that was the plan. The budget’s not bottomless I’m afraid, and well … I think it will make it extra special having our own puddings,’ explained Rachel.

‘It might well be, but you’ll be shattered, my lovelies,’ piped up Christine.

‘No, that won’t do at all. Look, why don’t you let us help make some of them at least?’ Eileen looked around the table at her fellow attendees to rally some support.

‘Yeah, we’d love to help.’

‘We can share the load.’

‘Maybe we could have a special Pudding Club night just before the wedding?’ suggested Daniel. ‘Where we can all help out? A Wedding Pudding Night, where everything we make goes towards the desserts for your big day? What do you reckon everyone?’

There were nods of agreement all round.

‘Of course. It’ll be fun too,’ said Eve.