Page 34 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
‘Erm…’ It was the obvious next question when you thought about it. ‘We could do little mini interviews with some of the real students, I thought? Just super short. Like what they learned. And…’ And what? Jodie was not a social media guru. She mostly mindlessly scrolled through reposted Reddit threads and Instagram reels of what people’s toddlers ate in a day. ‘And sprouts! Obviously. Loads of stuff with sprouts.’
Bella laughed. ‘You really think you can make sprouts happen.’
Jodie did not think that at all. She nodded anyway. ‘Why not?’ There were a million reasons why not. It wasn’t even clear to Jodie how talking about sprouts online would help them get through the incoming glut anyway. ‘I’ll film some normal stuff as well. Just bits of the class we can use for promotion.’ Was that right?
‘We’ll have to ask their permission, but if anyone objects we can work around them. And you can film me doing demos.’ Bella paused. ‘Probably don’t put full demos online? I guess we don’t want to be giving it away free?’
Jodie followed her boss back into the castle kitchen.
‘Unless that’s like a loss leader sort of thing,’ Bella continued. ‘And you think it’s worth it to give people a proper taste of what they’d get if they came on a course?’
Loss leaders? They were a thing, weren’t they? That was what Diane had called it when they gave away yesterday’s croissants free with large drinks at the coffee shop. ‘I think on social media people always want more content, so we could probably put some demos up.’ That was how Jodie scrolled anyway. Like how she never tired of watching buttered toast being cut down into toddler-appropriate triangles. Logically she should, but actually every video just made her want to watch more.
‘Whatever you think. Our marketing and promotion are in your hands.’
Jodie tried not to look actively terrified at the idea.
‘Lunch is just soup and bread rolls. They’re not quite the right shape. I’m keeping the nicer-looking ones for them to make steak sandwiches this afternoon.’
‘I’m sure it’ll be great.’ She watched Bella ladle soup into bowls. ‘It’s not sprout, is it?’
Bella grinned. ‘I did think about it. Chicken and vegetable so you’re safe. Using up the veggies from the garden that were about to go over, and roast chicken in the fridge from the weekend. Waste not, want not.’
Jodie shuddered at the familiar phrase from childhood. Everything in Jodie’s home had been handed down, repurposed and mended a thousand times. She could picture her mother scooping leftovers into a big pan on the stove. ‘Waste not, want not,’ she would say, just like Bella.
‘What’s up?’
‘Nothing. It smells great.’ She started on the soup, which, like everything Bella had served her so far, was absolutely delicious. ‘This is wonderful.’
‘We’re not paying you very much. The least I can do is feed you.’
They ate quickly and then Jodie was happy to help Bella set up for the cookery school session. She had a very clear idea of where she wanted everything and Jodie was very happy to be able to look helpful without having to demonstrate any aptitude for events planning or marketing.
Adam appeared as they were finishing up, grabbed a bowl and heated the rest of the soup in the microwave. ‘You don’t need me for anything this afternoon?’
Bella shook her head. ‘Gemma’s here if I need another pair of hands.’
‘Great. I’ll be in the office if anything kicks off.’
Bella laughed. ‘If anything kicks off?’
‘You never know. Room full of men with whisks – anything could happen.’
‘Yeah. Someone could over-beat their meringue. The horror!’ She kissed her fiancé quickly on the lips.
Jodie looked away. Had she and Gemma shared that sort of casual intimacy? Not recently, she thought. Gemma hadn’t liked big public displays of affection anyway.
‘And Pavel’s coming. I think he’d be way more help than you if someone got fighty.’
Adam shook his head. ‘Charming.’
The first students appeared at the kitchen door as Adam disappeared. Bella was all smiles. Jodie tried to think how Gemma would behave. Friendly but professional – a perfectly competent middle ground between Jodie’s own twin tendencies to withdraw into herself or be entirely too much. Bella thrust a sheet of paper into her hand. ‘Can you tick people off? It’ll give you a chance to meet everyone.’
‘OK.’ The first two students were older men – one in his seventies at least and the other maybe fifty or sixty.
The older man nodded at her. ‘They call me Strachan.’
‘And me,’ the younger one added.
