My Weekend: Mornings start at 3am baking scones, cookies, muffins and cupcakes!

Sláine Walsh Hayes runs Sláine’s Homebakes and supplies different retail outlets. She also has market stalls at Cornmarket Street on Saturdays and Blackrock Village on Sundays

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m originally from Fermoy but my family moved to Cork City in the 90s. I left Cork for Dublin then in 1997 to work as cabin crew with Aer Lingus. I met my husband Jim in 2005 shortly after he had moved home, having lived 12 years abroad. We lived together in Dublin until moving to Zurich in 2011. We moved to Cork three years later when our eldest, Amelia was eight months. My son, Kaspar came along early in 2017 to complete our family. 

I started gifting friends and neighbours cakes and cookies during the Covid lockdowns and many of them suggested I sell them. 

It made sense to start up a small business that I could work around my kids and that is how Sláine’s Homebakes began.

Ideal way to spend Friday nights?

Ideally with friends and family, socialising with food and drink and catching up with everyone. In reality, I’m prepping for Cornmarket Street Farmer’s Market, making cookie dough etc to bake off early the next morning.

Lie ins or up with the park?

Mostly up before the lark, my weekend mornings start between 3 and 4 am, scones/cookies/muffins/cupcakes have to be baked, cakes iced and cut, car loaded up for markets.

Does work creep in to your weekend?

Work takes over my weekend. My market days are Saturday and Sunday, I’m up very early to bake and not home again before 3pm. If it’s dry, I’ll take the kids out for a walk or a scoot, then back home to prep’ for the following day. My husband usually cooks on weekends and I go to bed while the kids watch the Saturday movie with their dad.

Where to go on weekend city break if money no object? Who would you bring?

Somewhere European as I don’t fancy long haul flights for a short trip. Possibly Reykjavik, I’ve always wanted to visit? I don’t know a lot about Icelandic culture, history, food etc so it would be an adventure.

I’d bring my husband Jim, he works weekdays, I work weekends, sometimes we’re ships in the night, a weekend spent together sounds great!

Closer to home, where do you go to recharge your batteries?

I’ve been visiting Rosscarbery since I was a teenager and absolutely love it. Driving over the causeway I can feel the stress lifting from my shoulders. 

I try to walk around the lagoon each morning to clear away the cobwebs and the Warren Beach is beautiful no matter what season. 

I love to visit the Warren on New Year’s Day, to welcome in the new year with fresh air and sea salt.

Do I catch up with family and friends at weekends?

I actually do catch up with both because of my work. Old friends, college buddies and family regularly show up in Cornmarket Street on Saturdays for catch up chats and cakes. My lovely cousin Patricia travels from Dunmanway most Saturdays and it’s lovely that we can keep in touch in spite of our busy lives. I work at Blackrock Village Sunday Market also, it’s near where I live so I regularly meet neighbours, family and friends.

Do you indulge in any hobbies?

I love to sing and a few of my neighbours and I meet in each others houses every month for wine and song. Pre-covid we organised carol singing around the neighbourhood for different local charities and it was always well received with many of the neighbours joining in.

Favourite places to eat in Cork:

 If I’m meeting some of my friends we tend to do so on school nights so stay relatively local - pizza and wine in the Leaping Salmon. I had a significant birthday recently and had a party in Il Padrino, great Italian food and a lovely atmosphere. Sophie’s at the Dean is always a good bet and I love Jacobs on the Mall.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday?

6.45am... a flurry of school lunches, finding uniforms, cajoling a 9.5 and six year old out of their cosy beds.

Anything else you’re up to?

Considering doing a bread making course and purchasing a bread oven. I am always toying with the idea of a premises/kiosk.

SEEKING STALL HOLDERS

Cork City Council is seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to trade at the historic Coal Quay Market on Cornmarket Street and Kyle Street. Application forms are available online at www.corkcity.ie, by emailing property@corkcity.ie, or by contacting the council’s property section on 021 492 4258. Acceptance of any application does not guarantee the granting of a licence.