Customer Satisfaction Starts At Home

Who would have thought that a simple request for dessert would turn into an MCFM blog! Stranger things have happened however, there is a lesson to be learned.

I offered my daughter dessert after dinner one day, on checking the fridge cupboards and freezer, nothing really jumped out that was mouth-wateringly appetising so, I peeled a tangerine, placed it in a small oval dish surrounded by grapes with mini Maryland cookies in between the tangerines (for variety and texture), proud of my presentation and inventiveness, I entered the lounge and passed the desert to my daughter only to be met with a deadpan look of incredulity. "Is that it?" She asks, I'm flummoxed, I say "what do you mean?" She then replied "is there anything else?..more exciting?.. more creative?"

To which I said, "so you're sending me back in the kitchen? You're not going to eat it?" she said, "no, go back in the kitchen and be more creative mum".

Well most parents would flip out, feel unappreciated and shove the dish to the kid and shout "just eat it!"

I felt like saying all those things but I didn't react. I humbly took the dish back to the kitchen and said to myself right I'll give her more creative...(cheeky thing). She came in the kitchen I kicked her out and said, "I don't need your help I'm being creative!! Go away!!!"

I took a small pan from the draw added a little water tossed in a few raspberries, strawberries, brown sugar, almond and vanilla extract and set it to boil (um, raspberry & strawberry jus).

I pulled a wooden skewer out of the cutlery draw and alternately popped the grapes and tangerine pieces onto the skewer, I added strawberries to make fruit cocktail on a stick. I grabbed the natural yogurt from the fridge, grated some ginger, crumbled the Maryland cookies and mixed it all together. I took a presentation plate from the cupboard (the skewer would not fit in the dish!) I placed the fruit cocktail, two dollops of yogurt mix topped with a couple of blueberries, poured my jus on top, sprinkled it with icing sugar and vola!! A dessert creation fit for a Michelin star was born !

Dejavu moment.. I enter the lounge and presented my new creation to my daughter. The response ....speechless, she smiles and part way through asks for more of the delicious jus. She quizzes me on what i put in the yogurt dollops, next thing they are gone!

We smile at each other and she says, "I knew you had it in you mum".

The moral of the story is , when all around looks dull and drab and you think there is not much to see, look again, open you're mind... the possibilities are endless, you just need to be more creative.

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