And on the left we have Leakers Bakery at the Market and on the Right Mike English from Fruits of the Earth. (he has a lovely wife called Sue who also runs the shop…follow the link and you can see her!)
Today I did local, high street shopping. I drove the car to Bridport and parked up in the car-park, took my shopping bags and proceeded first to the bank to get some cash. The market was in action with stalls lining West Street, East Street, South Street. The day was sunny with some ‘light showers’ so I took my umbrella which I used once and then proceeded to leave in every shop that I visited and then had to return to collect it!
I went to WH Smith to buy Writing Magazine, (looking forward to reading that this evening) I would have bought Writers’ Forum too, but there was no copy available. I popped into Boots the chemist, and I then went to the Holland and Barrett Health food shop and bought some Protein Powder for The Man who apparently needs to take it each night with milk to stave off the cramps after a long bike ride. There is, by the way, a new bike so now three in the shed. It’s a pretty fancy one and, ‘absolutely necessary’ for the summer of course, (doesn’t he have one of those already?).
Ah…a new orange helmet – to match the new orange shoes…a cycling Beau Brummel
I went into my favourite dress shop Butterfly Boho and managed not to buy anything (even though I’ve got a lot of spending to do to catch up with The Man and his bikes). The owner told me that she’d just bought a load of new stock and that it would be in the shop by mid-week so I will have to go back on Wednesday.
Butterfly Boho…my favourite clothes shop in the world!
I browsed the market stalls, stopping at Leaker’s Bakery (they have a shop in the town as well as the market stall). I bought a loaf of soda bread and I was happy to buy some Dorset apple cake but I was given three, free, wedges. Apparently the baker had forgotten to add any sugar so I (along with several others) were treated to a freebie with the proviso that we returned to give a true account of the taste…and to say whether or not it would be worth marketing? Our conclusion after ingesting the portions, was that, yes, the sugar was definitely missed, but actually the taste was not at all bad and that the apple gave some sweetness. Our suggestion would be to make it again but, perhaps add a little amount of sugar.
Soda Bread and Sugar Free Dorset Apple Cake
Animal House Pet shop for dog biscuits, food and treats. Everything a dog owner needs in here.
Animal House Pet Shop
Next stop the super duper Wholefood Shop, Fruits of the Earth where I purchased local organic asparagus, sweet potato and avocado pear. Also, the wonderful shop had argan oil, an absolute necessity for an authentic Moroccan Lamb Tagine (according to Anthony Worrall Thompson). I went into several shops and some of them hadn’t even heard of the oil and some had but reckoned you put it on your face…I got some strange looks when I said I needed it to cook with.
Fruits of the Earth shop front and the Argan Oil…for consumption not face (but I guess I could give it a try when I run out of olive oil?)
Now then, I know that I visited a few chain stores as well as the local stores but the experience of shopping in the high street is a pleasure. Charging around the supermarket and throwing my things first in the trolley and then in the boot of the car or a leisurely stroll in and out of the shops, can be compared to taking time drinking a fine wine, accompanied by delicate canapés, or, chucking cheap and nasty plonk down your throat with a packet of cheese and onion crisps.
Admittedly, you have to carry the shopping a bit further, in one or two large shopping bags but balanced properly, I didn’t have a problem. I walked further, enjoyed the view up to Colmer’s Hill from Bridport, passed the time of day with other shoppers and a general feeling of wellbeing came over me. Relaxed and happy I returned to the cottage with my goods. What’s more I added several thousand steps to my daily target!
West Street shops and Market Stalls, View to Colmer’s Hill and Snook’s Famous Hat Shop (didn’t visit here today but I often have)
