A Happy Life.....

Evening all,

Yesterday was Mr Delicious birthday and he celebrated by staying in his PJ's all day & watching telly....he was also nursing one hell of a sore head after a wonderful evening with our friends Fiona & Tom who cooked us a fabulous Indian dinner.

Mr Delicious works far too hard. He's up & gone before 5.30 everyday, collecting the bread from The Bretzel & Arun bakeries for our wonderful sandwiches & he's often not home til late.This evening as I cooked my third Sunday roast dinner EVR, I noted that it's been quite a while since he's cooked a dinner at home at all. We have been catering for lunch almost continually for the last month out in UCD, so dinners chez nous has been a selection of delicious leftovers from VIP lunches....Asian Salmon....Guinness Beef Stews, Pepper Pot Beef...Plum Chicken....a choice of two each evening....

You really cannot believe how totally unappetising another leftover catering dish can be after a while. So last night despite a choice of Thai Chicken Curry or Salmon Steaks, when I suggested a "fish & chip" supper Mr Delicious was more excited than had I suggested dinner in Chapter One.....

There is nothing quite like a chip supper, a soft egg, a glass of milk & some white bread, for a lazy day & a hangover...

We had decided to defer the birthday celebrations to today, which involved him going to work early, whilst I printed out endless labels...him coming home to watch the rugby , then going back to work to make sure everything was done & lock up.....My roast dinner was a triumph...given that I did it all by myself......(I told you I can't cook.)...my cauliflower cheese would have given my mother's quite a run for her money...

The kids made a delicious birthday cake...& as he blew out the candles they said ..........."make a wish"....." to be rich" came the chorus from the little darlings....and without a moments hesitation Mr Delicious replied..

"I am rich"

You know something he's right, being rich is not just about the bank balance, it's about quality of life, having fun.....family & friends....but I can't help thinking that an improvement in the bank balance would make life a lot more fun.....& that's the challenge for next year....more focus, more clients, more money,
& lots, lots more fun,,,

What constitutes a happy life?
Enough money to meet your needs
steady work
a comfortable fire
a clear distance from law
a minimum of city business
a peaceful mind and a healthy body
simple wisdom and firm friends
enjoyable dinners and plain living
nights free from care
a virtuous wife who’s not a prude
enough sleep to make the darkness short
contentment with the life you have,
avoiding the sneer, the poisoned sigh;
no fear of death
and no desire to die.
(A Happy Life by Brendan Kinneally)

Have a great week.

Shirley xx

Getting my priorities right...at last....(Stick with me on thisone 'til the end)

Evening all,

Last week I had a quick review of my blogs & recognised some key trends...Mr Delicious..stress..the van....fear...sleepless nights...The Delicious Food Co brand........cash flow.....my house... I pondered how much, if anything I had managed to change....

I know I promised to give up making deliveries & we are working on that at the moment...Web site & social media are being addressed. Already up to end of October we have exceeded last years total sales by 10%. We have stopped to draw breath & are working with the fabulous Johan van de Merwe (www.foodstyle.ie) on tweaking our salad range to introduce bigger, bolder flavours....

With sales up cash flow has improved & I have slept well for two full weeks....now ain't that something....

In my blog," Harry this one's for you"....I said my life is dominated by the highs & lows of my business...that I need to reduce it's dominance in my life....I think I may be achieving that too.

On Wednesday I was due to showcase my gorgeous salads & sandwiches at a food fair for Irish producers in Fresh in Grand Canal Dock...I love the Fresh team:; from day one they have been so supportive of our business, not just in terms of sales but with advice & encouragement. Mr Delicious & Johan had produced a fab new range of salads to launch at the food fair. At 3.30pm, as I headed to Smithfield to pick the food from the kitchen I got a text from my brother to say a beloved aunt who was in hospital had taken a turn for the worst & had little time left.My first thought was that I couldn't let the Fresh client down...I'd go to the fair, display my wares, leave early, leg it to Drogheda, hopefully before it was too late.

But as I drove down the quays it slowly dawned on me that the nearer I got to Smithfield the nearer I was Drogheda....and so I did something I don't think I would have done a year ago. I called the client in Fresh & explained what was happening....he told me to forget the food fair & go to what was important ...my aunt in hospital... and so I bypassed my kitchen & headed in my little van straight to the MI to be with Rose....

When I got there Rose was in an agitated coma, I stayed with her alone after the family had left until after 2.30am...I sang to her, I prayed with her & I reminisced about my childhood that she was so much part of with her.....all the while she held my hand tightly. At 2am the nurses came in to change her medication & they had to prize her fingers from my hand. When I returned to the room she was finally in a deep peaceful sleep'

Rose died peacefully this morning and I have no regrets. On Wednesday with the blessing of the client I did the right thing....and those hours I had with Rose will stay with me always....

I will do a food tasting in Fresh next week....and I have little doubt that my aunt Rose & my dad (the ultimate in plain country grubbers...) will be looking down at me from heaven as I entice my customers to taste my "Roasted Beetroot & Puy Lentil Salad" or "Lemon Chicken & Couscous Salad with Pistachios" and they will howl with laughter....saying "God bless our Shirley...she always did have notions of grandeur..., sure that's not food she's serving down there...at all, at all "

RIP

Shirley x

My Emotional Rollercoaster...

Evening all,

By now you should know, if you've been paying attention, that The Delicious Food Co make mini salad pots/salad bowls & preservative free & spelt sandwiches for the retail trade...We do lots of other stuff, but one thing at a time...as I said before I hope  we are going to be friends , and I'd like you to get to know me slowly..one product range & skill at a time.

The day of a food producer starts with deliveries. I start my day in SPAR Merrion Row, it's a lovely posh SPAR, black shiny marble floor, gold logo...ambitious owner...busy, busy, busy. I have a great position there, two shelves in the front fridge, always sell well there. Next it's off to Mount St (another shiny SPAR) where we sell well. It's as I head off to Barrow St, that the nerves start to kick in...as I unload the van with my box of salads & head for the store, my heart starts pumping...boom, boom, boom faster, faster...I enter, take a deep breathe & confront my fear....yes, yes, yes...my shelf is empty, I've sold well. This is one of those stores that performs erratically. They are an all or nothing crowd in Barrow St...I blame Google all that free food.

The trouble for me is that when sales are slow it's  MY brand that hasn't sold. It feels personal, all those deep rooted rejection issues, crawling to the surface.....was it the "Herbed Chickpea Salad" they rejected...or was it ME....my gorgeous funny brand of lovely produce made with such care & love.

And so it continues Fresh Grand Canal, unload van, head for the store....deep breaths...remember that stuff I read about mindfulness, live in the moment....enter the store...be confident, smile at everyone...this one's not so easy, cos I gotta get past the coffee dock, head high & prepare myself....and there I am, The Delicious Food Co, proud as punch, almost sold out...my shelves waiting to be replenished ...which I do..with all the love of a mother, in the front row of a toddler & tiara competition watching her offspring moulded by her, crowned ....queen of the shelves..

I deliver to 15 shops every day (& growing)...so my emotional roller coaster needs managing.

Mindfulness that's what I'll do...live in the moment...accept rejection if & when it happens...lift one of those unsold salad pots,caress it, absorb the sounds of the store, breathe in... breathe out... slowly, live in that moment of rejection & replenish with new stock,then... hop in my van & leg it to my next store to feel the love.

Shirley x

Bless me Father, for I have sinned (I'm a social media cripple....)

Evening all,

Social media...it's all the rage these days...ain't it..?

A savvy social media manipulator, will have potential customers gagging for their service or product, even before they launch.....they will appear in every weekend supplement...be reviewed to death.... will become the "go to" commentator for every soundbite....become shining examples of how to achieve success in a recession....

Suddenly it won't be enough to know about their product/ service but we will need to see what their living room looks like....as they beam from a double page spread & explain why they love the eclectic mix of vintage furniture with uber modern pieces....and we will all think "wow"...and wonder why we threw out that disgusting sofa...when it looks so good in the savvy social media manipulators pad.....

Facebook/Twitter/ Linkedin/ Blogging..I do them all, but with the exception of blogging, I do them all badly...I'm the ultimate social media cripple...I don't even have a website for God's sake...& that, these days dear reader is the ultimate sin against business & humanity....

It's time to sort this out..it's time to get The Delicious Food Co media profile rocking & rolling....it's time to generate interest..among the great unwashed...those who've never heard of us, never mind tasted us....We want our potential customers to want us as much as any teenage girl wants Harry Styles....

So I'm going to make some changes...I'm going to get my website up & running ....my Twitter a/c (@deliciousnews) will talk more food...less dog..I'm going to work out how to post & paste stuff on Facebook...I'm going to embrace this social media thing...I'm gonna make you "like"me... make you want me...

And before you know it, it might well be me, beaming at you on Sunday morning from my living room spread, telling you how my fabulous living room look was put together, on a shoestring, using furniture that savvy me found in skips that I simply repainted & upholstered....

Now ain't I amazing......

Shirley

x

Worn Out.....

Evening all,

I haven't blogged about business for a bit...personal life just got the the way..the juxta position of fabulous birthday celebrations full of good wishes, love, great pressies, a fab party & having to deal with a rotten bunch of life's frauds, masquerading as good honest people....

I'm worn out.....tired & stressed.

Business has been great...very busy., but with the same old, same old cash flow issues...I'm finding it hard to get the motivation to keep going....if I won the lottery tomorrow I wouldn't turn up on Thursday...I'd stay at home, make my house beautiful, walk the dog & make lovely home cooked meals for my family....I've never wanted that life for myself....until now...

Today being a Muslim feast our amazing staff were off celebrating their culture...Mr Delicious went into work at 4am & got home at 7pm...albeit to a clean house, a home cooked stew & a world champion qualifying footie match on the telly...is there anything else a man needs....

Tomorrow we on top of the usual deliveries we are catering for a lunch for 50 in an office canteen with no cooking facilities at 12 sharp. My client sent me the menu choice for the lunch (non negotiable)

"Option 1.Asian Salmon or Spinach or Ricotta Tortellini in Tomato Sauce

Option 2. Winter Beef Stew or Chicken wrapped in Parma Ham

served with baby potatoes & seasonal vegetables"

"That's four options", I said in dismay ..."No just the two"...she smiled powerfully...."Option 1 & Option 2"

I'm exhausted at the thoughts of getting it all from my kitchen to the venue, keeping it hot & getting everybody fed in the alotted one hour....but it will be done....& I promise there won't be a hint of how tired or stressed this hostess is...not this time anyway

Nite x

Harry ...This ones for you.

Evening all,

Last night I had the best party of my life.It was my birthday & I've just moved into a new decade & celebrated by hosting a big Disco Inferno party for 100 of my close friends & family in The fabulous Odeon Bar It was a super night, great food (of course) & a dance floor that was jammers all night.

The move to a new decade is always a reflective time as we look at what we have achieved to date & look forward to what we hope to achieve in the next.

I often think that I'm an under achiever, that I haven't reached my full potential.....that I should have done that by now. My life is dominated by the highs & lows of my business... last night as the crowd gathered around & sang happy birthday to me, I realised how much I have achieved...how proud I am of those achievements...the family I have, the friends I have, the life I have.

Sure it's tough as the cash  ebbs & flows...it's hard to always stay positive..to see the bigger picture.

So with the big birthday celebrations out of the way..it's back to the beast that dominates my life....time to focus & get that final box ticked...successful business(woman) ..tick....it's also time to acknowledge that its dominance in my life needs to be reduced....the constant worry, isn't going to achieve anything.

Last night as I danced with one of my old college friends, Harry, who I don't see often enough, he told me in his broad Limerick accent that

he loves my blog. He said he loves when he sees a new post, he says its "so me".... he wondered what it sounded like to someone who hasn't met me

I hope that you are enjoying the blog too..Maybe some day you will buy a Delicious Food Co, salad or sandwich, read my daily musing, that you will enjoy it...and then, in a funny way..I think that you too, will have finally met me..

Have a great week.

Shirley x

The Power of Association...

Evening All,

Last week the manager in one of my stores approached me and told me I had left my delivery docket book
on top of the fridge in her store the previous day.. Damn, I thought as she handed it back to me...the daily delivery/invoice book will give somebody a really good snapshot of my business....who my clients are, how much they are ordering from me & for how much....it's like your neighbour opening your bank statement in error & handing it back...you just know they've probably had a peek

As the manager handed me back the book, I felt she was looking at me strangely, she then told me to go ahead with a price increase I'd been looking for, it was fine, no problem... in fact the product was most likely under priced anyway..great little products selling well....delighted to stock us & support us ...

I got back into the van, still somewhat unnerved by the new interest....and then the penny dropped...a quick look at the missing sales book revealed quite a story....there were a number of not only impressive sales, but some impressive clients...we had delivered to over 30 clients in 2 days....the manager who saw me daily but seldom acknowledged me, has suddenly seen me in a new light....

This little food producer has gained a new respect simply by the company she keeps, or should I say.. the companies that keep her...

oooh...I think....I'll leaving my docket book on top of a few more fridges...

Work it Shirley, work it......

x