What a glorious way to spend a Sunday celebrating the Summer Solstice!
With jugs of iced water at the ready, and factor 40 applied, the ladies found a shady spot in the garden. Alex Mannering from YourYoga started the two hour session with Pranayama (breath work) which encouraged their minds to calm and centre. Then followed some gentle awakening movements, which flowed into classic Asana (postures). There was plenty of time left for relaxation at the end and one or two of the ladies actually managed to have a little pre-lunch nap!!
Because of the heat, we decided to change the lunch menu slightly to include ice cold refreshing Melon & Tomato Gazpacho, watermelon & feta salad plus some Thai prawns and haloumi salads. A complimentary glass of prosecco was enjoyed and to end the meal we had a delightful freshly prepared fruit salad and lemon posset plus rosemary shortbreads.
A definite repeat booking for next summer, if not before – thank you Alex! And special thanks to Sam, who helped prepare the lunch!!
Quick Trip across the Irish Sea
In mid-May, adorned with new rain jackets, we set off for a short trip to the Emerald Isles. We were blessed with blue skies and warm sunshine for all but the last day. The highlights:-
We drove along part of the Wild Atlantic Coastal drive, visiting the Dingle Peninsular – the rugged coast, lush greenery and wind-swept landscapes are simply out of this world! We saw the most beautiful coastline, small coves tucked between rugged cliffs and wide beaches that stretched for miles. It’s no wonder this part of the country feature in films such as Star Wars & Harry Potter!
The town of Dingle is the proud home to over 50 pubs! That’s one for every 40 residents! (We only went in one!). Freshly caught seafood is on the menu in most of them, as is lamb, sea salted by nature and grass fed beef. There is also a treasure trove of locally made cheese. Just on the outskirts of Dingle, the famous Dingle Gin is distilled in pot stills with a range of botanicals including Rowan Berry, Bog Myrtle, Heather and Hawthorn. It is delicious served with lots of ice, a slice of orange and some quality soda or tonic water.
With heartfelt thanks to all those who attended and helped at our Open Garden Charity Day
For those of you who don’t follow me on FaceBook ………
Guests relaxed in the summer sunshine, drinking wine, eating delicious freshly prepared lunches followed by refreshing homemade lemonade and enticing cakes.
Thanks to:
Roger Hind Jazz Trio – to David, Neil and Roger. Relaxing vibes, lots of requests for tunes and a booking! Plus some cold beer to finish off.
Morag runs Rapkyns Nursery near Heathfield. She has supplied the plants for sale at our charity days since 2021and this year all but 6 were sold! Amazing hardy perennials, beautifully wrapped in purple tissue by Hilary and Andy, were on show along with some rather leggy cosmos, which we grew from seed! It was lovely to see so many people leaving with plants in each arm! Thank you Morag for your generous donation towards the total.
To the merry band of neighbours – Sam & Jimmy Newland, Hilary & Andy Levy, Nicola Calnan, Donna Patterson, Mary Foster and Geoff & Mary Ledden. All the lady’s arrived first thing with their favourites knives and peelers and produced an amazing array of salads to go with my upmarket tarts! Thanks too to those who generously contributed to the raffle and who lent us their umbrellas and gazebos.
The numbers were a little down on last year, about 46 people came along but we still managed to raise a staggering £1,177.80 plus Gift Aid!
Thanks to your amazing generosity, since 2020, we have raised around £6.5k for
The Alzheimer’s Society & MacMillan Cancer Relief
NEW Charity Event in Summer 2026 – we would love your feed back
In the next day or two please watch out for a separate message containing details about a new and exciting event for next year.
All the details will be revealed and we will be asking all foodie subscribers, friends, colleagues etc. to let us know what you think.
More Celebrations ……….
60 years of marriage – friends and family
To celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary, neighbours Geoff & Mary decided on two parties, and I am pleased to say, both were at Second-Helpings!
The first, for special life long friends, was a formal sit down lunch where the wine and stories flowed, the wedding album passed between guests and lots of reminiscing went on until early evening. The following week, a more relaxed buffet was enjoyed and entertainment was laid on from Stacy & Dusty – father/daughter duet playing a rendition of “I saw her standing there” by the Beatles, a song that popular when Geoff & Mary first met.
Birthday Celebrations
From 3 months to 94 years old! Members of the family travelled from across the country to attend baby Isobel’s Christening but decided to fit in a further celebration at Second-Helpings! Fabulous review from Maddy
Thank you so much for such a wonderful meal yesterday!
The food was absolutely delicious and everyone has said how perfect the day was! Thank you for making us all feel so welcome in your home.
Everyone keeps talking about the burrata and mushroom canapés. The entire meal was fantastic. We loved the souffle starter, the fish main was beautifully cooked and everyone loved the rosemary shortbread and lemon posset! Thank you so much for such thoughtful picnic baskets for the children too.
We had such a wonderful time and it made the event so special and unique for my Mum’s birthday which is just what we had hoped for!
Thank you for being so accommodating and I would definitely love to visit another time (fingers crossed we can sit in the garden next time!)
If you have a special occasion coming up that you want to share with friends & family in style please give us a call!
Private Dining needn’t be expensive and here are just some of the advantages …
You pay no VAT or other hidden charges
The venue is yours for the day, no time restraints or other distractions to worry about
You can bring your own wine, very low corkage applies
Calm and relaxing atmosphere with no background noise
Well behaved dogs & children are very welcome