Page 38 of The Cornish Cream Tea Holiday
Chapter Eleven
There were ten of them altogether, lined up in a row. Six men and four women, standing behind charcoal barbecues that they had brought with them – gas barbecues weren’t allowed on the beach – large cool boxes at their feet. They all looked incredibly focused, as if they were preparing for a World Championship 100-metre sprint instead of a friendly BBQ competition. The smell of charcoal tainted the warm sea air, and Thea’s stomach rumbled in time to the background beat of music that added to the carnival atmosphere. Luckily, there were several food trucks lined up in the car park at the edge of the sand, because it was the judges who would get to taste the competitors’ food, not the crowd.
The beach, the one the Happy Shack looked out over, wasn’t that far from the twin cottages, and now that she was standing on it, Thea could see that it belonged on postcards and wall calendars. It was a long strip of golden sand, the sea a deep blue swell that came in to meet it, and on a sunny Friday afternoon in June, it was attractingthe crowds. Not only was it bigger than many other beaches around here – this stretch of coastline mostly littered with crevices and coves – but the currents weren’t as treacherous. Because of this, it also had a lifeguard station, so it was perfect for swimming, kite-surfing, and family days out.
When Thea had arrived with Meredith and Finn, she’d been worried they wouldn’t be able to find Ben, but the cook-off had been easy to spot, the barbecues gleaming in the sun and an audience starting to gather.
‘He looks very serious, doesn’t he?’ Meredith said.
She was standing between Thea and Finn, with Crumble at her feet. The beagle was exploring as far as his short lead would allow, while Scooter stood, poised and serene, at Thea’s side. She had her hand on the dog’s head, his soft fur filling the spaces between her fingers. She felt a swell of pride that he’d picked her to stand beside while his master was otherwise engaged.
‘They all look like they’re about to have a hernia,’ Finn replied. ‘Honestly, it’s just barbecue.’
There was a gasp from behind them, a few whispered mutterings, and Meredith laughed. ‘Way to make friends, Finn. And you know how much this means to Ben. If it was a painting competition, like thoseBig Painting Challengethings on the BBC, you’d be fully invested.’
Finn’s blond curls ruffled in the breeze. ‘I wouldn’t be, because I know I’d win.’
Meredith’s laugh was louder this time. ‘Good to see you’re so humble about it.’
‘I’d love to see your paintings some time,’ Thea said.
‘There are a few on display in a local gallery,’ Finn told her. ‘They look much more impressive than the works inprogress in my studio, but I don’t mind showing you those, if you want. Lots of options.’ He shrugged, giving her his easy smile.
‘I’d be happy with the gallery or studio,’ she said. ‘Whatever you want me to see.’ She turned back to the competitors, peering over the heads of the people standing in front of them. ‘Who are the other judges for this competition, aside from Marcus Belrose, and when do we get to eat barbecue?’
Meredith grinned, gesturing to the food trucks that already had queues forming behind them. ‘We’re not going to miss out. And the judges are Max – he runs the Sea Brew café on Main Street, and was instrumental in setting up this whole thing. Then the guy on the end, the one with thick black hair and the designer beard?’ Thea nodded. ‘That’s Marcus: he’s the one everyone will be trying to impress.’
‘Not surprising,’ Thea said, thinking back to their food the evening before. She watched as the chef inspected the crockery and cutlery lined up on the long trestle table in front of the three judges. ‘It looks like he’s going to be a tough cookie.’
‘I don’t doubt it,’ Meredith said. ‘But Nick, on the end there, balances things out. He’s my best friend’s husband. Anisha works at the council, which is how he got the gig because he’s not a food connoisseur – though he’ll be very appreciative of everyone’s dishes.’ She raised a hand, and the brown-haired man on the end grinned and waved back. ‘Anisha’s around here somewhere, but she’s got her two kids, Jasmine and Ravi, and they might have got bored already. I’ll introduce you as soon as I can – she’d love to meet you.’
‘That would be great,’ Thea said. She was about to ask what Anisha did at the council, when there was a squeal from a loudspeaker.
‘OK then, folks!’ The compère was familiar, and it took Thea a moment to recognise him as the man she’d spoken to outside Cornish Keepsakes. He was wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, and a tie with cartoon cuts of meat on it – ham legs, chicken thighs and steaks. He stood in front of the crowd, while the competitors behind him prodded at their charcoal, making sure it was hot enough, Thea supposed.
‘Welcome to the Port Karadow summer barbecue cook-off!’ he declared. ‘We have ten eager cooks ready to wow the judges with their culinary skills, and we hope you’ll all cheer them on while they barbecue their hearts out. The rules are simple: one complete dish, forty-five minutes to perfect it. You lot can enjoy the beach and the food trucks while we wait to see who will be crowned the winner!’
There were whoops from the crowd as he gestured to the competitors, and said, ‘Ready, barbecuers?’
‘Ready!’ they chorused back.
‘Excellent! Three … two … one! Happy cooking!’
‘That,’ Meredith said, ‘is my boss, Adrian, who I told you about last night. I wonder where his wife, Tillie, is …’
While Meredith scanned the crowd, Thea watched as the ten hopefuls got to work. She had to acknowledge that it wasn’t quite as exciting as runners sprinting off their starting blocks. They bent down, opened their cool boxes, and began to pull out ingredients, arranging them on the tables they’d been provided with. While they did that, Adrian explainedthe origins of the cook-off and introduced the judges – Nick Glynn, Max Holden from Sea Brew and Marcus Belrose, owner of the Happy Shack.
Nick and Max waved eagerly to the crowd, and Marcus gave a cool nod that suggested he knew just how good he was. Thea wrinkled her nose and crouched to check on Scooter, who nudged his wet nose briefly against hers. She stroked his ears, then turned to pat Crumble while Adrian introduced the competitors.
She stood up, slipped her feet out of her flip-flops so she could feel the sand between her toes, and was wondering if they’d have a chance to go paddling after the competition, when she heard Adrian say, ‘And now we come to Ben Senhouse. A builder by trade, he moved to Port Karadow earlier this year, and this is his first time competing at a cook-off. We have been positively salivating at his dish: rack of beef with his own-recipe hot sauce, barbecued potato rösti and creamed spinach.’ There was a smattering of applause and a few ‘Oooohs’ from the crowd. ‘We asked each of our competitors for a little-known fact about themselves, and Ben has told us that he … ah …’ there was a chuckle through the loudspeaker, and the sound of ruffling paper. ‘It seems we’re missing that bit of information. Never mind! We’ll speak to our hopefuls throughout, just to put them off their stride, so we can get a factual nugget from him then.’
Thea smiled, thinking it was typical of Ben not to want to share a soundbite about himself. He was wearing a black T-shirt and long denim shorts with frayed hems, his hair ruffling in the breeze while he shredded potato and made sure his ribs were fully marinated. He moved between thetable and the barbecue with easy confidence, as he had done in her kitchen. He looked tanned and healthy, tall and strong –potent, Thea thought – while a few of the other competitors looked like they spent more time eating their food than cooking it.
‘I hope he wins,’ she murmured. She glanced to the side and discovered that Meredith had slipped away, and Finn had taken her place.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I think he’ll actually care, too.’
Thea laughed. ‘Why do you say it like that?’
