Posted by Anna on Sunday, 23 November 2014
We noticed in the local paper (the Orcadian) that Dounby, the village just up the road, was holding its first ever Christmas Bazaar, so we thought we would wander along and take a look.
Dounby is one of the larger villages and rejoices in a few shops – including a butcher (sic) and a DIY store which actually wasn’t open that evening but which Mark is determined to visit soon, as it had plenty of dust and cobwebs in the windows and what looked like lots of interesting bits and pieces for the DIY man to investigate!
Our first visit was to the butcher – https://www.facebook.com/TheDounbyButcher and that’s one good butcher. I explained that we had just moved in and are “staying at” Voy. Strange this, when you say you have moved up you are always asked where you are staying, not living. Anyway, I digress.
It was explained that the beef on the counter comes from their own farm which is just round the corner at Yesnaby and the lamb from their land near Skara Brae, so two sirloin steaks were purchased along with some local tatties and carrots (lots of mud still clinging) and some other bits and pieces. While I was chatting Mark was doing his own bit of chatting to Kathie who had been at the RSPB meeting earlier in the week and arranging to meet up in a week or so with her and her husband.
We visited the rest of the shops including a delightful gift shop where I must return as they had some lovely scarves one of which is “earmarked” for a friend of mine !
And I have to report that the steak was amongst the best we have ever had ! I am sure the Dounby butcher is going to be a regular haunt. Being an Orcadian shop they also sell a variety of sauces and things like that and have a freezer full of lovely local Westray fish. Not that we are greedy you understand!