Melville Church cookbook now available, to be sold at parade

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Melville Presbyterian Family Presidents: Food for the Soul, a cookbook celebrating the history of Melville Presbyterian Church in Brussels, is printed and ready to be sold throughout the community, beginning this Saturday at the Brussels Santa Claus parade.

By now, those who preordered the book have likely already received their copy. However, for those who didn’t preorder, it will be available on Saturday night from 4-6 p.m. for $20 each. The volunteers from the church will be at the B&H Mechanical building, just south of the gazebo on Turnberry Street.

The creators of the book have teamed up with the Brussels 150th Homecoming Committee to use the sales as a fundraiser for both the church and the homecoming. In an e-mail to The Citizen, one of the book’s authors, Margaret McInroy, said that, beginning with sales on Nov. 27, the committee will be receiving a portion of the proceeds from the sales.

After the launch on Saturday night, the book will be available at It’s a Shear Thing, Wright Blooms Greenhouse in Wingham and The Citizen offices in both Blyth and Brussels. Anyone interested in buying the book could e-mail melville.presbyterian@gmail.com, call McInroy at 519-955-4171 or contact committee members Peggy Aitchison, Elaine Armstrong, Leanne Armstrong, Mary Douma or McInroy.

In an interview with The Citizen, McInroy said she is extremely proud of how the book came out. Printed at Blyth Printing, the book not only features over 300 recipes, but many photographs of the church and its unique architecture, inside and out, during the different seasons. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Amy Wright, McInroy said, who helped prepare the book for print.

Unfortunately, McInroy said, the group did miss a recipe or two that was not included in the book, slipping through the cracks during the layout process. She says the group is truly sorry to anyone whose recipe was accidentally omitted.

The recipes have been broken down into nine categories: appetizers and beverages; soups and salads; vegetables and side dishes; main dishes; baked goods, cookies and squares; desserts; preserves and pickles and miscellaneous. McInroy classifies the recipes as family favourites and recipes created by Melville members that have become favourites at the Soup and More 2 meals, as well as dishes that have been featured at the church’s Springtime and Harvest Suppers.