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full catering up to a two or three course meal. Fees are determined by the duration of the event and the level of catering supplied. In recent times we’ve entertained staff from a variety of firms, from local companies to multinationals, and members of City Livery Companies. THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT Of course, the one huge requirement to put on any of these events is volunteers. We have no paid staff so, depending on the event, we need volunteer coaches, cooks and chefs, someone to put out all the lawns and pull them at the end of the day, someone to look after the clubhouse and make the tea and coffee, and look after the food the WIs, for example, bring. We’re very lucky to have plenty of members who are happy to help. Their reward? Afterwards, knowing that the club house is tidy, and the final hoop is back in the equipment hut, volunteers chat about the day
and a group of retired doctors. Before covid an initiative we ran with u3a resulted ten new members joining the club. We have also hosted an occasional schools tournament, although generally we find it difficult to attract new younger members. We rent our grounds on favourable terms from Kingston Council, and although it’s not part of the terms of the lease, we feel it important to be part of the local community and to share our passion for the sport with that community. Furthermore, all these activities are consistent with our status as a Community Amateur Sports Club. Of course, we make a small charge for this type of gathering, which gives us a useful contribution to club funds. As well as community groups we attract commercial entities looking to put an event on for their staff. For these evenings we offer the same introductory coaching, but also add
and relax in the evening sunshine with a glass of wine. Is what Surbiton does to encourage “croquet in the community” special, or typical of other clubs? Perhaps we’re behind what others do? To some extent we’re in trial‐and‐error mode and experimenting, especially with external events. Other clubs, I’m sure, offer similar activities as well as initiatives we at Surbiton have never thought of. It would be great if this article stimulated an exchange of ideas. Readers – over to you!
Cook’s Corner
Fruity & festive The most popular dessert on any menu is always the “crumble pudding” over the years chefs have added different twists and served in many ways. It must be one of the easiest recipes you can make, your “go to” if time is short. Perfect with creamy custard, cream or ice-cream. Crumble CC from Surbiton
Chef’s tips Try topping the cooked apples with 4 TBS
mincemeat or a scattering of fresh cranberries and serve with brandy custard (add 2TBS of brandy to your custard) to get that festive flavour.
Ingredients 350 Plain Flour 170 Butter/hard Stork block 115 Golden Caster Sugar Topping 20g Demerara Sugar or Flaked Almonds
Method Cover the bottom of your dish with fruit, this can be fresh or frozen. If using apples of pears, peel and bring them to boil to soften before adding to dish.
Cover the fruit with 100g of sugar this will provide a juicy base to the crumble.
The flour, fat and sugar are crumbed together by hand or in a mixer until you have a nice crumble mixture.
Base Enough fruit to give you a good covering on the bottom of your dish. 100 grams of Caster Sugar
Tip the mixture onto the fruit and add your preferred topping, sugar or almonds. At this stage the dessert can sit in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
Bake in the oven at 170c until you have a golden top, usually about 40 mins.
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