Lovely Greens at the Agricultural Shows

I’ve had a brilliant couple of weekends setting up shop at the Isle of Man’s agricultural shows. Each summer, the Southern and Royal Manx shows run for a weekend each, showcasing the Island’s farming scene, local producers, and fun for the whole family.

I’ve had a stall at both over the years, but this year was the best thanks to Daisy Blue, my VW Camper. In years past, I’ve been with the Farmers Market, but this year I booked my own pitch. With a vintage canopy and my handmade bath and beauty goodies, we set the scene for meet-and-greets.

I don’t get to leave my stall while I’m working, but plenty of interesting people and animals drop by for a visit. This year I had the amazing experience of meeting and holding Pepsi the barn owl. His feathers are SO soft!

Throughout the events, I sold a lot of handmade soap, Manx beeswax lip balms, and natural wax candles. I’ve actually created a new range that isn’t actually on the website yet. I’ll put them online soon, promise.

The most popular ‘item’ I spoke to people about, though, was my soapmaking lessons. I’ve been offering a lot more this year, and everyone who’s booked has told me they’ve had a great time. In the lesson, we make two batches of natural soap each, that’s about 12 bars per person, using your choice of essential oils, natural color, and dried herbs and flowers.

I’m also sending out a newsletter today to let everyone know I’m closing up shop for my annual leave this week. I’ll reopen at the end of September, and in the meantime you can find my products at local shops on the Isle of Man. My current stockists are:

• Indulgence in Ramsey
• Mother T’s in Laxey
• Mostly Manx in Douglas
• The House of Manannan in Peel
• The Manx Museum in Douglas
• Manx Wildlife Trust Shop in Peel
• Trend in Port Erin