Week 10: Most irregular...

This week was quite odd in that most of the customers were new to us, and we were missing a lot of the old regulars! I'm using that as one of the excuses that I was left with so much cake at the end of the day! It wasn't a problem as such... other than my diet going to pieces... but the Coffee Cupcakes I made this week were perfect for my sister's birthday celebrations instead of the Coffee Layer Cake she had requested. It's an old family favourite that we normally buy from a local bakery and I had never attempted to recreate their recipe, until now of course. I'm glad I did though, because I think we may have surpassed their version with this rich coffee & vanilla cake. I was worried I might have added too much coffee, but apparently the family were happy with this improvement! So other than overdosing on cake this weekend, my baking was a success! :)

Week 9: Some Friendly Competition...

I was really happy with the presentation of the stall this week, the red tablecloth provided a beautiful backdrop for the chocolate & vanilla cupcakes, as well as my pretty tins (from Tesco of all places!) The changeable and predominantly damp weather kept the customers at bay, and those who dared to venture out were met with a number of baking alternatives this week; from Marian's fresh (& delicious!) scones to the chocolate caramel slices on offer from the schoolgirls beside me. Whatever the reason for my reduced sales this week, I was glad of it! I had many mouths to feed post-Market so it suited me to not make such a profit from this week's baking efforts!

From getting soaked at a market stall, to getting soaked on a tag rugby pitch at the Pig & Porter, I didn't get a chance to dry off much this weekend! But I can safely say that I was able to express my competitive side to its fullest! There was a nice merging of the two interests when I was able to talk shop with Sarah, while supporting her team once ours was defeated, camaraderie is easy once winning is no longer the goal! And the leftovers were gratefully received by my teammates, thus duly excusing my late arrival at the festival!

Week 8: Friends in Need

I had to leave the Market early this week, as my flight to Bristol was at 1pm I couldn't really stay any later than 11am without risking incurring the wrath of Ryanair! So my baking menu was also a good bit smaller, with just a Banana Bread and the staple Vanilla & Chocolate Cupcakes (large ones only though, the teeny ones are fiddly and time-consuming and were going to cut into packing time!) Thankfully my friend Tanya (pictured above, ooh spot my Cupcake earrings!! so cute!) was able to step in and help me with transport and setting up the stall this week, and even dropped me to the airport, the angel! :) (I'm just glad she was able to accept her payment/taxi fare in cupcakes!!) The other girls on the Market were a great help too, with Niamh offering to cover my stall and ensure my orders got to their regulars. I love that aspect to Market life - everybody helping each other - it's a great buzz.

I am on a serious high after my weekend in Wales now, if the great company, wonderfully welcoming locals, and the breathtakingly beautiful scenery wasn't enough, I was also surfing for the first time in about 6 years! I'd forgotten how addictive it can be and after the wave-based dreams I had last night I think I have the bug again! :)

Week 7: Unnecessarily Stressful! :)

After last weekend's excessive baking I thought that this week would be a breeze... I was even proud of myself for baking the requested Carrot Cake in advance, figuring I'd be overly-prepared for the morning... I should have known better! :) It all started with a territorial issue in the kitchen on Friday night, how inconvenient it is that my housemate likes to cook dinner for herself and needed (my!) oven to do it... :) I had to shelve my ego and be as patient as possible, no easy feat for me, so as soon as I regained control over the kitchen I was back on track.. I just finished a good bit later than planned...

So the early Saturday morning start was a bit tougher/non-existent as I dragged myself out of bed at 8am I knew I was going to be late! And of course, as it always is when you are late, things take longer than normal to do, resulting in a very chaotic and uncharacteristically disorganised start to the Market for me! Ah it all worked out in the end of course, the girls are great to lend a hand when I need to pop home for a forgotten cake stand or equally important item!

We were in a new spot this week, with the car park being occupied for a church service we were detoured to a grassy spot just around the corner, and it worked out really nicely. We also had a smaller number of stalls this week, due to holidays and injuries, but there was still a great buzz! :)