Page 65 of The Seaside Supper Club

That was at least a hundred pounds to find on top of all the catering expenses. But hey, where would you get a live band for a hundred pounds these days? Cath figured.

‘They’re really good.’ Lily vouched for them. ‘I heard them perform in a show at the Alnwick Playhouse at the end of term.’

‘Oh, it would be brilliant, having a real band to dance to,’ said Dan.

‘And they can play the 50s stuff?’ Nikki clarified.

‘Yeah, that’s what they do. It’s like their thing, Big Band Swing,’ confirmed Lily. ‘After their concert earlier in the year, they’ve stuck with it. And I’m sure they’ll do extra requests on the day, too, if it’s something they know.’

‘Ah, the oldies will so love it,’ said Andreas with a smile.

‘Okay, let’s go for it. In for a penny, in for a pound,’ agreed Cath. If they were going to do it, they’d damn well do this thing properly. ‘Get them booked in, Lily.’ It felt good to have a decision made. ‘And now, let’s get some detail on the food.’

Andreas launched into singing ‘Food, Glorious Food’, as he passed around more slightly warm baklava. He’d been up early baking this morning.

‘Afternoon tea.’ Lily jumped in. ‘This sounds soo like my kind of thing. I’m looking forward to this, it’s so cool. I can make loads of mini cakes and bite-sized pavlovas. They’ll have to look really pretty and dainty, too. Maybe something lemony, a summer fruits one, and there has to be something chocolatey or caramel.’

‘Oh yes, we absolutely need chocolate in there,’ agreed Nikki, her eyes lighting up.

‘Okay, leave this with me,’ confirmed Lily, seemingly in her element. ‘I’ve already had a word with Mum, and she’s agreed to help bake. We’ll do the top tier of cakes and fancies.’

‘Are you sure? That’s an awful lot of work. You do realise we’ll be catering for forty plus people. How about if I make a big batch of scones, then,’ Cath offered, feeling that she needed to do her bit with the baking.

‘Why don’t I do a batch of chocolate tiffin,’ Nikki chipped in. ‘We can cut it into cute bite-sized squares. My mam’s got a brilliant recipe. The boys just love it.’

‘Okay, great,’ said Lily. ‘So that’s the chocolate option sorted.’

‘Thanks, Niks,’ added Cath.

‘We could bake some additional scones, too,’ added Andreas. ‘I take it we’ll be having a cream tea.’

‘Of course, how can you have afternoon tea without supersoft scones with jam and cream?’ confirmed Cath.

‘And I can do loads of little sandwiches,’ offered Nikki. ‘I can get the boys to help. They’ll be off on school holidays by then. It’ll be good to keep them occupied. And though they moaned a bit last time, they really did enjoy helping out. Hmm, I’d love to see them dressed up smartly as waiters. Mind you, I’ll have to peel them out of their trackies and trainers.’

‘On that note,’ added Cath, feeling far more animated about the project already with the buzz of enthusiasm around the table, ‘I’d love for us all to dress the part too, 50s tea dance style. Dresses for the ladies, and suits or smart jackets for the gents.’

‘Oh, and stylish hair. That gorgeously glamorous Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren look,’ added Nikki.

Lily gave a groan. ‘Really? And how do I achieve that with a crop?’

‘Think vintage,’ added Andreas. ‘Yes, I’ve got it, what about Audrey Hepburn, she was certainly cool with her pixie crop. I bet we can get a good haul of suits, and styles, over at the charity shop in Kirkton.’

‘Hah, yeah, cos most of the townsfolk there are ancient,’ added Lily, sarcastically. ‘Probably been wearing it all since the 50s.’

‘Well, I think it’s a great idea,’ said Cath. ‘No one needs to spend a fortune that way.’

‘I suppose I could try the Hepburn thing,’ Lily conceded, having quickly checked out the icon on her phone, and evidently liking the look.

‘That’s my girl,’ said Andreas, adding, ‘Right, my time is up. We said we’d switch after twenty minutes. I’ll go and relieve Dan. Ooh, now then, fancy.’ He gave a cheeky grin. ‘I didn’t mean it to sound like that.’

What was he like? The girls shook their heads at him, unable to hold back the grins that creased their lips.

He headed out of the room, chuckling to himself. With the swap made, Dan was now in the brainstorming hot seat. And funding was at the top of the agenda.

‘Okay, we did agree at the start of all this that it should be a free event for all those coming along. So, any ideas?’ Dan prompted.

‘Well, we originally thought of the raffle for a hamper of tea-time treats, perhaps with a bottle of bubbly,’ started Cath. ‘I’d be happy to approach a few local businesses for donations towards it. And we can do a tombola on the day. That’d be fairly easy to organise and everyone seems to enjoy that.’