Spookley Pumpkin Festival at Apley Farm Shop gets underway

Head chef Matt Jones preparing Spookley lunches

Julie’s ghostly shortbread

Taking advantage of the time change this morning, Gavin & I began to hang the first half of the Fourth Apley Archive Exhibition 8-10am. More additions & all wall labels will follow later this week. We may hold another Children’s Christmas Art Competition & the Creamery Café staff told me customers regularly ask when our next photography competition will be – so that’s another plan for 2016 which I’ll put into action asap.

Staff were preparing for the day, looking great in Halloween fancy dress headbands. The crafters were setting up for our October Craft Fair (next & last for this year at Apley will be the Apley Christmas Craft Fair on Sun 29 Nov). I was so hungry by 10am, I popped into the bakery, tasted one of Julie’s Spookley shortbread & admired her ghostly cupcakes. I took the girls show jump training in a local arena, then continued preparing the Farm Shop Christmas decorations (our launch is 3 weeks away on Saturday 14 November & our Christmas Food Fair Saturday 28 November). Think ‘shimmer, sparkle, glitter, dazzle’ !

Francis & friend carving pumpkins

Spookley hot soups (beetroot & squash-pumpkin) served in the Courtyard marquee

Julie’s Spookley cupcakes