Hi Jenny, thank you for chatting with me today. Could you introduce yourself please and tell us a little bit about what your roll on the committee consists of?
I’m Jenny Cook and I’m a general member of the committee. I help out when and where I can and try to make the lives of the other committee members a little bit easier. Let’s Make Jam is a really big and vibrant WI and it takes a lot of effort to offer such a wide range of extras that I figured I ought to try and put something back in to the group.
Well that is very kind of you Jenny and I know that its much appreciated.
Just before lock-down I started Jammie Meeples which is a board gaming group that meets once a month. So far we’ve had two meetings but I’m hoping there will be more in the not too distant future.
So, out of all that, what parts of your roll on the committee do you enjoy the most?
I like the variety of my role and if there’s anything craft related that needs doing then I love that!
And when you are not ‘Jamming’, or being A Super Woman for Jam, what else do you get up to?
I’m currently studying and want to become a self-employed bookkeeper. – Ooh fabulous
I also love travelling in our Motor home, particularly to France – I’m really missing my dose of patisserie and baguettes with cheese this year!
Like I said, I love anything crafty and am currently in to making beaded jewellery. I’ve also recently done a course on silver clay and have all the bits to start having a go and making some more at home.
Well, I am extremely lucky to have been on the receiving end of some of your beautiful jewellery, thank you very much, it is lovely. You are very talented. What was your first experience with the JAM girls?
My first meeting was a Zentangle class run by Gemma. Julie met me at the door and was really warm and welcoming. She introduced me to you and your Mum who then looked after me for the remainder of the meeting. Everyone was so friendly and the whole meeting was a really good laugh. I was hooked straight away and as soon as I got home I wrote a five star Facebook review vowing to join. – That’s fabulous and we are so glad you did.
So apart from your very talented fingers, can you name a special talent you have?
I’m not sure that I have one. I tend to be a bit of a ‘Gill of all trades’. I love learning new things and trying to apply that knowledge or skill to different situations. I used to be able to down a bottle of fizzy wine in one – but that was a long time ago!
Oh I think that is definitely going down as a special talent right there! To date, what do you feel your biggest accomplishment with the WI has been?
Winning first prize for my mask at the county show – I was stunned to have won! Fortunately we were on holiday and had stopped at a champagne vineyard for the night so I was able to celebrate in style.
And so you should, it was gorgeous and well worthy of 1st place.
Obviously the situation has changed now but what events, on the WI social calendar, were you looking forward to the most this year?
I was really looking forward to our meeting with the Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue. I think hedgehogs are really cute and I was hoping I’d get to hold one.
Oh yes, I think there were quite a few of us looking forward to that meeting. Can you tell us one of your simple pleasures in life?
Getting in to a bed of freshly washed bedding after a shower. It’s even better if the bedding has dried outside in the sunshine. – Oh yes.
And dare I ask, a Guilty pleasure?
Chocolate!! I eat far too much of it. My husband bought me a massive box of Hotel Chocolate for our anniversary in May – I’ve been fairly good and still have a little bit left, although I have not shared any of it with him!
And do you have any embarrassing secret’s you would care to share with us, purely in the interest of getting to know you better of course, no judging here.
I am terrible for throwing myself in to a new hobby and then abandoning it when something else comes along. I can never bring myself to throw out any of the old hobby so I am just accumulating more and more stuff as I go through life. If you ever need anything for baking, paper craft, needle felting, Dorset button making, guitar playing, cake decorating, jewellery making…. then I’m your woman!
Lol just like so, so many crafters. And Finally! The one question we all want to know the answer to… Cream first or Jam first?
I’d go with jam as it’s easier to spread the cream on top, but I’d probably choose to have a chocolate brownie 😉
Jenny and her husband have also spent much of their time during lock-down making and donating PPE face coverings to front line services, and was featured in the June edition of the Staffordshire Federation’s News Bulletin (Issue 2, June 2020). I’m sure many of you would like to join me in saying a big Thank You to Jenny and all the WI members who have also taken the time to support the cause.
Jenny Cook, Crafty Committee member and Mistress of Jammy Meeples, thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to us today.
Let's Make Jam 
Loving the interview with Jenny. What an interestining, whirlwind life she leads. Enjoyed reading about her a lot. Great stuff. XX
Thank you Sarah xxx