What's cooking?

Precisely nothing, that's what. Because the Centre is closed while the kitchens are being completely refurbished. We've had to suspend all cooking activities for the time being, which means there will be no Thursday or Friday lunches for the next two weeks.

The downstairs kitchen closely resembles a building site, which is precisely what it is.  The fittings and appliances have been taken out and are now sitting outside the back door awaiting removal in a skip.

Work started on Tuesday 28 August with a planned completion time of two and a half weeks. If everything goes according to plan - and even if it doesn't - lunches will resume on Thursday 14 September and Friday 15 September.

THE COMPLETION DATE FOR THE KITCHEN PROJECT IS NOW WEDNESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2006. THE FIRST LUNCHES TO BE COOKED USING THE NEW DOWNSTAIRS KITCHEN AND EQUIPMENT WILL BE ON THURSDAY 21 SEPTEMBER AND FRIDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2006.

DOWNSTAIRS LATEST FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2006

With the walls now fully clad with white altro, work starts on fitting the extraction hood.

DOWNSTAIRS KITCHEN TUESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2006

The photographs show Darren measuring and glueing the cladding outside the back door. Steve is the one up the ladder, boxing in the extraction duct. Despite what we had originally been told, the existing duct was half the size it needed to be. It had to be replaced - which partly accounts for the delay we experienced last week. But, having said that, this time next week Rodney ... 
 

Of course the kitchen won't be blue when it's finished. That's just a trick of the light or more accurately the plastic coating which - in the fulness of time - will be peeled away to reveal pristine white cladding in all its glory.