Stroud & the market

I had the absolute worst sleep at The Osmond Inn, despite having a such a great day.  After waking up thinking a man was in my room, I struggled to get back to sleep…waking up every few minutes, terrible dreams shrouding my mind.  One step forward & two back with this brain of mine.

My new friend Alison & the owner of the Blue Zucchini, Pfnela, had both suggested the town of Stroud for a Saturday market extravaganza for me to check out.  Generally, I’m an early riser, but since my sleep was so wretched, I got up extra early, donned my walking clothes & hit the streets as hard as I could go.  The air was cool & dewy, but soon I was sweating.  When I got back to the Inn, the girl who checked me in the day before was in the lobby & we hugged like old friends.  Breakfast was due to start, but I wanted to shower the cold sweat off me & get ready for the day.

By the time I came down to the dining room for breakfast the place was packed with people & I had to sit in the overflow area…the pub side.  Unlike most other hotel breakfasts, The Osmond offers made-to-order breakfast off a menu with beautiful selections.  Smoked salmon with smashed avocado, poached eggs & peashoots on grainy sourdough + granola & yogurt with seeds & nuts stuffed me to the gills.  Saying my goodbyes to the staff, who all were warmly friendly & honestly I felt like these people became friends as well, & then off I dashed.  In my little Peugeot, I white knuckled my way on the twisty country roads towards Stroud.

Alison gave me a tip on where to park, which was a blessing as it was bustling with cars & people.  It was easy to find my way into the center of town as I just had to follow the hoards of Saturday shoppers.  Immediately, I spied the outdoor market stalls & made way up the street walking gingerly, clutching my purse (I’m paranoid + Kevin reminded me to be careful) & poking my nose into everything.

Street markets are my everything & I seek them out….planning travel routes around them.  I had to contain myself not to buy a million things, but I did get some cheese (duh!), three different types of charcuterie salami from the most chatty artisan butcher (we exchanged socials) & a warm gingerbread welsh cake from a lovely lady.  I couldn’t help myself, so I bought my dinner as well…a slow cooked Cotswold Venison pot pie with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, sage & redcurrant jelly.  Wouldn’t you?  My morning was going well, despite the dark circles under my eyes.

Onward to Bourton-on-the-water!