1st priority is to set up the counter ready for 8am opening.  Justy will have started on the cakes, baguettes, croissants and pastries, leaving quiches, frittata’s and salads for me. 

Under pressure to get the quiche’s and frittata’s in the oven as Ian will be in at 6 wanting to use the oven for the main courses to be displayed – thus beginning our ritual dance around the available space and equipment.

Lila arrives at 6 to prepare her enormously busy sandwich section – how she produces them at the rate she does is quite beyond my understanding!  Then in comes Liene who will be rushing round in her usual calm manner helping us all out.

List of today’s known business will have been completed the day before so I know that we have 2 corporate buffets to be delivered by 11.30am and a canape party for 40 guests to be collected at 5.30pm. 

Lasma and Roxy arriving to set up the counter and open the shop and at the same time the phone starts ringing – local companies ordering their breakfast sandwiches and coffee for collection, customers on the way to work wanting to collect and go in a rush, some workmen from a house around the corner.  A few parents needing something for the children’s school lunch drop by and people on the way to work – seems mainly teachers today – to collect one of our Lunch Boxes.

Deliveries need to be checked in and today is Millers Bakery, Mackens Butcher and our local veg guy, Andy.  As per usual these arrive at the most inconvenient time possible but hey ho I guess that any time will be bad

Corporate lunches have been boxed and as usual Lila goes off in the van to make the deliveries – one of her pet hates is being late so I know that she will keep us on our toes as far as timing goes.

So now let’s concentrate of the canape party.  Some of them will have been prepared the day before ready to be cooked off today – great, that’s a few of them almost taken care off.  We have one of Ian’s new additions to the menu (spicy black pudding topped with a seared scallop) to go out with today’s order.  In the busy environment that we work in it’s still important to come up with new ideas and create different dishes for the menus so it’s always great when something new goes out.

The shop is having a constant stream of customers, some of whom we are blissfully unaware of until I realise that I am also having to answer the phone as both girls are busy.  Quite a few locals come in who I know are fantastic cooks but are just “time poor” – wanting to grab something for the family meal and we are aware how (rightfully so!) discerning they are – so on the counter today for main courses Ian has prepared lasagne, fish cakes and several dishes to go alongside the salads.

Now onto a bit of forward planning for tomorrow – Ian and I check the “wall” and go over our plan, whilst I am phoning in the orders Ian will marinate some meat for tomorrow and Lianna will start to prepare the mis en place for a large VIP corporate lunch.

Great, interviewee has arrived – crossing fingers that he’s a suitable candidate for our weekend position.  Always leave this task to Ian, he’s much better at it than me.

3.30pm and I’m off – benchmark is -  3pm is great, 4pm is unlucky so I can’t complain!