MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET

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MAHON POINT FARMERS MARKET

Got a little shock when I looked down on the normal site of the Mahon Point Farmers Market  and saw nothing. Then the iced-up brain crawled into action and a look inside the ground floor of the car park indicated that all was well and that the weather had not beaten the market as there was a goodly supply of stalls and customers doing business away from the slippery surfaces outside.

First business was a hot mouthful and that was a delicious mulled apple juice from Ballyhoura Apple Farm. Impressed and bought myself a couple of bottles.

A bit of a delay then at next stall: McNamara’s Ballycotton Fresh Fish. Quite a few customers here and most were ordering bagfuls. Patience was rewarded and off we went with some enticing fresh hake.

The Gubbeen stall was close at hand and choices here included a chunk of whey fed pork and a pack of venison burgers. A bit of banter and some cooking instructions were also thrown in.

Ballycurraginny Farm is a mustn’t miss stall, both in Midleton and Mahon, and here they had their veg laid out, loads of frosty dirt still clinging to it. Five parsnips for a euro, ten carrots for two. Beat that for goodness and value.

Marks Cheese is another regular call and after a couple of tastings, I picked a brie from Tipperary.

Buttevant’s Old Millbank Smokehouse is a class act and, with the season in mind, we bought a pack of their smoked salmon. It has an early January date but may well be gone before then, may well be gone before Christmas.

Woodside Farm specialises in the pig and gives you loads of info on the product and how to get the best out of it. We lingered a while here before heading off with some of their flavoured sausages and a big piece of bacon.

Man does not live by bread alone but you gotta have some and Arbutus provided an inviting round sourdough. This producer never disappoints.

Hot stuff is the order of the day as the cold tightens its grip and so it was an easy decision to buy a couple of soups from the award winning Flynn's Kitchen. Of course, they do much more than soup and that leaves us with an excuse to go back again. Not that I ever need much of an excuse to visit Mahon Point Farmer’s Market.