I hope everyone has been enjoying the summer sunshine. There is so much going on that this is a rather long newsletter!
First of all I want to thank Sioban for her talk at our Augustt meeting. Here is a link to CalAid’s web page if you would like to find out more or make a donation.
Nearly as importantly we need to start thinking about and baking for Countryside Live. The event takes place over two days – the 24th and 25th Sept, in the Lea Valley, near the ice rink. Click here to find out more.
This is our largest fundraising event of the year and enables us to pay for speakers, buy supplies for our meetings, offer bursaries and make donations to causes we support. Over the last few years we have raised around £1500’s at this one event – which is an amazing amount of cake and tea - so as much help as possible is required. A quick reminder of a few key points:
- Most cakes can made in advance and frozen (before they are iced)
- Due to not having any refrigeration facilities on site, we prefer not to have butter cream or soft cheese icings.
- Some gluten free and vegan friendly offerings are always appreciated
- Children friendly cakes, such as smaller cupcakes, we can sell at lower prices are also good
- We need a list of ingredients to go with each cake, so we can answer any questions for those with food allergies
- If you keep receipts and send them to us with your bank details we are happy to reimburse for ingredients
In addition we will need help on both days, usually 3-4 people are needed at a time. To serve cake, tea & coffee and take money. If you are able to help, or have any questions, please email Natasha.chetwynd@sky.com or call/text 0770 1015588
At our next meeting, on Tues 20th Sept, for our main speaker we have invited Caroline from Growing Concerns to come and talk about our local plant nursery and its history.
Phillip Green from Boundary Green Fun Palaces event will also be coming to tell us about their event on 1st Oct. They are looking for crafters and bakers to help on the day. Clicking on the link above will take you to more information, including the link to a free documentary film screening on 12th Sept at Rich Mix which some of us have already got tickets for.
Alongside all this we would like to have a Harvest Festival Food Swap. It will be an opportunity for those with excess produce from their gardens or allotments to donate/swap produce, and for those that don’t, to bring in donations in exchange for fresh/homemade produce in support of Bow Food Bank, following their visit earlier this year. As a reminder they accept a wide variety of - in date - tinned or dried food, ranging from meat and fish products to fruit and veg, rice and pasta. (They find fresh food more difficult to cope with.) As well as toiletries and cleaning products.
Finally, we will have an ugly fruit or vegetable competition. Please bring your entries.
Our next coffee morning is on 23rd Sept, from 1030 at Kiki - 516 Roman Rd, E3 5ES. Before this, from 9am, there is a tea/coffee morning and guided tour of the new exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Rd, E3.
Many thanks for getting to the end of this rather lengthy message – if you have!
Best wishes
Natasha
