Well I have decided to write again after a very busy and exciting summer here on the Farm, and to me my most favorite time of the year has truly arrived, Autumn.
The first frost on the car this morning. The beautiful bright sky put a pep in my step this morning as I walked down to work in the shop. I opened the door of the shop and the warmth off the Aga, from the shed that once housed Philip’s cows, made me smile to myself and gave me a wonderful feeling.
The pumpkins are growing and have turned orange and are ready for all the happy children and adults who will come and visit the farm and collect pumpkins out in the patch and meet the friendly witches and have fun.
In the restaurant a child told me that he counted forty-nine spiders but I think that’s a little too much! – but we are all decorated and ready for Halloween, and one sign that Halloween is upon us is that the Aga was turned on two weeks ago, my faithful friend, where our scones are now cooked every morning.
The brown Bread that we make in the shop is a wonderful hit, its made from Uncle Aidan’s Flour in Co. Wexford, and it’s the best. My mother perfected her recipe and she was delighted when Darina Allen wrote about her bread in the Cork Examiner! Jo Allen’s bread is available to buy and eat in the restaurant every morning.
We have a new string to our bow, we have decorated our 1970’s caravan into a vintage tea room, and it’s a great hit and is booked out this weekend! It holds 6 people and you can drink tea from beautiful hand painted china cups and saucers. You must book it in advance with Philip at the shop.
The kids are all back in school and happy they are back in their routine after helping here on the farm and shop during the summer. Harry and Archie are back training and playing Rugby, and Hannah is now in second year and happy also to be back with her friends and studying away.
The animals are starting to come back into the barn, after eating grass all summer, Bell the goat and her two friends are back in the barn, and Daffy Hannah’s 27 year old horse is in out of the fields and is waiting for the farrier and she will be clipped this weekend.
We are delighted to say we have new members to our staff, which are invaluable to Philip and myself, without them we wouldn’t be able to continue to serve tea in real china cups and saucers!
The winter Menu in the Restaurant will be starting Next Tuesday, October 10th. Irish stew and bangers & mash with onion gravy, so it’s all go here at the shop as we embrace beautiful Autumn and get ready for the log fires next.
So if you are passing please call into the farm shop and enjoy a cup of Barry’s tea in a real china tea cup and saucer. Until my next post, Happy Autumn and embrace the delights that she has to offer.