Red Fruit.

Every six weeks, it is my turn for me and the other two with me to do the refreshments at Church. I love doing it. I get there an hour early, the trolly with everything on it is already there waiting for me and the 3 large long tables. I then bring my cartons of whole milk, which I should get back, but I don’t want the money back. I take the trolly to the kitchen and add the 14 tea bags to the large stainless kettle, but no water is added, that is set aside back onto the trolly. Next, I add 14 teaspoons of coffee to the thermostat coffee flask then add boiling water from the tap that is specially for hot drinks only. Next, I fill up the 3 thermostat jars with boiling water, they too are now ready.

The squash is next, one is orange and the other is blackcurrant, they are now ready, both lids are on. I then fill up the two water jugs with cold water and put the lids on.

I then go back to the three long tables, put the table cloths on, and begin to set up the table. I love every aspect of this, it reminds me of my craft stall days, setting up and making the tables looking nice and presentable. The paper cups for hot drinks, they are laid out in rows of 7 and in perfect rows, all the way from the front, to the back. The labels on the cups, must all face the same way, so that when a person approaches the table it looks perfect.

I then do the same with the cups for cold drinks, as I am standing with the table in front of me, those cups are on my right. They too are laid out perfectly in a very straight line, with all labels facing to the front. Behind those cups I then place the cold drinks. The handles, they are facing the Customer.

The pretty box with the selection of individual, caffeine-free herbal teas, they are placed in the centre of the table and next to that is the individually sachets of decaffeinate coffee. Behind them is the decaffeinate individual tea. These are Very popular.

On the left-hand side, I put a neat line of individual packs of biscuits, there is three in each pack, custard creams they are the outright favourite over ginger nuts, digestive, bourbons and coconut rings.

Someone, I don’t know who, or if it is a different person who provides it each week, places a very large tray or large dish with beautiful fruit of bananas, grapes, clementines and strawberries. I assume with SO much fruit, it must be a different person each week. They too are very popular; I usually have the strawberries.

Last Sunday, when I arrived to do the refreshments, the tables had already been laid and in vary large see through sandwich bags were long fruit, with the sign saying “Free please take.” I looked at them, I wasn’t tempted.

As I was setting up the table, a young girl aged about 17 came up to the table, and said to me, pointing at the fruit, “What is that?” Yes, I was shocked, she then added, “How do you cook it?” I said, “It is called rhubarb, you get a shape knife and peel the sides off and cut the top and bottom off, chop them up and add a bit of water into a large pan with cooking apples, or without the apples, add lots of sugar then simmer until mushy, or semi mushy, then make the crumble, with flour butter and water. Sprinkle that on the top, put it in the oven for about 30 minutes then enjoy with custard, ice-cream, or cream.” She said, “I remember now, I cooked it as school.”

I said to her, “I like rhubarb, but with lots of sugar and lots of custard and I don’t want to cook it, so I won’t be taking any home.” I went on, “I would rather just buy it from the shops and heat it up in the oven.” I was chuffed to bits with myself, for I think the last time I cooked it, I was at school too, and that was probably over 40 years ago!

When the last song is been sung, I then come out and fill up the huge stainless kettle direct from the boiling water tap for hot drinks only. I open the cartons of whole milk and pour them into the jugs that are for milk only. I place the milk jugs on two different tables so it is easy access for the customers.

I love to serve the tea from the kettle, the middle person serves the coffees and the third server serves the cold drinks. There are individual sachets of sugars and low-fat sugars too.

Everyone is catered for, even for those who just want just cold water. And those who just want hot water, and those who bring their medium size flasks and want their choice of drink in there. I now cater for those who just want a bit of milk to drink! So, I make sure I bring three cartons just for them, where one and a half carton is usually enough.

It is fun, as they approach to the front of the line, I call them, “Sir or Madam,” Even though I know their names. I’m in craft stall mode. I make my teas and coffees extra strong and if it is too strong for them, they can simply add boiling water from the just water thermostat flasks that are also on the tables.

All the hot drinks are a success, the cold drinks, the biscuits, and the fruits.

There is always a buzz of excitement in the air.

At Easter time, there will be a very wide choice of different hot cross buns. At Christmas time there will be mince pies in abundance! There will also be lots of oranges left over that hasn’t been used for Christingle, to be taken home.

The BEST thing about ALL the food and drinks, is every, single thing is FREE. The Church pays for it all, even us volunteers, we had a meeting and we were told, “Bring your milk receipts and you will be given your money back the same day.” I choose not to.

At the end everything is washed up and dried and put back on the trolly. Anything that needs reordering I pass the info onto Phil, he does the rota and he buys more drinks and biscuits, as we need it. He makes sure the stock is full.

Roll on, the next 5 weeks. x