Hi guys! Today I want to share an exciting blog post with you all. As most of you will probably know, I am predominantly a book blogger but I have mentioned before that I wanted to start branching out. Last weekend I had the perfect opportunity to do just that. I got the chance to cover a local event as Braintree town held their Christmas Street Market and light switch on.
Here's what I got up to...
When I first got into Braintree town I was planning to just have a little wander around, have a look at the different stalls and take a few photos. That quickly changed when I spotted Poppy's Coffee. I have bought drinks from Poppy's Coffee before when they were located outside John Lewis in Chelmsford in the summer, so I was eager to pick up another hot drink from them.
You can see just how stunning Poppy's Coffee is from the photos below. It's so aesthetically pleasing and their drinks are also amazing. I had only ever bought coffee from them before, so when I asked for a recommendation and a hot chocolate was suggested, I had to give it a go. The hot chocolate was, in a word, incredible. It looked amazing, with a mountain of whipped cream and a scattering of mini marshmallows. It was real luxury hot chocolate and I will definitely be back for more next time.
I continued walking around the town, checking out the stalls, when I came across these gorgeous hats at FiFi's Boutique. I love a bobble hat, they are my must-have accessory when the weather starts to turn (like it already is!) so I was immediately drawn to these. These hats are so soft and feel so cosy, plus there is a great range of colours and combinations. You can see the photos I took below.
I think the navy one-bobble hat was my favourite, with the grey coming in a close second. They really were lovely quality hats and I would definitely recommend checking them out. It was so lovely to see a company like this at the street market.
You can view their online shop on their website and see some cute photos on their Instagram.
There were some amazing food stands at the street market, with a wide variety of options available, from mac 'n' cheese to sweet treats. One of the stands that really pulled me in was Pimento Paella. The smell of their food as it was cooking was incredible. I don't eat meat, so a lot of their menu was unfortunately wasted on me, but it was so interesting to watch the food being prepared, which you can see in one of my photos below.
You can find out more about Pimento Paella on their Facebook page and check out some more photos of their food over on their Instagram.
I also spotted the beautiful mobile Gin Inn as I walked through George Yard, just off of the high street. It was such a pretty truck, another one that was very aesthetically pleasing to look at. It was just such a lovely set up and when I went back later in the evening for the light switch on (because it was only just after midday when I first went past) there was a very long queue of people wanting to try their drinks.
You can find out more about The Gin Inn on their website.
Another very busy stand was the Chocolate Kisses stall, selling traditional German chocolates. This stand was so busy that I couldn't even get close enough to take any photos of their amazing chocolates, so you will just have to take my word for it for now. The range of flavours that they had on offer sounding incredible and I told myself that I would head back to this stand later in the day to get myself a treat. However, when I eventually made my way back to the stand in the evening, it was still really busy and their counter was almost empty. They had practically sold out of everything, which is amazing.
I'll definitely be checking these out next time they're in town and I'll make sure to snap them up quickly.
As well as looking at the stalls set up in the town centre, I was checking out the local shops. One shop that has a special place in my heart is Fleurtations, a beautiful florists situated at the end of the high street. Fleurtations did my wedding flowers and bouquet which I absolutely adored. The staff are so lovely and friendly, so it was really nice to get the chance to see their Christmas displays ready for the season.
You can find out more on their website.
After wandering around the town, trying samples of food, keeping warm with hot drinks and speaking to the friendly people behind the stands, I took a walk down to the town hall, where they had a stage set up with Radio Essex for entertainment all afternoon until the Christmas light switch on.
The town hall is such a lovely building, especially at this time of year, and is located right next to my favourite building in town - the library. There were events taking place within the town hall but I didn't get any pictures of the inside because there were a lot of children around. However, it was busy in this area and full of excitement as the children walked around with their faces painted, watching the live entertainment and enjoying the build-up to the light switch on.
I headed home for a few hours to warm up before heading back out into the town for the light switch on. My favourite lights can be found in George Yard. The tree is stunning and the set up of the animals and the train was magical. I also love the icicle drop lights around the edge of the band stand. Standing underneath it, it really was starting to feel a lot like Christmas.
Here are a few more photos I took of the lights through George Yard and out on the main high street:
There was also a firework display to mark the end of a very eventful day, full of food, drink, lights and a little bit of Christmas magic. I'm certainly in the holiday spirit now!
A couple more things I really want to mention, just in case you are in the area and want to check these out...
There is a Giving Tree set up in George Yard which supports local women and children at Christmastime. You can visit the tree, remove a card that tells you the age and interests of the person and you can then purchase a gift that fits the description and deliver it to the management suite. Spread a little Christmas magic and holiday cheer this year by giving someone a gift that will be greatly appreciated.
Also, right next to the giving tree, you will find Santa's Grotto. The opening times are displayed on the cabin (see the photo below), so if you have children who would like to see Santa then be sure to pop along for a visit on the lead up to Christmas Day.
You can also see the remaining December dates for the street market below.
I'll certainly be heading back for more, especially as I missed a couple of food stands that I'm really interested in.
I also want to say a big thank you to Braintree District Council for allowing me to get involved with this event, with special thanks to Lauren who has been a fantastic representative for the street market and has kept me updated with the information I needed to fully experience this event. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to local people and it means a lot to be supporting our local area.
Now, I'll leave you with a photo of me enjoying my amazing hot chocolate from Poppy's Coffee...
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