The Seafront Tea Rooms Read online

  ‘I suppose I can wait,’ he joked.

  ‘And as for where Séraphine lives, you’ll see that for yourself soon enough.’

  They’d arranged to visit Séraphine and Carla in the early autumn, in their new house in Bordeaux. Zoe hadn’t stopped talking about the trip, and Leo hadn’t stopped talking about the aeroplane.

  Séraphine had found a job at a language school in the city, and Carla was setting up a bakery nearby. Séraphine had told Kat at the wedding that she and Carla still went back to see her parents for Sunday lunch each week, but moving out of the village had given her some breathing space. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Guillaume had been the one who had stayed on in the village, working at a bike repair shop and rehearsing with a new band.

  Charlie and Euan had been invited to Bordeaux as well, but for the time being they were much too busy. Charlie had her hands full getting ready for the opening of The Dome, her new restaurant, and praying that the food critics would be kind. She’d been making changes to Euan’s flat, too, including – after finding her brand-new high heels in shreds – an outdoor kennel for Bagel.

  Despite their schedules, Charlie and Kat made time to meet every Saturday afternoon at the Seafront – a sacred appointment that Euan and Adam knew to stay well away from. There, over scones, they’d talk, and that time was precious to both of them.

  Kat got up and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. As it boiled, she got milk from the fridge. Pinned to the fridge door, among recipes torn from magazines and Leo’s paintings, was a card with a photograph of a lavender field on the front. She took off the magnet holding it, and flipped it over.

  Inside, in pretty, curled handwriting, was a message:

  Kat,

  Whether here in France, or at home in the tea rooms, you bring sunshine into my life. What you might not realise is that, one way or another, you always have.

  Thank you for finding a way to forgive me.

  Letty x

  Kat brushed away a happy tear, and put the postcard back.

  Hello,

  I hope you enjoyed meeting Kat, Charlie, Letty and Séraphine in The Seafront Tea Rooms. All the women are passionate about baking, and it’s one of the things that brings them together. Here are some recipes for the cakes and treats that help shape their relationships, so that you can share them with your own friends and family.

  Happy baking (and brewing!)

  Love, Vanessa x

  Letty’s Classic English Scones

  Makes 12 scones

  2.5 ml/½ tsp salt

  40–50 g/1½–2 oz butter

  150 ml/¼ pint of milk

  225 g/8 oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

  5 ml/1 tsp cream of tartar

  2.5 ml/½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

  Oven: 425 ºF/220 ºC/Mark 7 for 12–15 minutes

  You’ll also need: a pastry cutter with a diameter of about 5 cm; plenty of jam and clotted cream – plus friends to share these with!

  Lightly butter a baking sheet.

  Sift the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda or baking soda and salt into a bowl together. Rub or cut in the butter, rubbing the mixture until it forms large crumbs with a flaky texture.

  Mix in the milk and stir to form a soft dough.

  Roll out to a thickness of around 1 cm and cut into rounds with your pastry cutter.

  Arrange the scones on the baking sheet fairly close together, and dust them with flour.

  Bake until they rise and turn golden.

  Serve! These really are best when eaten warm from the oven with a good dollop of cream and jam.

  Séraphine’s Magnificent Madeleines

  Makes 24 madelines

  100 g/4 oz unsalted butter, melted

  Finely grated rind and juice of half a lemon

  110 g/4 oz self-raising flour

  2 eggs, separated

  100 g/4 oz caster sugar

  Oven: 375 ºF/190 ºC/Mark 5. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.

  You’ll also need two madeleine trays (or muffin tins/jam tart trays will work too)

  Lightly butter the madeleine tins.

  Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are thoroughly mixed but still bright yellow.

  Beat in the melted butter, lemon juice and rind.

  Sift the flour over the surface and fold in.

  Stir the egg whites with a fork, and then beat them well into the mixture.

  Spoon a small amount of mixture into each mould and bake in the centre of the oven.

  Cool slightly in the moulds before gently easing out on to wire racks to cool.

  Enjoy them with a hot drink while they are still warm.

  Charlie’s Deliciously Indulgent Florentines

  Makes 12 Florentines

  90 g/2½ oz butter

  100 g/4 oz caster sugar

  100 g/4 oz flaked almonds, chopped

  50 g/2 oz sultanas

  6 glace cherries, chopped

  25 g/1 oz cut mixed peel

  15 ml/1 tbsp single cream

  175 g/6 oz plain chocolate

  Oven: 350 ºF/180 ºC/Mark 4 for 10 minutes

  You’ll also need: three baking sheets, parchment paper, palette knife/spatula.

  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

  Melt the butter in a large pan and stir in the sugar. Boil them together for one minute, then remove the pan from the heat.

  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except for the chocolate.

  Drop small rounded heaps of the mixture on to the baking sheet, keeping them far apart, one in each corner, as they will spread quite a lot.

  Bake until they are golden.

  Using your palette knife or spatula, nudge the Florentines into their classic circular shape, then leave them to harden for five minutes.

  Transfer them to a wire rack, taking care not to break them.

  Leave them to cool.

  Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.

  Coat the flat side of each Florentine with chocolate, then trace a fork over it to make the distinctive wavy pattern.

  Leave them to set.

  Dive in!

  Kat’s Perfect Afternoon Tea

  Your brew

  Choose your equipment carefully – a glazed china or earthenware teapot is best – and your tea even more so. A classic black tea from India or Ceylon, a Darjeeling or Assam, is a nice place to start, unblended so you can appreciate the flavour. If you are already a tea aficionado and fancy trying something different, then jasmine is a refreshing alternative, and some people enjoy the smoky flavours of Lapsang Souchong.

  Setting the scene

  A tiered cake stand makes the perfect centrepiece. Otherwise, use your best crockery and make it a little more special with lace doilies, folded napkins or personalised name plates – edible names piped on to gingerbread are a nice touch. Charity shops and car boot sales are great places to find reasonably priced chinaware – mismatched floral tea cups and saucers are ideal. Silver cake slices for serving lend a real sense of ceremony.

  Soundtrack – music is a must for a memorable afternoon tea. For a 1920s, Gatsby-esque atmosphere, opt for jazz; or for a wartime feel, choose Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald tracks.

  Most important of all, invite the best of friends – afternoon tea should be served with fine company and plenty of laughter.

  Enjoy!

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Manpreet Grewal, my brilliant editor, for her ideas, inspiration and attention to detail at every stage. Also to my agents, Caroline Hardman and Joanna Swainson, for their invaluable advice and support.

  I’m grateful to the team at Sphere for working with such determination and creativity to get this book out to readers. In particular, Thalia Proctor, Sian Wilson, Sarah Shea, Stephie Melrose and all the folk in Sales.

  I couldn’t have written this without my mum, Sheelagh, who gave me space to write by looking after my son
, and gave me useful feedback on the first draft. Thanks also to Susan, his other grandmother, for her friendship, and her kindness in sharing my novels in Chestnut Avenue and beyond.

  To Caroline and Emma, fellow friends of books – and to Katharine, Lisa and all the girls. Thanks also to Miki, Elaine, Paula and Bee – for the laughter, no-holds-barred conversation and plentiful cake while we all got used to being mums.

  Thanks to James for always being by my side. And finally to Finn, who, as I finished writing this book, learned how to turn a page. I’m sorry this one doesn’t have flaps or squeakers.

  Table of Contents

  About the Author

  Also by Vanessa Greene

  COPYRIGHT

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  The Seafront Tea Rooms

  Part One

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  Part Two

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  Part Three

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  Epilogue

  Letty’s Classic English Scones

  Séraphine’s Magnificent Madeleines

  Charlie’s Deliciously Indulgent Florentines

  Kat’s Perfect Afternoon Tea

  Acknowledgements