This lovely sculpture is halfway along the promenade – it has all the words of Percy French’s famous song.
Early on a sunny Sunday morning is our favourite time to take the road from Belfast to Newcastle. It’s a nice drive, in winter or summer, and the road can be fairly peaceful at that time of the day. In summer, you can be held up in Dundrum because there’s a huge car boot sale running, which is very well attended. Once you’re past that, it’s plain sailing to Newcastle..
In Winter, you need all your layers on, but it’s so well worth it to see the waves crashing, and a hint of snow on the tops of the mountains.
A well-wrapped Mr Sat Night catching the light on the mountains
Out to sea..
We usually drive down, take advantage of the free and ample parking, walk half-way along the Promenade and then stop for breakfast. We then finish our walk by taking the rest of the promenade, go down onto the beach if the tide’s out, or walk back up the main street checking out all the independent shops, most of which open for Sunday visitors such as ourselves.
Occasionally we take a walk through Donard Park, which is at the end of the Main street, and where you can walk up a well-worn path towards the mountain tops. My husband’s parents met in Newcastle, so it always held a special magic for all the family. He has great memories of trips and caravan stays there in his childhood.
A cold and bright March morning at Newcastle
Winter waves..
The view back to Dundrum Bay
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx