This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’m pleased to welcome Keya Varma from A Pantomime of Peril to the blog today! As the heart and steady hand behind the Waterwheel Café, Keya brings us a delightful peek into what the holiday season looks like inside her charming corner of the Cotswolds. She’s joining us with a special look at how the holiday season unfolds at the Waterwheel Café.
Christmas at the Waterwheel Café
by Keya Varma, from A Pantomime of Peril
Many people think cafés become quieter in winter, but at the Waterwheel, the weeks before Christmas are some of our busiest of the year. I think it’s because people are looking for an excuse to go out somewhere warm and welcoming when the weather is cold and damp. We see more customers in the mornings and at lunchtime, when they can combine a visit to the café with shopping in the antique center, although afternoons are usually calmer than in the summer months.
The antique centre itself also becomes busier in the run-up to Christmas. People come looking for unique presents, especially when Gilly, the manager, hosts special events such as the Christmas Craft Fair. There is always a lively atmosphere, with stalls selling handmade decorations, candles, and small antiques, and a steady stream of visitors stopping in for one of our special hot chocolates or a slice of stollen.
At the café, we like to make things feel festive without going overboard. I put up a few decorations, play gentle Christmas music, and add a few specials to the menu. I am always pleased when my staff suggest ideas of their own. Not only does it save me having to come up with everything myself, but it helps them feel more involved in the running of the place.
This year Mick and Monica, who work in the kitchen, came up with an excellent list of festive specials. These included a brie, cranberry and chestnut quiche with winter salad, a salmon and dill tart with pickled cucumber and slaw, and a sausage and red onion marmalade tart with winter leaves. They also proposed two soups: parsnip and apple, and roasted red pepper and tomato with festive herbs.
For special toasties, they suggested adding a proper Christmas version with turkey, cranberry and stuffing, alongside a vegetarian one with mature cheddar and Monica’s apple and cider chutney.
We are also continuing with the spiced apple cake, which always sells out, and adding cranberry and orange scones and a clementine drizzle cake. The kitchen will smell wonderful.
Mick also reminded me about the gingerbread shapes. Last year the children decorated them and we hung them on the Christmas trees. It was a simple idea that brought a lot of smiles and saved us sourcing plastic decorations, so we are doing it again.
Mick also takes orders for mince pies and Christmas cakes, and he uses the extra money to fund his holiday in January. After spending many years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s enjoying the freedom to travel, although he still finds the idea of going away on his own and mixing with new people a little daunting.
This year we are also putting on a special pre-pantomime supper before the performance of Jack and the Beanstalk. It will be a buffet of seasonal and traditional dishes served early, so that everyone can eat and still arrive in good time for the show.
After all the hard work of the festive season, I have decided to close the café for the whole of January. It will give everyone a well-earned rest and a chance to recharge before we open again in February. Mick is joining an organized trip to Peru, Monica will visit her son, and Sujin and I are planning a special holiday of our own.
We are all involved in the pantomime this year in one way or another. I am helping backstage with props, while Sujin is in charge of the music and lights. It has brought the whole village together, and although it adds to the chaos, there is a great sense of excitement in the air.
Running the Waterwheel Café at Christmas is hard work, but it is one of my favorite times of year. The smell of baking, the chatter of customers, and the sparkle of lights reflected in the café windows make it all worthwhile.
Thank you so much to Keya for stopping by and sharing a taste of Christmas at the Waterwheel Café! If you’d like to spend more time in Keya’s world and dive into the mystery woven through the holiday cheer, be sure to check out A Pantomime of Peril by Victoria Tait.
A Pantomime of Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery) by Victoria TaitAbout A Pantomime of Peril
About A Pantomime of Peril
A Pantomime of Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Publisher : Kanga Press
Publication date : November 14, 2025
ISBN-13 : 978-1917168335
ASIN : B0DNLG8M1J
It’s pantomime season in the Cotswolds… but this year’s performance is a real killer! Winter has settled over the Cotswolds, and Dotty Sayers and her friends are in the spotlight as part of the local amateur dramatics pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk. With costumes to sew, lines to memorise, and rehearsals to juggle, the village is buzzing with excitement. But on opening night, the show comes to an abrupt halt when a cast member dies on stage. As whispers of foul play sweep through the audience, Dotty and her friend Keya are drawn into a mystery that’s anything but make-believe. With suspects lurking in the wings and a tangle of alibis to unravel, the pair must tread carefully to uncover the truth. Can they solve the case before the final curtain falls, or will the killer steal the show? Take your seat for a charming performance of A Pantomime of Peril today!
About Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.
Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
You can find Victoria at VictoriaTait.com ‘ Author LinksWebsite: https://victoriatait.com/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait
Purchase Links: Books2Read – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 15 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
November 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 16 – Storybook Lady – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 17 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
November 17 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 18 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 18 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
November 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
November 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 21 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
November 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 24 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today! Want to Book a Tour? Click Here
Before you go, feel free to look around the blog for more guest posts, bookish fun, and behind-the-scenes extras. And if you’d like the latest updates, freebies, and cozy mystery news delivered right to your inbox, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations!
