Jane Pikett enjoys lunch with a difference thanks to Josie’s Dragonfly Trust at Bouchon Bistrot, Hexham
Despite some scurrilous rumours, it’s actually not so very often that I take a Friday afternoon off to enjoy a long lunch, and certainly never one which is enlivened by an interesting speaker, so it was a major treat to down tools a couple of weeks ago, and in a good cause, too.
Josie’s Dragonfly Trust, the North East-based charity which brightens the lives of children and young people living with cancer, is hosting a series of lunch clubs at Bouchon Bistrot
in Hexham. It’s a fine way to raise funds for a special cause while enjoying excellent food, lively company and some fascinating speakers.
The Josie’s Dragonfly Trust Lunch Club is now taking place every other month and features a different guest speaker each time; there to entertain, inform and amuse, which is nice.
Aside from offering the perfect afternoon out, The Lunch Club raises much-needed funds for the charity, which provides Dragonfly Dreams and Cash Gifts to young cancer patients with no hope of a cure, inspired by the legacy of 16-year-old Corbridge girl Josie Grove, who died in 2007.
To the food first, this being a food magazine, and head chef Jérôme Cogné and his team offered a choice of pan-fried chicken brochette with rosemary-roasted potatoes, or pan-fried coley fillet with tomato and lime vinaigrette, both of which emphasised the many good reasons why Gordon Ramsay named this the UK’s Best Local French Restaurant a few years ago. The puddings – soupe de fraises with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate and chestnut tart – were a real indulgence on a Friday afternoon, and good reason not to go back to the office; in addition, that is, to the Sauvignon Blanc and an after-lunch talk from Helen Morris, co-owner of the Stencil Library, Stocksfield and an international authority on her craft.
Helen is a fascinating character; an international authority on stencils, and her business a world-leader. I interviewed her a few years ago for a magazine and was so enamored of her and her amazing home – Stocksfield Hall, showcase for her and her artist husband Michael Chippendale’s work – that what should have been a short interview lasted five hours, which is almost as long as our Bouchon lunch (as I said, there was wine…).
But we were there for Josie’s Dragonfly Trust, established in 2007 by Josie Grove in the last few weeks of her life with the aim of brightening the lives of young people living with a terminal diagnosis of cancer. The Trust now supports hospitals throughout the UK, providing Dragonfly Dreams and £500 Cash Gifts which to date have totalled more than £250,000.
Josie, the daughter of jewellery designers, created a silver dragonfly pendant which is now sold by the charity alongside a growing collection of dragonfly jewellery and merchandise, and the symbol was worn by most of us at The Lunch Club.
It was a real privilege to share a table there with Josie’s mum, Jacqui, who works full-time in the charity. I was also struck by the warmth of the guests, and their obvious pleasure in supporting such a great cause in memory of a brave young woman.
The next Josie’s Dragonfly Lunch Club is at Bouchon Bistrot on October 25. Tickets are £25 including lunch, a glass of wine or soft drink, and tea/coffee. For details of speakers and menus contact Sarah Hogg, tel 01434 602 043 and go to www.josiesdragonfly.org