Mt Albert Market

It's been a while. I said that last time. To be honest this year has flown by, and I can't say I'm sad about that. 2012 and 2013 were pretty tough and I definitely didn't think that 2014 was going to follow suit, but it seems like it's taking the lead so far. But it's Spring, the time for new beginnings, so I'm trying a few new things and planning to set things straight. Here we go.

This morning I caught up with the lovely Sheryn at the Mt Albert market for breakfast. She is currently house and pup-sitting for her brother whose house is located right around the corner from the market so there were really no excuses not to visit. Today may have been the craziest weather day in recent memory, but that's nothing that some baked goods and coffee couldn't fix!

As well as offering a vast selection of fresh fruits and veggies, fresh and smoked seafood and cured meats, the Mt Albert market houses a range of vendors who provide all you need for a good breakfast or lunch. They're open from 10am till 1pm which is perfect really, and most of the market is under cover so the pesky rain can't get you (unless it's coming in sideways like today, but it only got the veggie stand). After a wander round Sheryn and I settled on a hot and spicy chai from local cafe Cosset who offer all vegan fare. They make their own chai syrup which makes it more earthy and spicy than commercial blends and it's steamed with almond or rice milk so it's good for the planet as well as the soul. An excellent start. 

With eyes bigger than our bellies we decided on sharing, and gobbled a bacon & egg sandwich that was runny and bacon-y and delicious. We sat at the picnic tables and admired the lovely flowers from La Femme Fleur and the live music on offer while puppy-watching all the cuties that came down to scavenge crumbs left behind.  We then moved on to the sweet course, choosing donuts from Auckland favourite Scratch Bakers.  The team at Scratch Bakers now have three locations and we were very glad of this third addition: our donuts were sweet and doughy, but not dry, with delicious rich, gooey centres. Mine was chocolate espresso which almost gave me the shakes right off the bat, and Sheryn chose the raspberry white chocolate which was almost sweet enough to loose a tooth, but equally delicious. They also had a pastry cabinet of their famous pies available - I almost took one home for Wil but feared it would end up all over my handbag. Next time he'll just have to join us!

Our last stop was Miss Maggie's dog treats to pick up a parcel for Ralph - some nice liver fudge bites that he'll devour and I hopefully won't have to pick up out of the carpet.

The verdict: great local market that has everything you need for a Saturday morning and is kid and dog friendly too. I just wish we lived closer!