Yesterday Jane hosted a ladies’ luncheon. Bear in mind that this was for 24 of us, most of whom were unknown to each other, and it was the day before Christmas Eve…

We each turned up with our designated dishes. What a spread this ended up being! The main courses were labelled and separated into veggie and non-veggie. There was a cheese section (leftover cheese would most likely be made into savoury bread and butter pudding, we were later informed – what a good idea!) and a pudding section. One intriguing offering looked like chocolate puddings in terracotta flowerpots – these turned out to be silicone moulds from Lakeland. ( http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16187/Lakeland-6-Flowerpot-Muffin-Cases )

Once everyone had arrived, Jane instructed us each to take a folded piece of paper. This turned out to have the room of the house where we were to eat in small groups – breakfast room, dining room, sitting room, studio (yes, studio). To avoid a stampede, or more likely a humongous queue for the food, each group would go when called. You’ll have guessed by now that Jane used to be a teacher!

“How do you know Jane?” was a common icebreaker. Well, it turned out that several of us had met Jane through our love of crafts and car boots.

And that is one of the wonderful things I love about what I do: meeting people like Jane. Jane is more than a customer, she has become a friend.

Thank you Jane!