I left you in the departure lounge at Gatwick airport heading for my flight to Dublin. After all the excitement of sitting through three hours of computer-based training and indulgent airport retail therapy, I was asleep just after the safety demo. I have to be really tired to fall asleep on planes. So it was slightly annoying to be woken up by the pilot announcing that we were beginning our descent into Dublin and should be landing in 35 minutes. Huh? The whole flight is just 55 minutes. But, on the positive side, an (in)famous woman has been known to ‘power nap’ for 15 minutes and wake up ready to run the country. I woke up ready to drink some Guinness…
Walking through the exit doors I couldn’t see any shrieking girlies that I recognised but on instruction I walked towards a man who was standing where advised with certain features. Luckily he said “you must be Snoo” and leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek. In a bit of panic, I tried to say yes and kiss him on the other cheek which just ended up in a clash of glasses and embarrassment on my part. Soon united with the girlies who had started drinking many hours before, we ate, drank and reminisced our socks off. Clearly none of us had changed with life dealing us great hands.
The rest of the weekend was a slight blur but there were some fab moments that have remained (and given the inability of my brain to withhold what I had for lunch yesterday, these clearly will have a lasting memory). We stayed in Howth, which is a lovely fishing harbour about 30 minutes from the centre of Dublin, in a great B&B run by a fab lady called Joan (King Sitric). The breakfast was very good and was the inspiration to write this blog. Choosing the full Irish, knowing that I had a full day of sightseeing and the Guinness factory to get through, I was presented with a very large plate of deliciousness. For those who don’t like food to touch, they would have been in heaven. The best thing on the plate by far was the homemade white pudding. I sometimes think if I was a food critic (how I wish) like, for instance, Jay Rayner or William Sitwell, what would be the positives and negatives. I think they would wax lyrical about the white pudding. With so much in the press about the benefits of black pudding and its elevated position of a superfood, let’s hear it for white pudding. I had to take some home. Thankfully, I was able to pick up some award-winning white pudding at the airport (Kanturk pudding). I urge you to try it, if you can find it.
Other notables include a walk to the Baily lighthouse – the shipping forecast is a favourite show, now enhanced by a visit to one of the names – got me thinking of a potential tour of all the lighthouses in the shipping forecast with a visit to the nearest cafe/restaurant but maybe that’s more like Extreme Gastrotourism aka Extreme Ironing. We had lovely fish tapas at The Brass Monkey and just before I headed back to the airport, Michele took me to the best fish shop I have been to in the UK. I was like a kid in a sweetshop, Dorans on the pier. If you go to Dublin, take the DART to Howth and visit this fish shop. I only wished I lived next door. Two final mentions, the Guinness, which neatly marries white with black so could be a super Superfood, and the Chester Beatty Library, which had an incredible collection of ancient manuscripts like the bible and Egyptian papyrus texts, and it’s free!
So big thanks to the girls and for Michele for showing us a great time. We have planned the next one at my house – not sure I can match a lighthouse, Guinness factory, white pudding and freshest fish shop, but Hydon’s Ball looks pretty in most seasons….bring your wellies, girls!
Snoo's kitchen 