A Saturday Morning in Swinford

Swinford in County Mayo isn’t too far from home, and revisiting the Swinford Indoor Market has been on my list for a while. It’s been years since I was there, and I’d also spotted a new café in town called Chocomelt. They may as well have called it Magnumlady’s Café. There was only one thing for it – a little Saturday morning road trip. I also love the drive there – taking the High Road and the Low Road, and driving through Aclare.

First stop was Chocomelt. I’m trying to be good lately, but I’ve decided Saturdays are treat days. And what a treat it was.

I ordered a milkshake and a waffle topped with fresh strawberries and smothered in melted chocolate. I could feel the sugar coma creeping up, so I couldn’t quite finish it all, but my goodness it was gorgeous.

I’m making another plea to cafés in Sligo… will somebody please start doing strawberries covered in melted chocolate? I’ll be first in the queue.

Next stop was The Shed. Many of you will remember it as Ballagh Farm Shop, but it’s now located just outside Swinford. It brought me back to the good old days of the Achonry Farmers Market, when Sue and John were regular stallholders.

As well as being able to order their organic vegetables, you’ll also find organic groceries, eco-friendly products, cheeses, baked goods and plenty more. It’s well worth calling in if you’re in the area. They are open on Saturday from 10am – 2pm.

Then it was back into Swinford for the Indoor Market.

There’s such a lovely atmosphere there, and so many great stalls to browse. I’d planned to take photos of all the stallholders, but my confidence decided to have a day off (typical), so I stuck to photographing the people I knew. I did make an exception for one stall selling the most unusual handmade lamps. They were brilliant and unlike anything I’d seen before.

If you’ve never been, the market takes place on the first Saturday of every month from 10.30am until 3.00pm, and it’s well worth a visit.

No trip to Swinford is complete without a quick stop in Tesco. I know… it’s hardly the most exciting part of the day, but it’s a great store with loads of parking. Sometimes it’s the little things.

On the way home I called into Jimmy’s Drive-Thru Coffee and picked up an iced latte. I have to share a pic of their new Mayo cups.

Talking of Mayo, it was lovely to see the flags flying and the shops celebrating the All-Ireland win. I’d imagine there were more than a few sore heads around the county last week!

And that was my Saturday morning. A lovely café, a browse around a brilliant market, a few local businesses supported, and coffee for the drive home. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.