Page 35 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
Jodie checked her list. There they were halfway down.Old Man StrachanandYoung Strachan.‘Right. I can’t call you both Strachan.’
The faces she was looking into were blank. ‘Everyone else does.’
‘Aye. And my boy’s parking up. He’s Strachan too.’
Jodie rechecked the list. There he was in neatly typed letters:Also Strachan????The row of question marks reassured her. Even Bella had recognised the Strachan thing was getting silly at this point. A younger man came in – maybe nineteen or twenty, closely followed by Pavel Stone.
‘Pav’s got some labouring work for me next week, Dad, if you don’t need us on the farm.’
‘Vet’s coming on Monday but apart from that you’re fine.’
The boy looked back at Pavel. ‘Tuesday to Friday OK?’
‘Great. Thanks, Strach. You’ve helped me out there.’
The young lad disappeared into the castle to use the toilet and the older man shook Pavel’s hand. ‘Thanks for that. It does him the world of good to get out and off the farm for a day. And the money he brings in makes all the difference.’ He turned to Bella. ‘Your lad’s been great holding the rent level but it’s getting harder and harder, and we’ll need to start adding to the flock’s feed soon.’
‘I know. Anything we can do to help, let us know. And take a lasagne with you when you go. For you. Not for the herd.’ She turned to Pavel. ‘You too.’
‘And some sprouts,’ Jodie added.
The men stared at her. Pavel shook his head. ‘Already got a load from Hugh.’
Old Man Strachan smiled at Bella. ‘We’ll take the lasagne though. And there’s all the lamb you can use for you next year, lass.’
‘Which we will pay you a fair price for.’
The old man shook his head. ‘Better than that other lot offer anyway.’
‘What other lot?’ Jodie asked.
Oldest Strachan frowned. ‘You can tell you’re new round here.’
Young Strachan clarified. ‘The McKenzies. Offered to buy our lamb for their shop, paying less than the supermarkets. And he’s all shouting about locally sourced everything and charging his customers a premium for it.’
Bella shook her head. ‘The more he runs the price down, the more chance you’ll pack it in and we’ll lose the rent. One more step towards Adam having to sell.’
Old Man Strachan patted her hand. ‘You won’t let it come to that though, will you?’
‘Not if I can help it. And especially not now Gemma’s here to help.’ She turned to Jodie. ‘If we had a proper shop here we could sell produce from across the estate, not just our own herd. We should talk about that.’
‘OK.’ Great. She was starting a retail empire as well, and saving a whole community, not just one business. She felt her heart rate jump up. Breathe. Concentrate on the here and now. The final two students arrived. Two younger men. Jodie ticked them off her list, thankful for a simple, solid task.
The first of the pair told them he’d been sent by his mum because she didn’t think any woman would look twice at, in her words, such a useless domestic waste of space, and the second was here after an ultimatum from his girlfriend who sounded like she was regretting her foolishness for having looked twice. They both seemed harmless enough, but were very clear that their culinary skills peaked at pouring milk over cereal.
‘What about the rest of you? Does anyone cook very much already?’ Bella asked brightly.
The general staring at the floor suggested that no, the group were not regulars in the kitchen. Old Man Strachan piped up first. ‘My Betsy did everything in the kitchen.’
The younger Strachans both nodded. ‘Nana was a great cook,’ the youngest agreed.
‘Since she went, we’ve been a bit stuck in our ways, haven’t we, lads?’
‘Toast and ready meals,’ Middle Strachan confirmed.
‘And oven chips. And sausages. Granddad fries a mean sausage.’
‘What about you, Pavel?’
