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We creative writers love an event with plenty of fragrance, as there’s nothing quite like conjuring up a sense of smell to breathe life into a written piece. Kinver Village was full of distinctive odours last night for the Big Tree Switch On, and I’m not talking candle wax and reindeer droppings.
Small Business Saturday (https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/) may not be until 6th December, but lots of the local traders spilled out onto the High Street yesterday evening to tempt the gathering crowds with their wares – with mouth-watering results. Would it be home-made soup from Village Greens or sizzling burgers from The Butchery? We wavered, but instead headed to the hog roast, where a multitude was salivating nicely for hot pork rolls. The queue had grown considerably by the time it was our turn as it wasn’t what you could call fast food. My daughter began wondering whether to offer her services behind the counter. Worth waiting for, however: melt-in-the-mouth and flavour-packed, with a special mention for the crackling.
The overhead lights were already lit, as were the individual Christmas trees jutting out unicorn fashion at regular intervals above the shop fronts. The minute we were served, the countdown was on for the lighting of the big tree in its customary place between the modern clock tower and the ancient library. Very stylish.
Nor was it all food and drink, of course. There was a visit from Father Christmas, thanks to Rotary. There was a spinning demonstration outside the craft shop (any connection with the yarn-bombed trees, I wonder?), a no-lose tombola, the hammer thump and occasional winning bell of ‘splat the rat’. There were gift stalls and Christmas decorations, and lots of neighbours and old friends to bump into. There was still more food, though: we were beckoned into the friendly new dentist’s surgery for – I kid you not – iced cakes and bucks fizz, and left with goody bags of toothpaste and a lucky dip prize of a scale and polish for my husband, which seemed to redress the balance.
Last aroma of the night: our meal on the move was rounded off with a squeeze down bustling Chenevare Mews for a cream-topped hot chocolate from Kinfayre Coffee House. Verdict: Kinver really is very good not only for community spirit but a feast for the nostrils too.
Small Business Saturday (https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/) may not be until 6th December, but lots of the local traders spilled out onto the High Street yesterday evening to tempt the gathering crowds with their wares – with mouth-watering results. Would it be home-made soup from Village Greens or sizzling burgers from The Butchery? We wavered, but instead headed to the hog roast, where a multitude was salivating nicely for hot pork rolls. The queue had grown considerably by the time it was our turn as it wasn’t what you could call fast food. My daughter began wondering whether to offer her services behind the counter. Worth waiting for, however: melt-in-the-mouth and flavour-packed, with a special mention for the crackling.
The overhead lights were already lit, as were the individual Christmas trees jutting out unicorn fashion at regular intervals above the shop fronts. The minute we were served, the countdown was on for the lighting of the big tree in its customary place between the modern clock tower and the ancient library. Very stylish.
Nor was it all food and drink, of course. There was a visit from Father Christmas, thanks to Rotary. There was a spinning demonstration outside the craft shop (any connection with the yarn-bombed trees, I wonder?), a no-lose tombola, the hammer thump and occasional winning bell of ‘splat the rat’. There were gift stalls and Christmas decorations, and lots of neighbours and old friends to bump into. There was still more food, though: we were beckoned into the friendly new dentist’s surgery for – I kid you not – iced cakes and bucks fizz, and left with goody bags of toothpaste and a lucky dip prize of a scale and polish for my husband, which seemed to redress the balance.
Last aroma of the night: our meal on the move was rounded off with a squeeze down bustling Chenevare Mews for a cream-topped hot chocolate from Kinfayre Coffee House. Verdict: Kinver really is very good not only for community spirit but a feast for the nostrils too.