The day Kate Moss dropped by...

Last Friday night,as one of our regulars chatted to Chef at the bar, he casually bemoaned the fact that his usual and much anticipated leisurely Saturday afternoon pint and browse of the papers must be forgone this week. Annoyingly,his presence was required elsewhere,namely helping out (in his capacity as husband of one of the leading lights of the PTA) at our local village primary school fete.

Come Saturday lunchtime, the weather was glorious,perfect for enjoying a relaxing cool beer in the garden,a fact which Chef duly noted and which prompted the cheeky little message which he subsequently sent to said regular:

Kate Moss is drinking Mojitos in the garden.

To which said regular replied:

Really????

There then followed a quite lengthy delay prior to Chefs next message response.This was due to the high volume of orders which rapidly backed up in the kitchen.At times such as this,there is no opportunity to check ones phone for messages,let alone respond.

This delay proved crucial in the unforeseen events which unfolded.

It was two further hours before Chefs next response:

Covent Garden....


Come early evening,said regular arrived at the pub in good spirits(tasks satisfactorily completed),ready for a well earned beer and some craic.Light heartedly,he informed Chef that by the time he'd received the message "Covent Garden" he had already spread the word amongst most of the parents at the school Fete regarding our surprise celebrity visitor.The story had gained momentum throughout the course of the afternoon. (So much so that one of our staff arriving at work the following Monday,informed us that two of her friends had actually spoken to Kate Moss in the garden last Saturday....)

At this point,Chef related the story to me.
Self:OMG what if it makes the local paper??
Don't be stupid-if it does we'll just deny all knowledge...haven't you heard of "no comment"...

As a food led pub,our bar takings are always reasonably predictable.Obviously, there's a bit of variation depending on outside influences such as the weather,but the food till is undoubtedly the "cash cow".

Later that night as Fagin Chef totted up the days takings his eyes gleamed mischievously..

Mmmm the bar was busy today.

Self:Ah yes, it was a really lovely afternoon.

Nothing to do with the fact Kate Moss was in the garden then??


Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. ~John Lennon

I couldn't help but think that sometimes the line between reality and hype is really fuzzy....

These events highlighted some important issues:

a.The impact of social media as an immediate and powerful marketing tool(Ah- but you knew that anyway,didn't you?)

b.Were takings at the annual school fundraising event inexplicably and disappointingly low????(Note to self:make more generous donation next year)

lastly and most importantly:

c.WTF was Kate Moss doing drinking cocktails in a provincial pub garden????


As its some years now since I graduated from Cocktail school,I thought Id better brush up on my technique.After all,you never know who might drop by next weekend...


The perfect Mojito

You will need:
Fresh mint(plenty of it)
White rum
Sugar syrup
Fresh limes
Sparkling water or soda

The original Cuban recipe called for spearmint but any mint is fine as long as its fresh.We used apple mint as we have a humongous plant growing in the garden.
First, make some sugar syrup using 2 parts sugar to one part water,heat to dissolve then allow to cool.You can store this in the fridge and use as needed.
Bruise some mint leaves in the bottom of a sturdy glass and add some sugar syrup.Add the white rum,some fresh lime juice and top up with sparkling water and plenty of ice.Stir vigorously.Garnish with mint sprigs and a wedge of lime.
I haven't specified exact quantities as that defies the point,its best thrown together spontaneously(in the Cuban manner) and to your own taste!



Chin,chin!

PS Whilst drinking these I strongly recommend you listen to anything Alex Cuba.I particularly like this tune.