Honest2Goodness Market 6th January 2011Newsletter

 

Right then, thats 2010 out of the way, now lets get cracking on making 2011 a more positive and upbeat year!

Soon, the snowdrops and daffodils will be pushing their heads above the soil, so Spring isnt that far away.

 

We hope that you managed to survive this Christmas & New Year with your good humour intact, and that all your pipes are back running with water.

This fat little robin did very well out of the left-over granola scraps, along with a few blackbirds who have been waking me way before dawn for the last week!

I dont know about you, but having to shop in supermarkets this last week has made me realise just how lucky I am to have all the stallholders gather at the market each Saturday and that I can fill up the larder and the fridge with great fresh produce! I am so looking forward to getting back to that on Saturday! HOWEVER, there is still a serious risk of snow over the next 48 hours, so if in doubt, please check the website before travelling - we will update it with any last minute changes! www.honest2goodness.ie. You can also contact us by phone at 087-6294713

So, with that caveat, the market will be back in full swing this Saturday, with all our healthy fresh foods available, plus our usual freshly made treats. Look out for our experiments over the coming weeks on using gluten-free ingredients in the Pantry fare, as we know that many of you are looking to move away from a reliance on wheat-based produce! I have been trying out a couple of recipes this week, but I think I'll have to tweak them a bit more before launching them!

Stallholder news:

As of now, all stallholders are due to be at the market on Saturday, except for Gleann Gabhair, our goats milk stall. Fionnuala from Gleann Gabhair will drop off some goats milk to the Pantry/Cheese counter early on Saturday and there will be a special deal on the milk: buy two and get one free! Gleann Gabhar expect to be back with us on the 15th January with goats milk, goats cheese and goats milk fudge.

We arent sure if Blazing Salads will be manning their Bread Stall. We've tried to get confirmation from them, as they seem to have scaled down the bakery operations (as per Twitter!), so please check the website news area for last minute updates.

Martin from The Curry Sauce Company let me know that they will be here with fresh vacuum packed ready to use Curry Sauces, vegetarian friendly and excepting for Malaysian Rendang, gluten free.

Wines of the week - as Colm is away in the UK til tomorrow, I get to choose the wines this week, and I have gone for two really good value wines and then reduced their price by 30%. 

So, on the white wine front, we have our Rive Haut VDP Cotes de Gascogne, a lively aromatic blend of colombard and sauvignon, available on Saturday for €7 a bottle.

Our red of the week is one of our Sicilian range from Montalto, another blend, this time of Nero d'Avola and Merlot, which has become one of our most popular wines and again it is on offer for €7 a bottle. Both will be available for tasting on Saturday.

Pascale from Phoenix Delites will be at the market with her chocolates. I hope she has her 80% Ugandan chocolate for the hot dish of the day - set to be a warming Chilli Con Carne!

Of course, that also depends on the Spud Man getting in fresh supplies of chillies, which he tells me will be done before Saturday, along with all the rest of his aromatic ingredients - and he has already picked up fresh spuds in Wexford! We have decided to hold off on restocking the living herbs for a few weeks, as they are proving difficult to keep alive in the really cold weather.

Cafe news: Due to a couple of helpers falling ill  with the flu, we'll be under pressure to be at normal capacity at the cafe on Saturday, so bear with us, please, we'll be doing our best!

Events:

We are planning to have a charity bring and buy sale sometime in the next couple of months, so if you have cleared out the wardrobe, or want to generally declutter, then we will happily take stuff off your hands - as long as it is in good condition! - clothes (men, women and childrens), accessories, bric a brac, etc.  We'll keep you posted on dates and other details!

Hope to see you soon at the market

Brid & Colm