Alice had run over everything with Hugh, the two of them hidden away in his den. Hugh got out his calculator and did all kinds of estimates and projections on the proposed cookery school.
‘I actually think it could be quite a nice little business,’ he concluded. ‘As long as you keep your overheads low and you are the main person giving the lessons. Fortunately, for the moment you don’t have to rent premises or hire staff or equipment, so your overhead costs are being kept to the minimum. So even though the class size is restricted you should still be able to earn a wage from it and also make a bit of profit.’
‘So you think it can work?’
‘Yes, I do,’ he said, fiddling with his glasses. ‘Obviously if it became more successful and you were giving additional cookery classes things would improve even more. The main thing is to be meticulous about purchases of foodstuffs, necessary kitchenware, electricity or gas. Remember to keep a record of everything, too.’
‘I will,’ she promised, suddenly beginning to feel excited about starting up a business of her own.
‘Alice, you’re sure that there is nothing that you have overlooked? Ovens, hobs, sinks, fans? Properly equipped kitchens cost a fortune, you know, and there is all that expensive cook-ware that Sally keeps buying!’
‘Honestly Hugh, I don’t think so. As you know I have my Aga and the fancy professional cooker I put in when we extended the kitchen, and my old electric one is still in the old part of the kitchen where the utility room is. It was very handy having all those ovens when I was baking cupcakes!’ She laughed. ‘Anyway, if I manage to get ten students, with the exception of having to buy a few small things for them to use – like some extra plastic mixing bowls and sieves and perhaps a few oven trays and colanders or knives – I think I’m pretty well set up. Despite Liam’s protests at the time, I treated myself to a proper cook’s kitchen with Betty’s money when she died.’
‘I know it’s an awful time to be starting up something,’ Hugh admitted, ‘but this is so simple, and the kind of thing people want to do! You are lucky that you don’t need to go to the bank, cap in hand, to borrow money, because at the moment they have clamped down on lending to small firms and on small projects like this.’
‘I want to do something for myself, Hugh. You understand, don’t you?’
‘Sure. I know how hard it’s been for you since you and Liam broke up,’ he said gently. ‘But I admire you for having the guts to go and do something for yourself. The country could do with a few more people like you who are willing to at least try something new … give it a go.’
‘The only thing I have to lose is my time and patience, and, if it all turns out to be a disaster, I suppose my pride!’
‘Somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen, Alice. You’re a trained professional – a chef – and you are passing on your knowledge and skill to those willing to learn.’
‘Thanks for the confidence boost.’ She grinned, jumping up and giving him a hug. ‘And as my accountant I promise you I won’t go mad.’
At home, Alice looked around her kitchen and made an inventory of every item she would definitely need. People didn’t mind sharing and taking turns, but there were some things a cook just couldn’t do without! She was still working out a week-by-week plan of the dishes she would cook, ranging from the simplest to the more complex, all things that she hoped her students would be able to cook themselves successfully.
She had put an advertisement for ‘The Martello Cookery School’ in the local Dun Laoghaire Gazette, and also put some printed flyers up in some of the local shops and a laminated one on her gate. Already she had interest, with lots of people phoning and calling. Six were signed up to start in January.
Chatham Kitchens was one of the best suppliers of kitchen utensils and kitchenware in the country and Alice went with her list in hand to choose the things she needed. It was a glory hole of fabulous kitchenware and Alice had to steel herself not to give into temptation and pile all the wonderful range of dishes and plates, and expensive saucepans and casseroles, into her trolley. There was stunning glassware, table linen, and gadgets to help a chef do everything from crush garlic and peel apples to mix the lightest, frothiest foams.
She loved this shop. Loved the smells from its large spice section, and loved its display of kitchen fittings with smooth pull-out drawers and presses – it had a storage range that was utterly fabulous.
She spent a glorious few hours picking exactly what she needed, determined not to stray too far from her budget. She checked and rechecked her list to make sure that she had forgotten nothing. In the linen section she added more tea towels and some extra sets of black and white striped oven gloves, and couldn’t resist the gorgeous black and white and lime green striped cook’s aprons which matched them. The aprons were reduced in price, and when she asked about them she was offered a hefty discount if she ordered a dozen.
‘Do you want your restaurant or company name on them?’ asked the assistant.
‘It’s not really a company,’ she tried to explain.
‘It only takes two days, and we’ll keep your details on file in case you need to reorder.’
Before she knew it Alice found herself writing ‘The Martello Cookery School’ on the order form for the aprons. It would look so inviting, and, also professional she hoped.
She had covered everything on her list, and she was about to pay when, in the safety section, she spotted kitchen fire-blankets and extinguishers. Hopefully these would not be put to good use, but they were an utter necessity in the kitchen, she decided, as she purchased two of each.
As she drove home she couldn’t believe that she was actually one step nearer to opening her cookery school. If anyone had told her two or three years ago that she would be considering such a venture she would have said they were mad, but everything in her life was so different now, and she was no longer the complacent good wife who had mostly agreed to whatever Liam wanted. She had to stand on her own feet, try to pay her own way, and develop the capacity to earn over the coming years.