The Market!

I don't think I have EVER felt cold like it.  EVER.  It was bloody freezing.  Ugh, I'm shivering even thinking about how cold it was.  Brrrrr.

But it was fun.  Well, the first day was.  Ms. K. did the first evening (I basically just set up and legged it) and she was inundated with people delighted to see us back in Balbriggan again.  So sweet when people miss you and miss what you do.  Instead of working the market I held my second Supper Club (remember those?), it was fab. This year it's all about Take-Away food.  No cooking and, apparently, no pressure but, I tell ya, there is huge pressure ordering take away food.  Do you get Thai or Indian?  Chipper or Pizza?  Who likes what and who doesn't eat fish?  And!!!  When do you order it?  My local Indian said it would take an hour to deliver so I ordered at 8pm (everyone due at 8.30) only to have the feckin' thing turn up at 8.30 .. . . and, of course, no one showed up to eat it until 9pm.  But you can't serve food to your mates the minute they walk in the door now can you? You have to get them settled, get the gossip.  Give them a drink.  Yeah, a bit stressful.  Would much rather cook but . . . it's someone else's turn for the stress now.  Love my supper club.

Got all the goss (and they got all mine) and learnt that Ms. A's neighbour is either mental or has a thing for Ms. A's Architect.  Either way she's spending a lot of time shouting at him and ordering him about.  

So, back to the market.  Didn't drink.  Much.  So was there bright and early and set it up to look beautiful.  Ms. K and I are good at this, I know self praise is no praise but our fecking stand always rocks.  Then sat back and waited.  Waited for the lazy feckers to get out of bed and buy our cakes.  

We sold out.  Which was arsey because by the end of the evening we were fecking shattered and the last thing we wanted to do was go home and bake some more.  But Ms. K did (she's very good0 and Himself did (he's also very good.  I'm not, very good am I?).

Met the loveliest butcher, Martin Browne, who has won tonnes of awards and challenged me to NOT like his rashers.  I'd been giving out, you see, about how hard it is to buy a decent bit of rasher these days.  You know? Something that tastes good but doesn't ooze all over your frying pan.  Well, the man delivered and we had some for breakfast the next morning and then I hid the remaining 5 for me.  Just me.  I love a good rasher.  He's based on the Main Street in Balbriggan so go buy rashers from him, sausages too (he's won awards fr them) and tell him Niamh (the cupcake lady sent you - he may remember me).

Then there was the Honey Sheriff (Mike J. Kelly).  I swear to God, but that's what his badge said.  I'm not a big honey lover.  Always some weird aftertaste off it but . . . .  there is such a difference in the honey you get off your local bee keeper and what comes in the shops.  I always knew that e.g. Boyne Valley honey was made up from lots of different honey suppliers but the honey I had at this stand?  Wow.  Apparently Rape Seed Flower honey wins in the taste tests and I don't know what these bees were feeding on but they fed on some very tasty flower and . .  mmmm, nice honey.  The next day I met the Honey Queen of Ireland (I kid you not!) and she was telling me of the medicinal properties of honey and how it's really good for you.  Really good for you if it's naturally sourced, isn't heated and isn't blended.  We're all taking a teaspoon a day.  Don't know if it's doing us any good but I think it's good for the soul, great way to start the day.  Spoonful of honey and chocolate from the Advent Calander and you're set up for the day

Sunday.  Bleugh.  Freezing.  Absolutely frickin freezing.  We were to be there from 9am but we showed up at 10am (c'mon, it was a Sunday.  A cold Sunday.  Mass and football matches!!!!  Besides which, no one really showed up until around 2pm.  Including this woman:

Her.  "€2.00 for a cupcake????  Jesus, I'd make one for that price."

Me: "Yeah????".

Her.  "Yeah,

Me.  "Sorry Madam, but are you making them from scratch or do you have a cupboard full of ingredients at home?  From scratch?  Rightio so.  Let's see then?. . . . Okay, you need two types of flower, cheapest is €1.19 a bag (you've just spent €2.38 - so much for that €2.00 cupcake), butter at €2.19, Eggs - two at 33c each.  Caster sugar (there's a sugar shortage you know), that's going to cost you €1.55 (shame you can't buy it by the gram eh?).  What else?  Vanilla Extract (€4.38 for a good bottle - again, you can't buy the exact amount you need . . . shame), Butter, the cupcake liner, (do you have tins?), cooking time and icing sugar.  So Madam?  Shall we add that up?  Let's see?  To make your ONE cupcake you've had to fork out a whopping €10.08 on ingredients, liners and gas (you are going to do this in the dark aren't you?  Save on the leccy). Oh, and I am assuming you walked to the supermarket and didn't use a car and fuel (€1.49 a litre).  Thank you and piss off!!!"

Not my finest hour, normally I'm very nice to my customers but give me a frickin' break.  AAAAAAAAAAgh.  Idiots.