A Magnificent Mother's Day

Don't panic international readers, yesterday was Mother's Day in the UK and here in Ireland! To celebrate, I had a lovely day out with my mum. My mum and I are very close, like best friends, so it was lovely to spend some quality time together. I'm never home at the weekends since getting a boyfriend so it was weird being home on a Sunday morning!

I started off the day by forgetting to bring my mum's card with me and forgetting to wrap her presents - bonus points. She recently won lunch for two at the Grass Roof Café in Rossinver so we booked a table for 1.30. As we would've been way too early for lunch we went to Strandhill Market first. I haven't been to Strandhill Market in ages - it's changed a bit since I was last there! I was delighted to see some new stalls such as My Lovely Lunchbox who serve unusual but tasty sounding 'lunchboxes' such as Indian dhal, spring rolls, salads and loads more (I'd love to have tried some!) and Wild Atlantic Food who sell raw vegan cakes.

We visited Ellie from Trimilawn Farm Herbs, one of our faves at the market, and I uhmmed and ahhed for a bit over a gorgeous elephant teapot she was selling. I absolutely love elephants; they're my favourite animal, and I decided in the end I would buy it - mostly because it was fabulous and partly because someone else was interested in it. That is so me. The teapot is all the way from Thailand and it's so unusual. I'm delighted I  bought it.

I also purchased a slice of vegan chocolate cake from Wild Atlantic Food. I've had cake from there before and it was divine so I decided to treat myself. We had another quick look around and then left before I impulsively bought anything else.

It was then time for lunch. We drove out to Rossinver, which is in the back arse of beyond really. The Grass Roof Café is located within the Organic Centre and their menu is set every weekend. They usually always have a  vegan option and vegetarian options which is nice, it's hard to find vegan options in local cafés and I usually rely on vegan food as I'm also lactose intolerant.

I could choose between either the falafel or the minestrone soup. I decided on the soup as I've eaten so much falafel lately I think I'll turn into one! Mum ordered the beef which came with creamy mash and veggies.

The food came out quickly and all looked fresh and tasty. My soup was gorgeous, easily one of the best soups I've had. It was loaded with celery, tomatoes, onion, garlic, courgette and beans. I do have one teeny tiny complaint which is that when I asked if the bread it came with was dairy free I was just told it was a 'French baguette from Le Fournil'. While French baguettes usually don't contain dairy it was a bit of a risk eating it with no allergen information given, but I didn't get sick after eating it so I assume it was fine! Mum thoroughly enjoyed her meal also and we were both pleasantly full after. Clean plates (and bowls) all round. My mum decided to have dessert - chocolate cake with orange cream and a White Hag stout shooter - and I chanced my arm by asking if there was a vegan dessert but to no avail. Aisling, who runs the café, assured me if I rang ahead the next time she'd put a vegan dessert on the menu which was a lovely touch. I ate my vegan chocolate cake I got from the market afterwards so I didn't feel too hard done by! As the café is so far away I'm not sure when I'll be back next but considering the food was so nice I'd definitely go back - Laurence and I may head there in the summer, fingers crossed.

After our lunch the day was still young so we drove out to Glencar waterfall and stopped for a hot drink from the Tea Shed. The café was handing out free truffles and energy bites for all ladies on Mother's Day. I have to rave about this place as they provided me the ingredients of the energy bites and I was delighted to see I could eat them! They were absolutely delicious. I ordered a soya hot chocolate to go with mine and mum got a cappuccino and pavlova. I don't know what the Tea Shed are like for lunch options but the staff were lovely and so helpful, I'd definitely go there again.

On the drive home mum pulled in at a layby by the lake like a mad woman and jumped out of the car. I had no idea what was wrong with her until I saw a man literally cycling ON THE WATER. I took some pictures with her camera and then noticed a remote control plane flying over the lake - more pic opportunities! As if that wasn't enough I managed to get a (not so great) picture of two swans flying over. Mum, the adventurous woman she is, just had to have a go of the water bike and the men who owned it were more than happy to let her try it. There was a small gathering of people watching, you couldn't make it up - only in Ireland!

All in all we had a lovely day, topped off by getting a Chinese takeaway for dinner under the excuse ''sure it's Mother's Day and also a year since we got Puggly'' (our second rescue dog). Hope you all had a lovely weekend and Mother's Day if you celebrated it!

Sunny Days & Seaside Markets

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I love markets. They're such a nice day out and a wonderful way to find unusual trinkets and gifts - not to mention the great atmosphere.

I've been to Strandhill People's Market quite a few times in the past but haven't been in a while. As I've spent all weekend bumming around the house in my pyjamas (standard) my mum dragged me out of the house and took me along with her. I didn't plan on buying anything but ended up buying too much...oops.

As well as the usual suspects (we had great banter with the ladies from Trimilawn Farm and Talentui Organics - they reassured me I wouldn't have to send off an application for a nunnery just yet) there were some faces I hadn't seen before such as Clo's Chocolates from Le Fournil bakery in Sligo and The Blue Room, who sell quirky signs and home décor - very seaside chic.

After I stole my mum's camera (sorry mum) and snapped away we got down to the nitty gritty and had a proper look. If I had a hefty bank balance and no self restraint you can bet I'd buy something from every stall! I managed to control myself quite well. I was very pleased I found a birthday present for my best friend Bethany - her birthday isn't until May but I'd like to think I'm well prepared now. 

I've heard a lot of good things about bee pollen as a superfood so I was delighted to see a stall selling jars of it, as well as every type of honey you could think of. I also stopped by the Trimilawn Farm stall and asked Ellie what she would recommend to make a chickpea curry. She suggested their Rogan Josh spice mix so I'm looking forward to giving that a go. I love Trimilawn Farm because not only do they have a huge selection of herbs and spices, they are also more than happy to recommend seasonings based on your needs. Mum got some potatoes to plant as she has a bit of a green finger (when she feels like it and doesn't forget plants need nurturing) so we'll see how that goes. Last time we tried to grow potatoes they came out the size of peas.

I also bought a cookie the size of my head from Clo's Chocolates stand which is very naughty of me but I gave half to my brother so I think it's justifiable. I was tempted by all the cakes, paella and the yummy sushi from the Sushi Sisters but I managed to resist!

That was just about everything I bought - as I said, I behaved myself for once. I was extremely tempted by these beautiful cake stands (below) and the elephant mug - elephants are my favourite animal, in case you didn't know this supah interesting fact.

The market has such a buzz about it every time - the sun was shining, the conversation was flowing, stalls were wafting delicious food smells all around and local singers were there to set the mood for the day.

When (if!) I ever get married I want to get one of these lovely wedding prints by Dreaming on a Star. Also, how cute are those badges?! I love their range of personalised prints and kitsch stationery. The unusual necklaces also caught my eye, I love the idea of the key necklace. Very Zoey 101 (remember that show? It was my childhood. I had a key necklace just like hers and I thought I was the bomb).

After inhaling a nacho tray from Streetcart - I smelled very onion-y and sexy all day after that - we headed home and said goodbye to the beauty and the buzz of the market.

If you haven't been to Strandhill People's Market yet - what are you waiting for?!

Festive Fun at Strandhill People's Market

In an attempt to be organised and get into the Christmas spirit, last week I went to Dublin for the Stephen's Green Christmas markets. However, I was sorely disappointed - it felt like a mass exodus and was poorly organised. Imagine crowds and crowds of pushy, miserable looking people mowing shoppers down with pushchairs, add to that a lack of atmosphere and about 40 overpriced hot dog/burger stalls. Not very Christmassy.

I absolutely love Strandhill People's Market and today I got to visit it for the first time since it's moved indoors to Sligo Airport. I think the indoor venue is a fantastic idea especially as we're now well and truly into winter. 

Because buying local is so important I did a bit of shopping (for myself). I was drooling over all the goodies at Marshall Made It as usual but decided I'd be good. I did, however, buy a jar of Christmas craft supplies from them for a blog post idea so watch this space.

Fabulous gift ideas from Marshall Made It.

As well as some lovely gift ideas there were also some divine food stalls: Green Warrior offered some delicious vegan and natural food choices - the vegan chili looked amazing. I chose a bag of healthy granola and a cacao cashew nut chocolate milk (yes, guilt free chocolate milk!) and I'm looking forward to trying them both. I also got a slice of Rocky Road and an adorable snowman cake pop - how amazing are the Christmassy cake pops?! After shopping I was quite peckish so I decided to mix it up and sample some sushi. The Sushi Sisters had a stall and they were so accommodating - I'm picky and don't like salmon so they endeavoured to make me a sushi selection without salmon. The sushi was so fresh and tasty and the noodles were amazing, I could eat like that every day.

The atmosphere was just delightful and the service as always was brilliant. It really goes to show buying local is the way forward. All the stallholders have such unique products and ideas at reasonable prices and they're so friendly and accommodating. By the end of the market I felt really Christmassy - I was actually sad to leave! If you're looking to get a bit of Christmas spirit definitely head to Strandhill People's Market in Strandhill Airport (runs Saturdays and Sundays leading up to Christmas). Check them out on Facebook here and go for a browse - you won't be disappointed.