The summer holidays can seem never-ending to both parents and their offspring and weekends feel like ground hog day for the kids, however that wasn’t the case the other Saturday when we decided to explore Boxsmall Market on top of Prince’s Mall Roof Terrace, next to the Balmoral hotel.
It was a lovely sunny day and my seven-year-old son Charlie was desperate to get out of the house and do something fun. So, off we popped. Since our arrival coincided nicely with lunchtime we made our first stop a tour of the food stalls. Charlie’s food repertoire is quite limited and there are a lot of things he doesn’t like!
My gaze had landed on the Shrimp Wreck stall and I was sold immediately by the look of the order in front of me, which was a Shrimp Bun & Sweet Potato Fries – another one of those for me please! The bun had a fabulous and very unusual combination of shrimp and bacon enwrapped in a soft and tasty brioche bun, accompanied by freshly made sweet potato fries. I was unable to communicate until it had all been demolished. I then realised that whilst I’d happily scoffed my own lunch I had totally forgotten to sort out Charlie! However, his beady eyes had spotted the bacon in my bun and he was now desperate for a bacon roll. Euan at Shrimp Wreck was extremely accommodating and rustled up a delicious bacon roll, which was hugely appreciated.
Shrimp bun & sweet potato fries from Shrimp Wreck
We also spotted the Pizza Geeks, they had a very organised stall and were busily producing a steady stream of wonderful smelling pizzas. Great double act there, sadly I didn’t have room to try one but the queues seemed testament to their popularity.
Pizza Geeks in action at Boxsmall Market
But it wasn’t all about the savoury food, there was plenty to tantalise the taste buds for those with a sweet tooth. Charlie liked Kitty’s Box and the fab selection of Artisan Cheesecake, they were to die for, especially the toffee fudge.
Toffee Fudge Cheesecake from Artisan Cheesecakes
Although keen to explore the food, this visit was also about shopping and activity too. On our way to find the 9-hole mini golf course set at the back of the market, we came across Snow Paw, a wonderful stall full of lots of shoes, gloves and handbags all featuring Harris tweed as part of the design. I’m a bit of a sucker for Harris Tweed and fell in love with a pair of Ugg style boots featuring tweed backs. Your typical summers day purchase of course!
Harris Tweed accessories from Snow Paws
Charlie is a typical boy and has a low threshold for shopping, so after a mini retail interlude I was dragged to the golf course. It was great fun and a very competitive set of 9 holes were played. The slightly challenging undulation of the grass does not mean balls go where directed, but that made it all the more of a laugh.
9 hole mini golf at Boxsmall Market
I would never have expected to have spent so much time there, but we really had a great afternoon together and there genuinely was something for everyone.
Boxsmall Market is open daily from 11am – 7pm, and finishes this Sunday 28th August 2016.
Families can enjoy a game of golf for £10, adults £5 and children £3 per round.
