If cost was not a consideration, I’d buy all my vegetables and fruit from Denis Healy’s well-stocked organic produce stand at the Sunday market in the People’s Park in Dún Laoghaire – then again, if price wasn’t an issue, maybe it wouldn’t bug me that it’s so damned difficult to see prices for anything he sells.
Choice is not an issue here. “You want carrots; we’ve got Irish ones, Spanish ones, purple ones, clean ones, dirty ones.” There’s plenty of room to browse, and the selection is huge, if you don’t mind buying foreign stuff.
Healy’s staff are amazingly helpful, whatever the weather, and you get to select your own produce, which is a bonus for someone as picky as me. Just don’t count the cost.
“These taste like carrots used to taste.” This snippet, overheard coming from a woman filling a huge bag, lured me away from the organic veggies to Anthony Corry’s potatoes and carrots (very dirty – good sign), arranged on a makeshift table just inside the gate. Half the price of Healy’s, but not organic. And not nearly as tasty, it transpired. But still, the chat with Corry was worth it, and I know people who swear by his spuds.
“There’s a social aspect to coming to the market,” says Corry, who tells me he grows the produce in his garden in Enfield, Co Meath. “It’s not just about profit.”
Jane Murphy, whose Ardsallagh farm goats’ cheeses are impossible to pass by, is also good for a chat. She delights in converting those who say they hate goats’ cheese. “It’s such a challenge, I love that. I make a cheese for all palates.” If you ask nicely she’ll take you through a tasting of cheeses from young, creamy ones to crusty, firm specimens about 10 months old.
There’s a veritable smorgasbord of international culinary temptations from which to assemble a snack lunch as you shop, and you can wash it down with a glass of hot spiced Llewellyn’s apple juice, with an optional free shot of apple brandy or whiskey.
Parking is a challenge at this market, so bring the family to share the load.
SHOPPING LIST (Prices per kilo)
Potatoes: €2.50 (Denis Healy)
Eating apples: €3.50 (Denis Healy)
Organic carrots: €2.50 (Denis Healy)
Sausages: €12 (100 per cent pork, gluten-free, organic, from Francis Bruton)
Farmhouse cheddar: €27 (Mount Callan, from Sheridans)
Focaccia: €5 (Piece of Cake)
Apple tart: €4.90 (Noirín’s Bakehouse)
Walnut, peacan and pear loaf: €4 (The Baking House)
CoCo Markets, Dún Laoghaire – Sundays, 11am-4pm