...for the latest news on Cafe Sustain

March 2010

Our shop area in the cafe is now open! Come in and have a look.

On Fridays we are selling greetings cards. If you need one at any other time pop in and ask at the counter but the big display goes up on Fridays.

Gardening Group

We are making really good progress on the garden. We have started planning the crop rotation for the next few years and have dug in manure where necessary. The potatoes are chitting and the first of the radishes and carrots are in the ground.

February 2010

Fancy a little bit of shopping?

We are often asked at the cafe about our kitchen equipment and cafe bits and pieces. People like our gadgets, jam pots, cake decorations and children's crockery. Soon we are going to have a little shop area which means you can pick up little gifts and treats at the cafe. We will have greeting cards to grab and go, birthday bits and bobs, kitchen equipment and other cafe favourites. So pop by and take a look.

Bring & Buy Sale - to raise funds for the community gardening project

Thank you to everyone who has supported our bring and buy sale. We have had some really generous donations and as a result some very happy buyers. Our lovely customers make our events sink or swim - we are definitely swimming at the moment. Thank you.

Community Gardening Group - EVERY TUESDAY 11am-noon but help is appreciated at any time.

We had a very successful gardening group today which feels like a real achievement considering the rain and the cold. Simon put his back into digging in the manure and Judith continued his good work. It was incredibly muddy but we re-homed the invincible cabbages that have survived through the winter so it seemed mean to rip them out.

We also planned the planting for March. I am on the hunt for early potatoes, shallots and something else that escapes me at the moment(!) and Brian is sorting out the rhubarb and his cunning shelter for the short ridge cucumbers. Judith (see picture below) is always there to explain to me what Brian means in everyday English and is a great support. We also have plans for an arch for roses and sweet peas between the two raised bed but we have to keep our fingers crossed that the big chiefs like the idea. Now where's that shopping list?!

When you talk a lot, as I do, you find out all sorts of gems of information. One of our nurses turns out to be a garden designer - just what we need when we have great plans for out kitchen garden.

Free Sessions and Courses

We have been running really successful evening courses for a while now here at Cafe Sustain. We have decided to subsidise the courses from now on and so some are FREE and some are a very reasonable £5. Please pop in and have a look at our course board to make sure you don't miss out.

Easter Raffle

We have a wonderful Easter raffle so pop in and have a go!

We have lots going on at the cafe now we are heading into the spring.

Gardening Group started this week. If you are interested in joining us for a chat, a gentle dig and a cup of tea we are meeting on Tuesdays at 11am in the cafe. We will head outside to the garden when we have talked through what we are planning for the session. We have raised beds at waist level so if you find bending difficult you can still join in.

Our first gardening group on 9/02/10. We dug over the one of the raised beds ready to dig in the manure. We are hoping for a bumper crop of vegetables after feeding the beds well. Judith was doing most of the work (above).

January 2010

Happy New Year everyone. We wish you a happy and healthy 2010.

December 2009 -

Cafe Sustain is open up to and including the 23rd December. We are closed between 24th December -3rd January.

We are looking forward to seeing you all on the 4th January 2010!

November 2009 -

Christmas Recipes

Up and Coming Sessions at Cafe Sustain

Fundraising

The cafe and its customers haver raised £40.57 for the Children's Hospices as well as £30.02 for Children in Need. So thank you very much. We are also building our community cooking sets with the money from the bring and buy sale.

WIN WIN WIN!!!

If you would like a chance to win our Christmas hamper, tickets are on sale now at £1 a strip. Good luck.

Our 'Making Bathtime Treats' session on Wednesday 18th November was a big success. Everyone went home with a tray full of treats and goodies, all smelling wonderful and wrapped beautifully.

'making bath time treats' session

Tuesday: So today we made a giant seedy cake (more nutmeg, less brandy!), sold a pile of Pudsey cakes for Children in Need, re-homed an enormous blue fluffy elephant and had a generally good day. The best was when two people met and swapped numbers - a chance meeting over a cup of coffee that resulted in a new friendship. That's what we are there for. You can never have too many people to have coffee with.

Monday: Wow! Where has the Autumn gone? I cannot believe the year is flying by so fast. On Wednesday (18th Nov) we have our 'making bath-time treats session and then we are on the road to Christmas. Our Bring and buy sale is still going strong and people are bringing in new things every day. I have started building our community cooking kits which is where the bring and buy sale money is going. We are hoping to start the 'Cooking at Cafe Sustain' session early in the new year.

Jan and I have achieved something special today. During a chat between two of our very special customers at coffee morning, Marilyn and Joan were reminiscing about food from their childhoods and caraway seed cake in particular. Jan and I rose to the challenge and thanks to Mrs Beeton's online recipe from 1797(!) we made our very first caraway seed cake. Having munched on caraway seeds during the preparation, I did not hold out much hope but somehow, mixed together with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg and baked in a light sponge (I need to add here that Mrs Beeton mentioned neither self raising flour nor baking powder but I hope she would be impressed by our creativity) the seeds turn into something magical. When you bite into the cake it is perfumed like the earl grey tea of the cake world. But when you bite through a seed you get a big burst of caraway. And half an hour later I could still taste the lingering flavour of the cake. The cake whose flavour lasts - on and on. In fact it took a large plate of carbonara to budge the taste. Forget the earl grey - it's the Duracell of the cake world. We can't wait to show Joan and Marilyn. Fingers crossed. Thank you Mrs Beeton

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our charity cupcakes

October 2009 -

You (and we) are loving our bring and buy sale. It is a real giggle and we are practising our bartering, although we are not very good at it. We tend to put it to the customer vote. Sale of the day was a cuddly duck bought for Broc, the very well loved dog. Broc even did a wag-past the window in the afternoon to say thank you. Don't forget it is fun day tomorrow.

Come along to our fun day on Wednesday 28th October - it's going to be brilliant. Lots of fun and pocket money prices. Great prizes and lots of goodies.

ON FRIDAY WE WOULD LIKE YOUR BRING & BUY SALE DONATIONS THIS WEEK PLEASE.

Thank you to everyone has donated - we are off to a flying start. We are raising money for cooking equipment so we can run community cooking sessions.

Why not become a follower on Twitter - see left hand column

We are in the Express & Echo today!!! (Friday 16th October)

We have started a countdown to our bring & buy and our funday...

Days until the bring & buy - 9 days

Days until the fun day - 11 days

Our Team

Wow!!! Really?! TWITTER & FACEBOOK - yes, yes, yes!

You can follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CafeSustain

or find us on facebook - just search Cafe Sustain

Bring and Buy Sale 

What a day!

We are getting busier and busier and we love it. Watch out if you live in the local area as we are popping free tea and coffee vouchers through your letter boxes. We have had such a great response.

We have had a whole sting of buffets this week for various groups and occasions. Thank you for all your positive feedback. We really appreciate it.

Well done to Carol Jolliffe who won last weeks quiz (although she doesn't know it yet). Next week is a maths problem solving quiz! Get your thinking caps on.

PS is you are nearby pop in for some gingerbread - it's fabulous and with this foul weather it is flying out. It is winter's version of carrot cake but the look of things.

Making Winter Remedies

We had a really successful evening making lotions and potions. Simon Mills taught us how to make cough syrup, lozenges, a fantastic drink for shifting the most stubborn cold as well as a cream for cracked winter skin.

"It was and interesting, educational experience" Sylvia.

"It was very hands on. Simon is hugely experienced but he explained things really clearly." Jan

Simon Mills teaching us about lozenges                                                              Mixing up the gum tragacanth

Dr Burton making the lozenges                                                                         The mucilaginous gum mixture

Judith shaping the lozenges                                                                                               The finished product

The group working together to produce the lozenges...Oh no, it's Jan working hard and everyone else watching her beaver away - some things never change. Poor Jan.

September 2009

Relaxation Techniques

Sarah Hewlett demonstrating the reflex points on the feet

Sarah demonstrating acupressure on her special chair

Nicole and Susan having a go on their guinea pigs Jan and Steve

Congratulations to the Bradleys who one last weeks quiz. The £5 voucher is yours. It is a wordsearch this week so come and have a go for your chance to win.

Come and check out our Rainbow Days Table just outside the cafe. We have themed days with appropriate bits and pieces for each day.

I have just come back from a wonderful session with Sarah Hewlett. She taught us techniques for relaxation as well as demonstrating massage techniques. Brilliant - thank you Sarah. I will write some more tomorrow as well as adding some pictures. Night Night.

• LAST CHANCE to get the final few places on Sarah Hewlett's excellent RELAXATION TECHNIQUES on Tuesday at 5pm. Contact the surgery and ask to be put through to the cafe for further informaton.

• If you would like the quiz answers we have them all in the Cafe for you to look at.  Just ask Jan or myself. Remember to enter - there is a new quiz every Monday. Answer sheets to be in to the Cafe by Friday at 4:30pm.

• Quiche Lorraine a la Cafe Sustain and Individual Pepperoni pizzas next week.

Farmers Market

Maddocks Farm Organics

I had a fantastic time this morning looking around Jan Billington's organic vegetable garden. Such a brilliant place with the polytunnels and raised beds. Jan is going to supply us with vegetables as from Monday. She is also going to be a real help when it comes to our kitchen garden as she has all the tips to keep our kale and sprouts caterpillar free in the coming years as well as supplying us with some yummy but hardier leaves for the garden. Thank you Jan.

Computer Cartridges Collection - thank you for the first donations

We are now collecing used computer cartridges for recycling. If you have any please pop them in the collection box in the cafe for us to sort. Thank you.

Pepperoni pizza and bacon & egg quiche next week along with all our other goodies!

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FUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

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So Jan and I are planning some key events for the coming months.

We have our sessions:

Jan and myself will be at the courses to look after everybody and join in ourselves so there will always be a familar face when you arrive. If you would like to arrive 15 minutes before the start we will spoil you with a cup of tea or coffee on the house.

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We are also well under way with the planning of our funday which will happen every Wednesday of every half term throughout the year. So the 1st one will be on WEDNESDAY 28th OCTOBER. We are very excited and have lots of things planned for you so pop it in your diary and don't miss it.

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29th November 2008

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Brian has worked really hard this week to improve the drainage for the box hedge. He has put a drain down the side of the green man closest to the path and dug some sand in too. He has plans to scrape the branches too in an attempt to make the box hedge a little healthier. Thank you Brian.

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18th November 2008

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We now have a new featured herb. Sage plants are the lobby with the new postcards.

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Brian, Chris and Simon are planning a revamp of the garden over the winter to put the plants that are in temporary homes into their permanent ones.

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12th September 2008

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The big event in September was the visit of HRH Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for the official opening of the Culm Valley Centre for Integrated Health. They took time to visit the Physic Garden and clearly showed their interest in the exhibits!  

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Standing in front of the Physic Garden in the picture above, from left to right: Brian Chubb, Chris Fuller, Adrian Lovatt, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Joey Lee, HRH The Prince of Wales, Simon Mills, Dr Michael Dixon (senior partner at Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health).

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A big thank you to Adrian Lovatt from the Eden Project who drove up to Cullumpton with a van full of plants for the physic garden. This included four trees which we have planted at the entrance by the garden. Also a huge thank you to Chris Fuller and Brian Chubb, our gardeners and patient support group members, who worked really hard to get the new plants into the ground.

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This month our herb of the month is Rosemary.

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31st July

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The variable weather has allowed the Physic Garden plants to settle in while we sort out long-term arrangements for their watering. However some of the box hedge has suffered a little with yellowing. We expect this to be a temporary problem and will be feeding the plants appropriately. New plants will be arriving soon, thanks to Eden Project. A brand new display board and other signage are also on their way.

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Note the Lemon Balm plant in the lobby with the new postcards.

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30th June 2008

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Simon Mills gave a free talk at Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health on Wednesday. The talk was open to everyone and drew over 30 including patients, partners from the practice and other health professionals. Thank you to everyone who came and we hope you enjoyed yourselves and thank you to the Patient Support Group who organised the evening.

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28th June 2008

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There are more signs in the physic garden now. We have added information on Valerian, peppermint and evening primrose.

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13th June 2008

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Lavender is the featured herb for this month and there is a wonderful specimen in the lobby at the practice. If you are in the practice, take a look at the information on lavender and help yourself to a postcard.

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12 June 2008

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The physic garden has really grown with our wet and warm spring. After some experimentation we have found a way to write on slates (a big thank you to the local Free-cyclers who gave us the slates), so our labelling has started. Please take a moment to have a look at the garden. If you walk up to the top with your back to the practice, you can get a much better view of the green box hedge man. We would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Chris who has put many hours into keeping the garden weed-free and looking good.