What a summer…
Hey Everyone,
What a summer it has been — one heatwave after another! It’s made my home of Tassie seem positively Arctic by comparison.
A huge thank you must go to our landlords, Chris and Gill, and to the team at Parsons Refrigeration, who helped us install air-conditioning units in both the shop and the bakery. Aside from keeping us all slightly cooler, they’ve also saved our fridges and freezers from working themselves into an early retirement.
Unfortunately, our poor kitchen team haven’t been quite so lucky. A very big thank you to all of them for soldiering on through the heat and continuing to produce such wonderful food, despite working in temperatures better suited to a sauna!
The marquee has also been a little too warm to use on some days, but our picnic tables have certainly made up for it and have been overflowing.
As many of you will have seen, our new café space is taking shape a little more each day. The exact completion date remains something of a mystery, but the builders have promised us it will be finished before Christmas 2026…
Watch this space!
The Compton McRae Bakery
Our first Pizza Night was an amazing success.
Because of our 24-hour fermentation process, we had prepared enough dough to make 100 pizza bases. We sold every last one and, unfortunately, had to turn away a few walk ins on the night.
We’re doing it all again on: Friday 28 August 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Please, please book — whether you’re eating in or ordering a takeaway. It helps us prepare enough dough and means we can guarantee you won’t miss out this time.
Call the shop on 01747 448750, pop in or reply to this email.
Summer on the Menu
With all this wonderful weather, we’re continuing to update our café menu and shop meals, always trying to make them more seasonal, interesting and, most importantly, delicious.
One of our latest additions is a new tinned-fish board.
Choose your tin — from sardines and salmon to calamari — and we’ll serve it with Compton McRae sourdough toast and our homemade pickles. It’s fresh, light and perfect for summer.
You’ll also find some new dishes on the menu, but not limited to…
- Smoked mackerel salad
- Caesar salad
- Isle of Wight tomato bruschetta
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In the multideck fridge, there’s also a changing selection of our homemade lunch bowls and freshly made baguette sandwiches. The choices vary each day depending on what’s fresh, seasonal and looking particularly good.
Upcoming Events for your diary
Friday 28th August – Pizza Night
Pizza Night returns! Please don’t forget to book for both eating in and takeaway orders.
Sunday 30 August – Hatch House Barbecue
As part of the Hatch House Open Garden Day, we’ll once again be running the Compton McRae barbecue in support of Salisbury Hospice Charity.
We’ll be serving burgers, sausages, fries and drinks throughout the day.
Come along, explore the beautiful gardens, enjoy something from the barbecue and help support the wonderful work of Salisbury Hospice.
www.salisburyhospicecharity.org.uk
Monday 31 August – Closer
After Pizza Night on Friday and the Hatch House barbecue on Sunday, we suspect we’ll be ready for a rest! Compton McRae will therefore be closed on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August, while the team enjoys a very well-earned day off.
Should you need any food for the Bank Holiday, please get in touch and order in advance. We’ll be more than happy to help you stock up beforehand.
The Old Bookshop Pop-Ups
There’s always something new and interesting appearing in the Old Bookshop.
Please pop in, have a chat and explore the ever-changing range of new and second-hand clothing, homeware, artwork, gifts and other lovely things.
You never quite know what you’re going to find — which is all part of the fun.
Compton McRae Catering
As ever, please shout if there’s anything we can help with catering-wise.
At the moment, we’re catering for all sorts of wonderful occasions: small and large weddings, picnics for ten, photoshoots for London brands here in Wiltshire, barbecues in the forest for fifty, and lunches for anything from six to sixty guests.
No event is ever quite the same, which is exactly how we like it.
Compton McRae Catering
Summer has certainly kept us busy. We’ve been lucky enough to cater some wonderful weddings recently, along with birthday celebrations, long lunches in the garden and evening canapes.
Whether you need a picnic hamper for ten, a garden party for fifty, a wedding feast, or simply food for family coming to stay, we’d love to help.
Whatever you’ve got planned, do get in touch sooner rather than later so we can help make it something special.
Seven Years of Compton McRae
On 19th June, we celebrated seven years since Compton McRae first opened its doors.
A huge thank you to every single person who has helped us get this far. Whether you’ve visited us for coffee, bought a loaf of bread, worked a shift here and there, trusted us with your catering, recommended us to a friend or supported us through the building work, we genuinely couldn’t have done it without you.
Thank you for continuing to support us as Compton McRae grows, expands and moves into its next chapter.
We look forward to seeing you all very soon.
Best wishes,
Bill and the Compton McRae TeamThe Shop 01747 448750 info@comptonmcrae.com