Wednesday 4 June, Aussie Pies and chips

Another lovely day weather wise. I didn't even bother with breakfast this morning as we needed to be at the community centre to set up.

Lunch is from 12 to 1.30 so by 11.30 we figured we were well on track to have everything ready for midday. Diane's husband Bill was in charge of the deep fryer, cooking the chips. I insisted on calling them chips. I was having none of this "fries" malarkey!

Vicki and I were worried that no one world come but that worry soon disappeared as our first customer walked in the door at 20 to 12! I had to turn her away as we were not going to have everything hot enough and cooked until 12. So off she toddled choosing to return, and then at 10 to 12 in come another elderly couple! Diane figured it wasn't worth turning them away so I took their money and asked them to be seated until the food was ready. By 12.15 every seat at the big table was taken! Vicki was in charge of plating up the food and I took the money and served. Diane was relegated to doing the dishes, bless her. We even had people ring in orders for take away...

At one stage we had people sitting in the lounge waiting for a space at any of the tables. Unbelievable! For the princely sum of $6 for the main meal, $3 for dessert and $2 for coffee, tea or soft drink, the meals were being snaked up so quickly that we had a waiting list as our Bill couldn't keep up with the hot chips.

By 10 to 1 we had sold all the pies, all 31 of them. We had to turn people away or offer them just hot chips and dessert which some of them accepted. One dear soul Margaret, who is in her 80s and is notorious for only ever eating half the meal whatever it is, and taking the other half home for her finger, came up to me with a clean plate, telling me that she ate it all because it was so good and she couldn't leave any for later. Im not sure what she will have for dinner now.

Margaret is in the green cardigan, bless her.

The elderly couple who came in early are quite surly so I wasn't expecting any feedback on the meal from them, but low and behold, next thing I know, up walks Mr "I'm wearing suspenders" and asks for another pie and chips plus 2 desserts to take away for their dinner tonight! You could have knocked me over with a feather... I said to him that this was high praise that he wanted another meal for take away. He just said, I won't have to get anything else for dinner tonight. So much for a recommendation... Diane had told us to make about 20 pies. But yesterday we kept making them because of all the mixture I had made. Vicki initially decided to take 24 to the centre and she would freeze the rest for her and Joe, but then she decided just to keep 4 for themselves and we would take the remaining 31 to the centre, expecting to bring some home again. So much for that idea as there weren't even any left for our lunch. Suffice to say that the Aussie pie and chips were a huge success. Vicki says a lot of interest from locals who don't normally come to Wednesday lunch may have been influenced by the Facebook notice which said that Chef Karen from Australia was preparing meal.

Vicki thought that maybe they expected a real chef. I just told them that I was Australia's female equivalent of Gordon Ramsay. Vicki had quite a laugh at the AI suggestions about Chef Karen.

Finally it was time to close up shop so with the tables cleared, our last customers out the door and all the dishes done, we head for home. I'm certainly more than a bit hungry now so Vicki graciously takes one of the pies out of the freezer and heats it up along with some of the left over chips and I finally get to taste one of our pies. I know that self praise is no recommendation, but it was bloody good. To help wash it down nicely, we had my favourite Canadian Chardonnay, Nk'mip. What a day. Time for a bit of a rest, I reckon. Joe made a late dinner for us and it was restaurant quality. Chicken taco bowl! Yum.

Some tv viewing and sharing the couch with the fur babies, then off to bed.