I’m not much of a trend-setter, unless there’s a club for people who only wear comfortable shoes! But in one aspect of life, I may actually have been ahead of the posse..
For many years now, I’ve been committed to buying food from local producers where possible, and hand-made gifts and cards for family and friends from local artisans.
My Facebook feed is filled with talented people who lovingly give their time to make beautiful, interesting and unique items. Hardly any of these crafters are going to end up rich, but I’ve met so many of them at various fairs and markets, and the one thing they all have in common is that they love what they do.
And that of course, is riches indeed.
Beautifully made local cards by Arbee Cards at St George’s market
There is a great tradition in Ireland of small, local markets – I remember one time in Ballyvaughan asking a lady if the potatoes she was selling were local, and she put me in my place by replying that she’d picked them herself yesterday evening, and was that local enough for me? Oops! They were delicious, btw..
My Mum was a great fan of a little Saturday morning farmer’s market in Balbriggan – it was in a small church hall, as far as I can remember, and you had to go early because virtually everything was sold by 10am. I often think that I got my market-going bug from her, and I also inherited her love of auctions, and vintage markets too!
Freshly picked for us in Co. Armagh, and brought to St George’s market..
Upperlands Coffee Company blend, roast and grind their coffee and bring it to the market in an electric car! Local, delicious, and sustainable!
Nowadays, many towns have an artisan market of some kind – it shows how much people have come to appreciate buying fresh or handmade goods in these days of mass-production. Have a look around, ask your neighbours – you’ll find all sorts of treasures are available!
The Belfast Continental Market – once this opens, we all know that Christmas is coming :)
Another huge resource at this time of year is the Church fairs – virtually every church, school and community group has a fair, and there are many talented people out there, waiting for you to discover them! At this time of year I find my Saturdays determined by how many markets and fairs I can physically visit in one day!
This week some of the local producers have started a ‘buy local’ campaign and I’m hoping to do some damage to my Christmas list over the next week or so. My hand-made treasures so far this year include gorgeous little one-off purses with hand-made soap in them; some unique art cards, made by a favourite (and affordable) artist friend of mine – (Off-one Christine); a bespoke oak serving board, bought in the fabulous Indie Foods in Comber, and hand-felted fairies for the top of the Christmas tree from The Fine and Dandy Market.
Often I love the things I buy so much that it’s hard to part with them!
But hey, it’s almost Christmas..
My gorgeous Christmas wreath, made by a local Florist, who also happened to be family! (Norah Mitchell, Holywood Rd Belfast)
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