Karen Wright: A very merry afternoon at Rich and Fancy

It is a gorgeous little cafe in Queen Street run by Richard the chef and his amazing wife Louise. Not only is the food wonderful and excellent value, but the ethos of the cafe is aspirational and quite philanthropic. Richard and Louise also encourage local crafters and artists to use the space in the evenings to hold workshops and all sorts of fun things. Plus, there are monthly evening meals that are always popular and need to be booked early to avoid disappointment.

Rich and Louise decided to hold a Christmas lunch at cost price for their elderly patrons and that is where I come in. I saw on social media that Claire Young from Wakefield who was on the Apprentice a few years ago had offered to waitress as she is a friend of the cafe. I jumped on the bandwagon and offered my help too.

On the day itself we arrived and took our places front of house to greet our diners as they arrived. Once everyone was seated, it was time to serve the first course. It was soup and it was my job to swirl the cream on top of each bowl to make it look fancy. Then it was on to the Christmas dinner itself with all the trimmings. I watched Richard plate up very carefully as I am always on the lookout for tips to get everything out on time and hot! After we had cleared the plates, it was time for pudding. Richard had made sticky toffee; oh, it was divine!

What a dinner and what a learning curve for me, it was fascinating to see everything come together without any glitches. We finished the proceedings with a free raffle and then a rousing rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I look forward to helping again next year.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best this Christmas time. I know for some people it is a difficult, I do hope though that whatever your circumstances are that you can find some comfort and joy and look forward to brighter times ahead.

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!