What Sharon did next

Closing the café left me with a huge hole in my life. I've filled that hole by spending more time with family and friends, focusing more on my journalistic writing (something has to pay the bills!), relaxing and thinking about where I want my life to take me in the future. 

It sounds crazy but I actually still have a lot of time left over after doing all of that, which goes to show that running a café is a whole lot more work than anyone realises. It may also sound crazy to anyone who knows how burned out I was when the café closed that I still yearn to work with food, not just writing about food, but actually producing food for people to eat. 

This is why I've returned to Dingle Farmers' Market where I have a weekly stall selling baked goods every Friday from 9 am until 2 pm. I've been back since the beginning of May and have been experimenting with different flavours and options to suit my customers' tastes ever since. 

I've brought back old favourites that people loved when I last had my stall there three years ago and I've started introducing some gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free treats to cater for the growing number of people who are careful about what they eat for health or philosophical reasons (a growing number of people that now includes me).
  
It's been great to be back. I've re-engaged with old customers, met new ones, enjoyed the banter with fellow stall holders and I'm really appreciating once again doing something with food.

Here are some pictures I've taken of my cakes and my stall in the past few weeks, just to give you an idea of what I've been doing:

Chocolate cupcakes with a creamy peanut butter icing - these contain butter, chocolate and cream (all things I shouldn't eat) and I seriously struggle not to scoff the lot!

The most adorable marzipan bees to go on top of my spiced honey cupcakes

Dan Lepard's chocolate custard muffins topped with chocolate ganache - chocolate on chocolate; it's a classic!

Zingy with lemon and always a winner

No flour, no dairy yet oh-so deliciously good

My white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes are on the left at the back and they have once again proved to be my bestsellers. The mini cheesecakes and banoffee cupcakes are pretty popular too!

I have some questions for you before I bid you farewell today:

1: Based on your own experience of cake eating, what flavours and combinations would you like to see for sale at farmers' markets? I'd be particularly interested in hearing about options that are gluten, dairy and sugar free.

2: I'm also thinking of signing up with EatWith and hosting supper club evenings in my home. Do you think people would be interested in this? Being at the market is not really enough to satisfy my cravings to feed people while enjoying their company and I think this new concept could be just the thing for me. Has anyone tried it out before? Or do you have any thoughts or suggestions?

The ups and downs of life at a farmers' market

It's raining outside and I can't help but feel downhearted. Rain is forecast for all this week and I'm not relishing the thought of another deluge of a day at Dingle Farmers' Market this Friday.

The past two weeks at the market have proven just how unpredictable the life of a market stallholder can be. A fortnight ago, it rained so hard and so long that all of my customers stayed away. There was a break in the rainfall for approximately 20 minutes at around 11 o'clock and any cupcakes that were sold were sold during those precious few minutes.

Those types of days are hard to take. All of the work and preparation amounts to little and you wonder what on earth ever possessed you to set up a market stall in a country where the weather is as variable as it is in Ireland.

The only thing that makes up for it is that you can swap those same leftover cupcakes for some of the other stallholders' produce. That rainy day, I arrived home soaked but bearing bread, new potatoes, homemade chocolates, organic salad leaves, fresh fish and even a pot of handmade, organic moisturiser.

The other stallholders make up for it too. Klaus cheered my spirits with his renditions of 'Singing in the Rain' and 'Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head' while Saorla and I swapped horror stories about stalkers.

Such a different day to last week when the sun shone and hordes of customers descended upon us. We'd organised a special kids' day to celebrate school being out for the summer and had face painters, a drum band, jugglers and a choir from the local Camphill community. Everyone was smiling. Lots of cupcakes were sold. And there was lots of cheery banter.

Here's Klaus with his stall of the most wonderful cosmetics. He and his wife (under their company name Flourish Cosmetics) make amazing cleansers, toners, moisturisers and other products, using completely natural and organic ingredients. Nothing has been tested on animals and everything feels luxurious on the skin.
Here's Saorla, with her ever-popular cookies and chocolate lollipops. What you can't see in this picture is her growing range of handmade chocolates. One of her latest additions is the Green Faerie - an absinthe flavoured truffle that really is to die for.And here am I with my cupcakes, smiling in the sunshine.


Here's hoping I'm smiling this Friday. When I'll be selling chocolate brownies, Black Forest gateau cupcakes, white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes, banoffee cupcakes, Oreo cupcakes and Guinness and Baileys cupcakes - that's what I've decided on so far at least.

Fingers crossed for sunshine. And hope to see you there, if not this Friday, then some time.

All together now: send me some sunshine

I've got cupcakes baking in the oven at this very moment. Chocolate cupcakes, strawberry ones, Black Forest Gateau cupcakes, banoffee, white chocolate and raspberry and even lemon meringue ones: all destined for my stall at Dingle Farmers' Market tomorrow.


And lest fans of my brownies despair, they'll be on my stall too.

I've been back at the market for the past two weeks and it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride so far. Two weeks ago, I ignored the weather forecast, mixed up some cupcake batter and decided the time was right for Little Miss Cupcake to return. After all, how bad could the weather really be?

It turns out that the question I should have asked was: how foolish can a cupcake maker really be? When I arrived at the market that Friday morning, it was so windy that everyone's canopy umbrella's were literally taking off. Anything that wasn't firmly tied down was blown away.

Hmm, thought Sharon. I don't have anything to tie my canopy down with and I don't really have anything to tie it to either.

Fortunately, my ever-resourceful boyfriend was nearby and together we found rope and tied my stall to a phone box, a tree, an electricity pole and my car! On a normal morning, it takes between 20 and 30 minutes to get my stall set up but on this windswept morning, it took two whole hours. Two hours of tying everything as tightly as possible, of chasing objects that would suddenly become windborne and at one stage rescuing a box of 50 cupcakes that was about to crash to the ground. STRESS!

Even worse was the fact that all but the most weather-beaten of our customers were scared off by the wind and I had very few sales. I was hugely disappointed that this was the outcome of my first day back at the market but the fact that I was able to barter cupcakes for produce from the other stalls made up for it a little.

Last Friday, the sun shone and things were better. More of the stallholders had returned too and with them came more customers. It felt like the market had come back to life after its winter slumbers.

Saorla was there with her vegan delights and delicious sandwiches (you should all try her roasted veggie sandwiches - they're scrummy!)


Mary had returned with her jams, home baking and hand-knitted cardigans for babies.


Janet's stall displayed her farm-fresh eggs, wonderful honey products and sweet treats.


Vegetable man Tom was especially proud of his rhubarb.


Eithne was pleased with her pancakes.


Lorna (who runs the Phonenix Restaurant in Keale and makes fabulous vegetarian food) had brought along someone who serenaded us with her violin.


Marie (from Quebec) is new to the market and as well as her excellent preserves and chutneys, she makes fudge that is to die for.


Greg is new too and one of the things he sells is bird houses that he crafts himself.


Neil's bread stall (with bread made by his wife Orla) is one of the market's busiest and last week, he was joined by Aine who was learning how to bake as part of her transition year work experience.


We will all be back again tomorrow and so will Olivier, Bríd, Britta, Sarah, Betsy and more. If you're there, do call by to say hello.

And don't forget: send some sunshine our way!

Sharon has a case of spring fever: bring on the chocolate!

Spring seems to have arrived in West Kerry. And isn't it pretty?

It's very welcome too. The brighter mornings mean that I'm not (quite) as reluctant to get out of bed when the alarm rings. The longer evenings mean that my dog now gets a walk when I've finished work for the day - something that makes him ridiculously happy.

And much more unexpectedly, the hint of green growth in the air and the (admittedly slight) upturn in temperatures have made me miss my stall at Dingle's Farmers' Market.

At the end of October last year, I was glad to pack my stall away. I was exhausted and needed a rest from the back-breaking work of baking. But months have now gone by and I'm itching to return to the kitchen. I miss the chatter of the customers and the banter of the other stallholders. It's time for Little Miss Cupcake to return.

Thus inspired, I decided yesterday was a day for experimenting with new products for my stall. This was the end result:


Mini chocolate and raspberry tarts (taken from the Avoca Café Cookbook) and little chocolate and raspberry pots (made with leftover chocolate mixture)

Here's how I made them:
Shortcrust pastry:
225g/8oz plain flour
150g/5oz butter, diced
25g caster sugar
1 egg yolk

Chocolate filling:
190g/7 and a half oz raspberries
350ml/12 fl oz double cream
15g/half an ounce caster sugar
250g/9oz dark chocolate, grated
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
Raspberries to decorate

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. (If you're lucky enough to have a mixer or a food processor, this can do the hard work for you.)

Stir in the caster sugar and then mix in the egg yolk. By this stage, your pastry should hold together but if it's still crumbly and dry, you can add some cold water if necessary.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and use it to line eight mini tartlet tins (mine were 9cm in diameter).

Cover the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. (If you have ceramic ones, use those but any dried beans will do. Their function is to prevent the pastry from rising.)

Bake in an oven which has been preheated to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/gas mark 4 for 15 mins.

Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return the pastry cases to the oven for another 5 mins until very lightly coloured.

Leave to cool

When the pastry has cooled, line the base of each tart with raspberries.

Put the cream and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it melts.

Add the rum, if using.

Leave to cool a little then pour the mixture over the raspberries.

Leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of one hour.

Decorate with more raspberries and serve.

I had some chocolate mixture left over and decided to use it to make chocolate pots. I put some raspberries in little espresso cups and then covered them with chocolate, placed them in the fridge to set and put a pert little raspberry on top.

My verdict? These tarts and pots would appeal to customers with sophisticated tastes; those who like their chocolate strong and bitter and their desserts tangy and tart. I can think of several who will love them but I know lots have a sweeter tooth. I'll have to come up with a variation that will appeal to them too. I'm thinking chocolate honeycomb tarts and pots. Watch this space!

Cupcakes, farmers' markets and all I've learned in the past year

Yesterday was my last day at Dingle Farmers' Market until our Christmas markets in December (dates yet to be decided).

My reaction to this my decision to call a halt to cupcake baking for the winter is a mixed one. My head (and body) says: Phew! I'm glad that's over.

Yet it's more complicated than that. Ever since I set up my stall just over a year ago, I've learned a huge amount from my involvement with the market and my life has become richer as a result.

I've found people to be so generous . When I first started, I was unsure whether my venture would be successful and so wasn't keen to shell out money on a canopy. I told an old lady who used to be in charge of the market about my reluctance to invest too much upfront and she immediately swung into action, contacting stallholders and asking if anybody had a canopy they weren't using. Organic vegetable enthusiast Deckie came up trumps and loaned me one until I felt the time had come to purchase one of my own. (Thanks Deckie!)

The other stallholders have been friendly too. Tom often helps me to set up my stall in the morning (hoping he'll get a banoffee cupcake in return!).

Mark, the market controller is always on hand to carry boxes, assemble canopies and solve occasional disputes (!). The atmosphere is always convivial, with everyone swapping stories, chatting with customers and marvelling at the weather (it was sunny every single Friday - bar one - from the beginning of April until yesterday!).

The customers have to be one of the things that make the market so special. It's great building up a regular customer base, learning what they like and having them come back to tell you what they think of your products. My customers often suggest new flavours I should try and what they think of cupcakes they have tasted elsewhere.

Here are some stand-out memories of interactions I had with customers this year:

A lovely German girl whose granny had been a prize-winning baker in Bavaria sampling my white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes and trying to guess all the different ingredients.

The delight on the face of a charming elderly man who bought cupcakes every week when I returned to the market after a few weeks of being off sick.

There was also the lady who would visit my stall every week, spend ages looking at all the different options and then complain about my cupcakes being too expensive. She would try to haggle about the price and I would stand firm and refuse. (I give discounts if you buy lots, not just two!) Two weeks ago, she eventually relented and decided she'd spend €4 on two white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes. She returned yesterday to say how nice they were "even though they were dear". She then bought 12! And for that, I did give her a discount.

(white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes; the cakes that eventually made her crack)

I've learned lots about baking and decorating cakes during the year too. It's amazing to look back at photos and see just how much my cakes have improved. They always tasted good but at the beginning I had a lot to learn about making them look good.

I've also developed an even deeper respect for food producers. There is such a huge amount of work and committment involved in producing fresh food and anyone who succeeds in doing so ought to be commended.

Dingle Farmers' Market has grown and developed during the year too. When I started in September 2009, the market was located in an out-of-the-way strip of wasteland. The ground was potholed and uneven and turned into a muddy quagmire when it rained. This meant that only a hardy core of six or so stallholders turned up every Friday and the market was losing customers by the week.

A man called Michael Gleeson came to our rescue and he negotiated with Kerry County Council on our behalf. We were moved to a new location - the car park on Holy Ground - and it's been onwards and upwards ever since. Over the summer months, we had 20+ stallholders and many more expressing interest in joining.

Sausages and all sorts of cured meats, farmhouse cheeses, vegetarian and vegan food, savoury pies, fresh fish, homemade pizzas and quiches, bread, a huge variety of vegetables, pancakes, local honey, local organic beef, great hot food such as lamb koftas and crab bisque, my cupcakes and brownies and a fabulous range of local crafts; Dingle Farmers' Market is now not to be missed. Just ask the hundreds of regulars who come every Friday.

I'm already planning to spend the winter experimenting with new cupcake flavours, macaroons and whoopie pies but for those of you who'll suffer withdrawal symptoms until then, here are some Oreo cupcakes to tide you over:

Bleary-eyed recollections of this year's Dingle Food and Wine Festival

A year has gone by since I first set up my stall at Dingle's Farmers' Market. Little Miss Cupcake - a stall specialising in (yup, you've guessed it!) cupcakes and brownies - came into existence in September of last year and a mere month later, I was selling hundreds of cupcakes at Dingle's Food and Wine Festival, an annual event that takes place on the first weekend of October.

To mark my first year anniversary, I decided that I wanted this year's food festival to be even bigger and better than before.

This marked the start of the madness.

I decided that as well as baking brownies, I would bake ten different varieties of cupcake. That's right. Ten! Chocolate, white chocolate and raspberry, strawberry, banoffee, carrot, Guinness and Baileys, Oreo, mini mixed berry and vanilla cheesecakes, almond and orange and Black Forest cupcakes. Why did nobody think to stop me?

As a result of this crazy decision, my weekend passed in a blur of bleary-eyed activity. I rose at dawn, baked and iced cupcakes, spent the afternoon enticing people to buy them, rushed home to bake some more, snatched a few hours of precious sleep and then rose to do it all over again. This was the pattern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Somehow, I also managed to find the time to enjoy a nine course tasting menu at the Global Village restaurant on Saturday night. I'm not going to review it here as the owners are friends of mine but believe me when I say that it was fabulous.

Highlights included a ravioli filled with the sweetest concentrated tomato that burst when cut and intensified a deeply flavoured tomato broth; albacore tuna served with seaweed; a wonderfully minty mojito sorbet; and an imaginative take on millionaire's shortbread where the caramel was replaced with zingy lemon.

One of the highlights of the Dingle Food Festival - besides the excellent market and the food demonstrations - is the taste trail. Almost all of the businesses in the town take part and each of them hosts a different food producer. So, essentially, you can stroll around the town, following your nose and your appetite and enjoying bite-sized meals in pubs, shops, restaurants and art galleries.

Tuck into some barbequed seafood at the fishmonger's. Slurp on some oysters and Guinness in one pub or tuck into a pint and a pork pie in another. Enjoy a spit-roast pig, Spanish paella, Murphy's ice cream sandwiches, gourmet coffee, wine tastings and so much more.

Unfortunately, I missed most of this as I was busy manning my stall. Next year, cupcakes or no cupcakes, I have vowed not to be so overtaken by madness. I too will eat my way around Dingle.