The Wild Things are Here...

We have been excited about the Dumbstruck/No Loss Productions Christmas show  The Wild Things for a while now - we even had a sneak preview when the cast popped down to The Kiosk in Russell Park (which you can see here) and at last, the Wild Things really are here!  Well, they are at The Place Theatre on Bradgate Road anyway, with performances from now until Christmas Eve. The show is lovingly based on Maurice Sendak's classic picture book 'Where The Wild Things Are' and is the story of Max, a boy who likes to dress up in his wolf suit and "make mischief of one kind, or another".

When Max's mum sends him to his room without any supper, he finds himself transported to where the Wild Things are. The story is very simple, and the show builds on the clues in the book to imagine what goes on when Max visits the mysterious creatures. The scenery and design are all masterful creations by Bedford's very own illustrator David Litchfield who keeps the mood of the drawings similar to the originals, but gives them his own special style. The four Wild Things all emerge as beautifully written, individual characters over the course of the stage show, which in a festive nod to the pantomime season, also involves a little audience participation. 

In short, this is a wonderful and funny performance of a much-loved childrens' book which is a perfect Christmas outing for all little (and slightly less-little) Wild Things. To add to the magic, small packets of sweets from Arcadia Sweet Shop, as well as delicious Ice Cream from Spaghetti John's in Castle Quay can be purchased during the 20 minute interval. Interval entertainment is also available in the form of Wild Things activity sheets and crayons which are included with the programme. And magic is really what this show is all about. Max says at the end of his adventure, "I've been gone for ages and my dinner is still hot! Now that's what I call magic..."

Chapter 2: Russell and the mystery of the lost tennis ball

What's all the noise, Swans?” Russell shouted over the squealing and kerfuffle.

"We've lost our ball!” called one of the swans. It might have been Sydney, it might have been Sam. It was always very difficult to tell the swans apart.

Sophie Squirrel put down her yoga mat and rested her paws on her hips. “You definitely can't play tennis without a ball. Why don't you go and look for it? Perhaps we could all have a bit of peace then.”

“I'll go!” shouted Russell (as loud as hedgehogs can shout, which is actually not very loud. It's more like a loud-ish whisper).  Russell thought that it would probably take the swans ages to find the ball. They were not very good at getting underneath the sort of places a ball might roll, and sometimes they got their necks tangled up trying to look very quickly in all directions.

He had a poke about under a few bushes, but couldn't see it. He put his snuffly nose into the three nearest tree trunks, but there was no ball. As quickly as his little legs (very little legs, actually) could go, he scuttled under the big weeping willow tree and towards the Malmsbury Ginger Baker's Gingerbread House. Russell loved the gingerbread house, it smelled delicious. But after the last time (or the pink marshmallow sofa fiasco, as he like to call it), Russell remembered that he definitely must NOT nibble at the furniture. He stood up as high as he could on his back legs and pressed the Smartie doorbell.

'Ding dong' it rang, and Russell heard gingerbread footsteps running towards the door...

Chapter 1: The very first adventure of Russell the Hedgehog.

A little nose poked out from under some leaves and sniffed the autumn air. Russell the hedgehog was awake and his tummy was noisily telling him it was breakfast time. He set off across the park to see if The Kiosk was open.

As he passed the playground Mrs Fox was pushing the all 3 fox boys on the swings. She was taking it in turn to keep 3 cubs swinging as they squealed with delight.

“Morning Mrs Fox!” called Russell. “That looks like hard work!"

“Morning Russell! Only a few more minutes until Storytime at The Kiosk,” said Mrs Fox, “And I will be able to relax while the fox boys listen and sing.” (The fox boys singing was quite something. Russell thought that probably you could hear it from outer space, even with a space suit on.)

A bit further on, he saw the magpie twins, Violet and Claude.

“When do you think it will start?” they cackled, “Yes, when will it start?”

“Are you waiting for Storytime?” asked Russell

“No, tennis”, said Violet

“Yes, tennis!”, said Claude

“It’s still very early, I think,” said Russell.

“It will start soon!” said Violet

“We have the best spot,” said Claude

“Who is playing ?” asked Russell

“Swans,” said Claude.

Russell could see the swans, all dressed in white and limbering up for the match. The swans were very good at tennis, because their wings were so big they didn't need a raquet. The swans were very competitive though. Sometimes their tennis matches were called off because of too much pecking. They were squawking. Loudly. There was a lot of wing-flapping and the sound of large webbed feet smacking hard against the floor of the tennis court.  What on earth is going on wondered Russell, hurrying over to see what all the fuss was about.

Christmas Storytime

Storytime sessions at The Kiosk have been a lovely part of our development over the last six months.  We have had Grandpas, big sisters, actors, Mums and friends taking part reading and singing to our younger fans.  Whether they come for the stories, the milk and biscuits, the songs or the giant Cookies remains to be seen, but come they do, rain and shine!

We thought we'd celebrate Christmas at storytime by compiling a list of great Christmas books for children. Everyone has at least one that has to be dug out each year, and read on the magical night before Christmas. We'd love you to suggest any that you love and bring them along for us to read at Storytime. Here are some you may already know:

Mog's Christmas

It is very hard not to like Mog, the well-meaning but troublesome cat who makes Mr Thomas shout “bother that cat!” every few minutes. Judith Kerr's illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to this brilliant story about the mischief that Mog unintentionally causes over Christmas.

Lucy and Tom's Christmas

Shirley Hughes' story about the excitement of getting ready for Christmas, and her wonderful drawings are just magical. Although it was written almost 30 years ago, it is a timeless reminder about how fantastic Christmas can be. And it contains a lovely line about Tom getting very excited, and rather cross, and having to go out for a walk with Grandpa to calm down, which often seems rather pertinent during tired and over-excited Christmas Day afternoons with small children.

This is a new book for 2012, but destined to be a classic. Written by National Treasure Richard Curtis, it is the story of twins, one good and one, less good, and the consequences of some unexpected good behaviour:

“This really had been Charlie's naughtiest year yet. What with the eating-a-whole-box-of-chocolates incident. And the glue in the DVD episode. And the ice -down -the -back -of -the -teacher's -dress -moment. And the WORSE things.”

We await your suggestions eagerly - you can comment below on our blog, or on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/RussellParkKiosk, or tweet us @KioskAtThePark. Alternatively, just turn up to Storytime on Monday at 9.30 with a Christmas Book.  

Christmas songs to sing with children are always welcome too, we're warming up for a Very Musical Christmas!

Festive Fun in The Park

We love the festive season at the Kiosk, so we've put together an exciting schedule of celebrations to help keep you feeling Christmassy. Don't forget you can borrow a hot water bottle to keep you toasty whilst you enjoy your drinks and cakes - being warm definitely helps generate Christmas Spirit!  Oh, and thermals are not essential, but they certainly make a difference!

We will be kicking off our celebrations by supporting the brilliant Santa Run, a 5k sponsored run raising money for Keech Hospice Care which takes place at 11am on Sunday 9th December along the Embankment. If you are participating, and you pop along to the Kiosk (before or after your run!) in your Santa costume, we'll give you a free hot chocolate as a reward, we'll also donate 10% of the days takings to Keech. It's going to be a great day for participants and spectators alike!

Then at 9.30am on Monday 10th December, we'll have the first of our Christmas Storytime sessions with the statutory milk and biscuits for the kiddies and delicious gingerbread lattes for the grown ups.  In the afternoon, the little cherubs from Years 3 & 4 at Bedford Prep School will be heading down to the Kiosk to sing for us from 2-3pm.  There are going to be about forty of them serenading us - we can't wait!

On Saturday the 15th December, we'll be joined by the possibly slightly less cherubic (!) Eagle Choir (find out more about them here - www.eaglechoir.org.uk ) from 12 until about 12.30 pm. Buy a Mince pies & mulled wine for £2.50 to really get you in the mood.

On Monday the 17th December, Storytime will be hosted by the magical Kris from Frog's Chorus and then, continuing with Carols at The Kiosk, we host the marvellous Castle Lower Choir on Tuesday 18th, from 12.45 until 1.15pm.  Hopefully by this stage of events we will all be well and truly full of Christmas Spirit - and we're not just talking about the mulled wine! 

Speaking of Carols - if you come down in December with proof that your name is Carol - we'll give you one of our famous MarshmallowMountainHotChocolateExplosions on the house!!! 

And last but by no means least, we'd like to wish all of our wonderful customers a very Merry Christmas by inviting you to join us for some carol singing, mulled wine and mince pies on Christmas Eve from 4pm. Pick up one of our Christmas cards next time you are passing which includes information about all our events as well as a very special Christmas recipe for our legendary Malteser Squares! 

Happy Christmas!

Cooking up a Gluten-Free Storm

Last week, in the first of our 'meet the maker' series, we introduced Nikki, our gluten-free chef extraordinaire. Well, Nikki was nice enough to share a recipie with us, so that anyone who would like to try cooking gluten-free, nut-free cakes can have a go. You'd never know that Nikki's cakes are gluten-free. They are nothing like the dry, crumbly things you get in supermarkets, so these muffins are definitely worth a try. Nikki says that they are easy-peasy, so a good thing to start off with. And if it all goes wrong (let's face it, cooking distaters happen to the best of us, er, right?) you can always come and cheer up at the Kiosk with a hot water bottle and some of Nikki's Kiosk-based gluten free delights.

Nikki's Chocolate Orange Muffins

Basic Gluten-Free Muffins:

180g Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp glycerine
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
175g SR GF flour (I use Doves)
1 tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Xantham Gum
130 ml Sunflower Oil
130 mls Milk / Soya milk( If you want them gluten + Dairy free)

Beat sugar, eggs, glycerine and vanilla in bowl for couple of minutes.

Add flour mixture (flour, baking powder, Xantham Gum) and oil and milk until just mixed together (don’t overbeat.)

Divide into Cases (makes 9 tulip cases /12 normal muffin cases)
Bake at 180 C for 18-20 mins.

Add fruit or flavourings of choice. For chocolate muffins substitute 25g flour for cocoa.

Xantham gum and Doves GF flour are both stocked in Waitrose or Tescos. Just in case you don't have any lurking at the back of your cupboard.

Meet the Maker: Nikki the Gluten-Free Genius

At The Kiosk at the Park, we see the importance of good cake. Proper, home-made, tasty cake. So to keep us well stocked, we have a mini army of local bakers who supply us with top-notch, home-made cake. Nikki makes our gluten-free delights, and is a great example of somebody who discovered a gap in a market, and has turned it onto a successful business. We're very proud to have her as a supplier.

Nikki (left) with two happy tasters

Nikki was diagnosed as Coeliac a little over three years ago, and immediately had to go on to a gluten-free diet. Luckily, there are lots of gluten-free foods available in the shops. Less luckily though, some of them are not very nice. She found that the bread and cakes in particular were crumbly and dry, with an odd taste. This was frustrating for Nikki, who has always loved cakes: "But what is the point of coffee without nice cakes?" she asked herself. Well, quite. 

Domino Brownies

So Nikki set about experimenting with making gluten-free cakes, and discovered that she could make really, really good ones. Better than the cakes in the shops. She says the thing that she misses most about her pre-gluten-free days is doughnuts, and that try as she might, she hasn't yet come up with a decent doughnut recipe. But she has perfected lots of other kinds of cakes, including the gluten-free domino brownies, apple and raisin cakes, mini lemon drizzle cakes and white chocolate and raspberry muffins, all made at home and all available to taste at the Kiosk. Nikki's cakes are all gluten and nut-free, making them ideal for children with nut allergies. She also makes a gluten and diary-free chocolate cake which is to die for! Her favourite cakes to make, she says, are the lemon and poppy seed muffins - a firm favourite at the Kiosk. 

And it is Nikki who piles the beautiful cake stands full to the brim of delicious afternoon tea for our Local Hero celebrations once a month.

As Christmas is coming, Nikki has plans for making sure that gluten-free dieters don't miss out on the festive fare: she is going to be making mince pies, chocolate logs and mini gluten-free iced Christmas cakes. We can't wait, and if you know of a gluten-free doughnut recipe that really works, she'd love to hear from you!

A Very Exciting Friday

Friday 23rd November is going to be a very, very exciting day at the Kiosk At The Park. We are hosting a live broadcast of a 3 Counties Radio show! That's right, the Kiosk will be live on the airwaves! We've got lots to do (and say!) - Kris Wilkinson-Hughes will be leading the little ones in song with her Frog Chorus skills, the masterchefs from Roosters will be there, armed with fresh home-made soup, sandwiches and paninis, and we are expecting lots of friends to come down and celebrate with us on a radio show LIVE from Russell Park! And if this wasn't already exciting enough, you will be able to read all about the very first adventure of our resident hedgehog, Russell, and a few of his friends. Russell will be telling you all about his life in the park, here on our blog!

So join us for plenty of these, lovely warming coffees and tea, lots of yummy food, plus a lot of jumping-up-and-down-style excitement. We canNOT wait!

What our Customers Say About Us

We have only been open a little while, and we are lucky enough to already have some very loyal customers, many of whom have become friends. Here's what they have to say about the Kiosk in The Park:

"I love Kiosk at the Park because as a mother of two busy boys I live at the park, and instead of groaning and thinking 'not again' I can now see it as a treat, an extremely well made coffee for me and delicious treats for the boys. They have thought of everything, I forgot my nappies in the summer, no need to worry, The Kiosk had some, and wipes, crisis over!!!"

"Here are my favourite things about the kiosk - Finn loves their giant cookies and I always look forward to finishing it off, which never seems to happen! Great coffee, great service and I love the fact that when I walk round the corner I always end up seeing someone I know for a chat!"

"Here's my favourite things about the kiosk - Finn loves their giant cookies and I always look forward to finishing it off, which never seems to happen! Great coffee, great service and I love the fact that when I walk round the corner I always end up seeing someone I know for a chat!" 

" I LOVE the kiosk, it really has genuinely changed my trips to the park! A perfect Americano with a piece of the epic Malteser chocolate square makes the never ending swing pushing and 'inter child refereeing' actually enjoyable again. It also makes the odd Sunday family trip to the park much more of an 'occasion' for the parents too. We will definitely be supporting it throughout the winter months as well as just the summer as I don't want it to ever close!"

"The children and I love The Kiosk. We love story and singing time, milk, straws and party rings and we love the family activities at the weekends and during the holidays. Every time we go to the park (which is fairly frequently) the girls seem to get mysteriously hungry, which is fine with me as I really love Malteser cake!"

"Emma & Nansi have made such a brilliant success of the Kiosk and we're proud that they have chosen to sponsor the 'Local Hero' section of The Bedford Clanger. We share many of the same values (community focused, keeping it local, family-friendly) and we look forward to working with them for a long time to come and wish them contined success. With love from Erica & all at The Bedford Clanger xxx"

"The Kiosk does the most amazing gluten-free muffins, and arguably the best coffee in Bedford. Emma's attention to detail and community spirit have made it a go-to destination in its own right x"

"The Kiosk opening up here, may have been a very personal reason for both Nansi & Emma, but what it's done is far greater! It has brought families outside together, a place to belong, friendly smiles, community sharing experiences together, great cakes and a whole lot more they probably never imagined. Well done Nansi & Emma xx"

"I grew up opposite Russell Park and although I just about remember the original café (the restaurant building the other end) - a good many years passed when there was nothing there at all. I often wished there was a place like the kiosk .. and now it's here and it is just so perfect. Years of waiting fulfilled! It's friendly and wonderfully innovative with the funkiest, tastiest cakes and biccies and really fabulous coffee. Just love it!"

"The Kiosk has made my dog walks so much more enjoyable with a hot cuppa and a naughty nibble especially on those rainy/cold mornings. Service is always with a smile and I just LOVE the place. I am officially hooked on the popcorn and love the way they are always thinking ahead of the game and introduce new beverages, food and snacks for us to gorge on! Think I lived there in the summer, drank tea with friends and watched kids run around. It has indeed brought families together. Last Sunday there must of been around 20 of us all sat round talking with our kids - just bliss. Can't thank you enough Emma and Nansi, you've transformed the park. Love Liz xxxxxx"

Meeting a Local Hero

Once a month, the Kiosk at the Park host a very special afternoon tea for the winner of that month’s local hero competition. The competition is run through local Arts newspaper the Bedford Clanger, and each month celebrates a local person who does heroic things as part of their everyday lives. You can send in a nomination to the Clanger, and the winner – and crucially, the person that nominated them, gets to come to the Kiosk for a very nice cake-stand-full of delicious home-made cakes, and tea or coffee, or indeed hot chocolate. 

On Friday, it was the well deserved turn of Tracey Emmott, a local solicitor, who has spent most of her career helping victims of abuse. Tracey works tirelessly, fighting cases which often take up to seven years to complete, for justice on behalf of very vulnerable people. Recently, she won a landmark case in the Court of Appeal, London, which gives victims of abuse by members of the Church greater legal rights against them. Nominated by friends Fiona and Kristy Adams, who say that although her line of work could be seen as depressing and relentless, she is always “ever-cheerful, and despite work commitments, is extremely active in the local community, and is described as a ‘terrific mum’ by her children.” A true hero! 

As well as afternoon tea, local heroes are presented with a certificate, and are featured in the Bedford Clanger. It is a great way of recognizing the achievements of some of Bedford’s unsung heros. If you would like to nominate someone, you can email the Clanger here:

 thebedfordclanger@gmail.com

Tracey brought her mum, her husband, and the two friends who nominated her to share her celebratory afternoon tea at the Kiosk, much fun (and cake) was had by all. Congratulations, Tracey!

Here is our local hero Tracey (centre), along with friends Fiona (left) and Kirsty (right), and some rather tasty looking cakes…

Onsie Fun

Friday 16th November was officially Go Pyjamas for Children in Need day. All over the country, people were raising money for Children in Need, and wearing their pyjamas to do it! This was fundraising at its most cosy, which turned out to be a good thing - Friday 16th November was freezing!. The Kiosk staff got fully into the spirit of the appeal by wearing onsies all day. And better still - any customers who turned up wearing pyjamas or a onesie got a free hot drink - with the entire cost of the drink being donated instead to Children in Need. Lots of our lovely customers came decked out in their onsie finest, and we had lots of pyjama-wearing customers too. We were also selling special Pudsey biscuits - all of the money raised from these went directly to Children in Need too.

Here are a few of our favourite ONESIES from the day - we raised a magnificent £115.88 for Children in Need. Many thanks to our wonderful customers who came and drank, nibbled and munched whilst wearing their pyjamas, all for a wonderful cause.

MarshmallowHotChocolateExplosions

THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is our MarshmallowHotChocolateExplosion. Did you catch that? It is a triumph of hot chocolate, cream, smarties, maltesers, chocolate buttons, and hundreds and thousands. It will keep you warm and happy in the colder months. There is expertly made coffee at the kiosk, there is a wonderful range of speciality teas, there are gingerbread syrups, and now there is also marshmallowhotchocolateexplosion. Happiness in a cup.

The Art of Good Coffee

It is not every day you are taught how to make the perfect latte by a superstar barista, so you can imagine the excitement at The Kiosk when staff and friends were visited by Chris from the wonderful cafe in town, The Fountain.

Chris is not only an expert in the tricky skills involved in making a good Cappuccino, but an excellent teacher with a seemingly endless supply of patience. We were taken through the science of making a good cup of coffee; how to aerate the milk in order to make the perfect froth for a cappuccino, and then also a latte. And yes, it is very different kind of froth – this is most definitely an artform. You know what they say though, the proof of the pudding is most definitely in the eating. (Or drinking, clearly.) Come and test out our newly honed skills for yourselves, and tell us just how you like your coffee!

A very special guest post from Russell

Hello park friends! I'm Russell the hedgehog and my friends at The Kiosk have invited me to post on their new blog – it’s a guide to all of the exciting things going on at the Kiosk at the Park and in the Park itself.
After a VERY busy summer, I thought I would hunker down in my nice pile of Autumn leaves and think about highlights, so here they are:
The Kiosk at the Park opened in what turned out to be the wettest June in ages! The Domino Brownies were a big hit, but the weather was rubbish!

I had to dig out my welly boots – all four of them – to trot down and get my morning juice and biscuits (traditionally milk and biscuits, but us hedgehogs are lactose-intolerant.) Even though it poured down with rain, loads of people came to have a warming cup of coffee and a cake or two and seek shelter on the cosy hay bales. Most excitingly,  LOTS of children came to enjoy a book at Storytime at the Park – they didn't know I was listening too! Storytime at the Park is on at 9.30 on Mondays – the perfect start to the week! And you can get your milk – or juice – and party rings for just £1.00. I always find that a few party rings kick off the week in style…
As the summer went on the sun started to come out – as did my sunglasses – and the Kiosk held some amazing events. There was the Oxjam takeover, the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care, and even a visit from James the tea-dude from teapigs  – purveyors of popcorn flavoured tea, amongst others. Sadly though, they have not got round to making worm-flavoured tea yet. I must suggest it sometime.....
That's all for now - I hope to see you at The Kiosk very soon.  Make sure you ask for some paper and crayons if you come and draw a picture of me!!

Milk and Biscuits (something for the kids!)

Just because the sun hasn’t got his hat on so much doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do at the Park. How about challenging your siblings or friends to a Shiniest Con
ker Contest? Or a Biggest Conker Contest? Conkers are found on Horse Chestnut Trees and start to fall in Autumn. There are lots of Horse Chestnut Trees in Russell Park – get gathering!

Bring some buckets and spades and make some sandcastles in the sand pit in the play area. The sand won’t be as dry as it is in Summer, which makes castle-building easier! (Or, if you’ve forgotten your bucket, get your mum or dad to buy a cup of coffee from the Kiosk and once they’ve finished, use the empty cup as a bucket!)

Collect some awesome-autumn-coloured leaves for a leaf-collage, or to paint and make leaf-prints.

Play a mini game of tennis to get your Wimbledon-practice in early… well, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect!

See if you can scoot, cycle or run a whole lap (or even more if you’re really full of beans) of the park! It will warm you up on chilly days and afterwards you can make a pit-stop for essential milk and biscuits.