Last Saturday we spent a sunny afternoon in an apple orchard. Even just saying those words conjures up autumn, don't you think ? It was part of a series of events being held to celebrate the culture, heritage and food of County Armagh, also known as the orchard county. The orchard is home to the…
If, like me, your heart skips a beat when you hear the words 'walled garden', or you get a little excited at the thought of a greenhouse, then you will want to know a little more about Benvarden. Benvarden is an historic estate which has been in existence since 1798 and home to the Montgomery…
With this little place called home in the midst of an incredible heatwave, it was off to the coast yesterday for a walk along the beach. Our destination was Castlerock, a wide and sandy stretch of beach on the Causeway Coastal route which extends from Belfast along the east coast to the Giant's Causeway on…
Wasn't May a lovely month ? We were blessed with long sunny days that have lightened the mood and lifted the spirits and a feeling of summer has settled upon the place. The season of fetes, and festivals and farmers' markets has arrived and I, for one, couldn't be happier. We ventured to Hillsborough Farmers'…
As I mentioned in a previous post, we spent a lovely weekend in the Strangford Lough area a few weeks back. As well as trips further afield, I really enjoy mini breaks close to home..it's a chance to get away from it all for a while without the hassle of airports. You can just throw a…
Just a few weeks ago, we took a short break to the western shores of Strangford Lough in County Down, an area of outstanding natural beauty dotted with pretty villages en route. One such village we visited was Strangford itself, (from Old Norse meaning 'strong fjord'), nestled at the mouth of the lough. We were…
Yesterday morning, with the sky blue and the sun shining, we headed to Ballylagan Organic Farm. Situated just outside the pretty village of Straid, approximately 20 minutes drive from Belfast and set in lovely countryside, the farm rears livestock and grows vegetables using organic methods. In fact, it was the first farm in County Antrim…
