Congratulations are in order for all those who helped make the Ukrainian Pop-Up Cafe a huge success.
Held last Saturday in Brighstone’s village hall, a whopping £2,092.95 was raised in support of the vital humanitarian work of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
The event was organised by Caroline Gurney-Champion, Gillian Belben and Genny Pentelow, with the help of many other volunteers on the day.
Ukrainian delights
In the run-up to the event, the organisers had been beavering away in the kitchen preparing a range of delicious dishes from Olia Hercules’ wonderful cook book, Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and beyond.
Among others they included healthy cabbage slaw with toasted sunflower seeds, a green bean and pepper salad, beetroot and prune salad, as well as a delicious Borscht (soup). All served with fresh sourdough bread.
There was a fantastic spread of cakes on offer to have afterwards with a cup of tea or coffee.
Enjoyed by Ukrainians too
There was a friendly welcome from the volunteers, who all helped out enormously on the day.
A table with information about Ukraine was manned by two Ukrainian residents living on the Island, Roxanna and her daughter, both of whom were donning traditional Ukrainian dress and thoroughly enjoyed the day.
They’d also prepared some dishes to share on the day, including dumplings that are traditionally cooked in vodka.
“Grateful to everyone who helped make it a success”
Speaking after the event, Caroline Gurney-Champion told News OnTheWight,
“Everyone loved the food, and there was a steady flow of people from all over the Island.
“As well as our 9-10 volunteers, there were lots of others making food for the event, and countless plates of cakes turned up on the day.
“We’re grateful to everyone who helped make it a success.”
Caroline says she was driven to organise the event because she had a feeling of helplessness watching what was happening in Ukraine and wanted to do something to help.
Sunflower seeds
After enjoying some food, seven-year-old Liam was the first to donate £1 and plant a sunflower seed to grow at home.
