Margaret's Cottage B & B

Margaret's Cottage B & B Here I share the realities of running a small hospitality business later in life.

I'm Ciara, the owner, host and story teller of the historic Margaret's Cottage, where the pace of life slows down, the surroundings are relaxed and the welcome is warm. Our luxury B&B has two double rooms and one twin room, each with its own unique character and each accompanied by a beautiful ensuite or private bathroom. You’ll find hand-baked goodies on your bedside table, the comfiest beds to r

etire to, soft Egyptian cotton towels, a retro digital bedside radio, hair dryer and flat-screen TV in your room. Guests enjoy breakfast, served in your own drawing room, overlooking the 18th green of Ardglass Golf Club. And, if you are staying with us for two nights or more you can enjoy a complimentary , self service, afternoon tea, with your feet up and today’s newspapers.

Good morning, September! 🍂September.SEPTEMBER?!How on earth did that happen?I'm fairly certain the last time I looked it...
01/09/2026

Good morning, September! 🍂
September.
SEPTEMBER?!
How on earth did that happen?

I'm fairly certain the last time I looked it was March, I was waiting for spring to arrive and we were all wondering whether we might get a decent summer.
I appear to have blinked.....and it's autumn. 🙄

But what a simply sensational summer we've had.
Sunshine, sea views, summer evenings, golfers, guesties, garden days, afternoon teas... and an almost suspicious amount of blue sky for our little corner of Ireland.
It's been glorious.

And now suddenly the children are heading back to school, the trees are beginning to turn, there's that unmistakable little autumnal nip in the air, and Kelsey will soon be heading off to university.

Meanwhile, His Royal Furriness, Mr. Michael O'Shea, is deeply discombobulated by the whole seasonal situation.
Mr. O'Shea does NOT approve of rain.
Mr. O'Shea does NOT appreciate damp paws.
Mr. O'Shea believes summer should consist of approximately 365 consecutive days of sunshine, preferably accompanied by regular treats and a member of staff available to open his Garden Room whenever required.

Frankly, I think he's going to find autumn rather challenging. 😂
But here's the really alarming bit...
There are now only...
115 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS.
Sorry.
I'll just leave that there for a moment.
115.
🎄

Now, before anyone accuses me of mentioning Christmas on the FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER...
I would never do such a thing.
However...
If you happen to be the sort of frighteningly organised person who is already thinking about Christmas get-togethers, little festive celebrations and catching up with friends...
Our Christmas Afternoon Teas at Margaret's Cottage might just be worth popping into your diary. We've has so many bookings already, and most weekend dates have been snapped up, before I even mentioned the 'C' word... but there's lots of mid week availability.
There.
I've said Christmas.
In September.
Forgive me. 🙄😂

Of course, if waiting 115 days sounds entirely unreasonable, you could simply come for afternoon tea next week instead.
Much more sensible.
And if you need a cake...
Well, you know where I am.

Honestly though... 2026 has absolutely whizzed by.
It feels like only yesterday we were waiting for spring, and now we're heading towards cosy fires, crisp mornings, colourful leaves and that wonderful time of year when putting the heating on becomes a daily moral dilemma.

So welcome, September.
Please be soft, sunny and splendid.....mainly because Mr. O'Shea isn't emotionally prepared for anything else.

Have a lovely first day of autumn, you wonderful bunch of smashers.
Right then...
I'd better get a wiggle on.
Apparently I've only got 115 days to get ready for Christmas. 🙄🎄😂
Xx

27/08/2026

You know you want to....

A little Wednesday afternoon apology… 😋I’m very sorry if this has just dropped onto your phone or computer while you’re ...
26/08/2026

A little Wednesday afternoon apology… 😋

I’m very sorry if this has just dropped onto your phone or computer while you’re sitting at work, trying to be productive.
Because you could, of course, be somewhere entirely different…

You could be sitting in front of a roaring fire at Margaret’s Cottage, with a pot of tea beside you and this arriving at your table. ❤️

Proper little sandwiches, freshly made and cut just as they should be…
Warm homemade scones, straight from the oven, with generous bowls of cream and jam…
Chocolate-dipped strawberries, lemon drizzle cake, chocolate éclairs and those rather decadent little chocolate and caramel squares.
All homemade here at Margaret’s Cottage, especially for you.

There is something wonderfully indulgent about taking a couple of hours out of an ordinary day and having afternoon tea.
No rushing.
No washing up.
No wondering what you should be doing next.

Just sit by the fire, pour another cup of tea, decide whether you’re having just one more little cake… and let me look after you.

And really, when you look at these photographs, work suddenly seems terribly overrated. 😂

If you’d like to come for Afternoon Tea at Margaret’s Cottage, please send me a message through Facebook, drop me a direct message, or get in touch through the website.

Everything is prepared and baked fresh for you on the day, so afternoon tea does need to be booked in advance.

Send me a message and we’ll find you a lovely afternoon in the diary.

Ciara xx
Margaret’s Cottage — where a Wednesday afternoon could look considerably more delicious than it does right now. ❤️

Well... I feel we need to discuss something terribly important.Something controversial.Something that has divided famili...
25/08/2026

Well... I feel we need to discuss something terribly important.
Something controversial.
Something that has divided families, counties and perfectly respectable afternoon tea tables for generations.

Cream first.?
or jam first?
🤔

Now, apparently, if you're in Devon or Cornwall, this is VERY serious business.

One camp insists that the scone must be lavishly laden with cream first, followed by a glorious glossy dollop of jam.
The other considers such behaviour practically criminal and insists that jam goes first, followed by a magnificent mountain of cream.

And 🙄 then there's me...

Because here at Margaret's Cottage, I have a slightly different philosophy.
As long as there's plenty of BOTH, does it really matter? 😂

Because surely the really important thing is that the scone itself is freshly baked, beautifully golden, still slightly warm from the oven and sufficiently generous that you have absolutely no chance whatsoever of eating it elegantly.

Then we need proper jam.
And 🙄 cream.
Lots of cream.
None of this delicate little teaspoonful nonsense either. If we're having afternoon tea, we're having afternoon tea.

And 🙄🙄 of course, a proper Margaret's Cottage afternoon tea requires a few other essentials...
Beautifully precise little sandwiches. Freshly baked cakes and sweet treats. Crisp white Irish linen. Beautiful bone china. Antique teapots and gleaming silver. Proper tea.

And, (🙄 again?) as autumn starts to quietly creep towards Ardglass, perhaps a roaring fire in the drawing room while you sit comfortably, pour another cup and contemplate whether you could possibly manage just one more scone.

Spoiler alert...
You can. 😏
So I need to know.
Are you JAM FIRST or CREAM FIRST?

Or are you joining me in the far more sensible Margaret's Cottage school of thought...
WHO CARES? JUST PUT PLENTY OF BOTH ON IT. 😂

And 🙄 looking at the one in this photograph, I think you can probably guess which philosophy I follow.
And ( sorry) if all this talk of warm scones, clotted cream and jam has made you fancy an afternoon tea of your own, you're very welcome to come and join us at Margaret's Cottage.

Afternoon tea is by advance booking, because everything is prepared especially for you. I make and bake everything fresh on the day — from those precision-cut little sandwiches to the cakes, sweet treats and, of course, the all-important warm scones.

So there aren't trays of sandwiches sitting waiting in a fridge or scones hanging around hoping somebody turns up.
When you book your table, I know you're coming... and into the kitchen I go. 😊

If you'd like to book, just send me a message here on Facebook, drop me a direct message, or get in touch through the Margaret's Cottage website.

Then all you have to worry about is the really important decision...
Jam first or cream first?

Right then...
I'd better get a wiggle on.
All this talk about warm scones has suddenly made me feel the need to conduct some extremely important quality-control testing.
It's a tough job...
But somebody has to do it.
Xx ☕🍓

25/08/2026

Fancy some rather scrumptious afternoon tea?

A statement from the Management.Good morning.Mr Michael O’Shea here.I regret to inform you that there has been a serious...
20/08/2026

A statement from the Management.

Good morning.
Mr Michael O’Shea here.
I regret to inform you that there has been a serious breakdown in standards at Margaret’s Cottage.

I would like to draw your attention to the photograph.
That is me.
Sitting at the kitchen door.
On the 20th of August.
Staring at what can only be described as absolutely APPALLING weather.
Rain.
Relentless rain.
Great big ridiculous raindrops bouncing off MY patio, soaking MY garden and, most importantly, preventing ME from carrying out my usual important outdoor management duties.
I am not amused.

My ears are back.
This should tell you everything you need to know about the seriousness of the situation.

I have been sitting here for quite some time now, staring meaningfully at the Female Human.
She appears to be deliberately ignoring me.
I have stared at the rain.
I have stared at her.
I have stared at the rain again.
Still raining.

Frankly, I'm beginning to question her usefulness.

This is the same woman who can apparently make breakfast appear from nowhere, open tins of cat food using only her thumbs, operate the central heating and — most impressively — open the door to my Garden Room.
And yet...
She claims she cannot stop the rain.

Really?
I'm not entirely convinced.

I have therefore positioned myself here until the situation improves.
My morning patrol has been postponed.
My inspection of the flowerpots has been cancelled.
There will be no basking beneath the bushes.
No lounging in the sunshine.
No leisurely stroll to my Garden Room.
Instead, I am expected to remain INDOORS like some sort of common house cat.

The indignity.
Apparently, I just have to "wait for the rain to stop."
🙄

I have informed the Female Human that this is entirely unacceptable and suggested that she get a wiggle on and sort it out.
She laughed.
There will be consequences.
In the meantime, I shall sit here...
Silent.
Sullen.
Slightly soggy in spirit...and stare accusingly at the weather until the sun has the good sense to return.

Yours, in considerable displeasure,
Mr Michael O’Shea
His Royal Furriness
Head of Garden Security
Director of Door Opening
Senior Sunshine Supervisor
&
Clearly the only member of Management taking this situation seriously.
🐾

P.S. I have been offered treats as compensation.
Naturally, I accepted them.
This does not mean the matter is closed.

Well... apparently today is National Bacon Lovers Day.Who knew?? 🥓I certainly didn't.Although I feel slightly aggrieved ...
20/08/2026

Well... apparently today is National Bacon Lovers Day.
Who knew?? 🥓
I certainly didn't.

Although I feel slightly aggrieved that nobody has informed me about this before, because if ever there was a national day I could wholeheartedly support, celebrate and possibly campaign to have extended to an entire week...
It's this one.

I LOVE bacon.

Back bacon. Crispy bacon. Bacon in a bap. Bacon beside a beautifully cooked breakfast. Gammon. Bacon sneaked straight from the pan while nobody is looking...

Basically, bacon in all its beautiful, bronzed, breakfasty brilliance.
In fact, bacon is probably one of the main reasons I could never become vegetarian.
I could perhaps give up meat.
But bacon?
Let's not be ridiculous.

Here at Margaret's Cottage, all our bacon comes from the fabulous IK Butchers on Bath Street in Ardglass, where Kenny has learned that supplying bacon to me comes with certain... specifications. 🙄

You see, it isn't enough that the bacon tastes fabulous.
Oh no.
It has to be the right shape.

Yes. Shape.
Because when that rasher lands beside your sausage, egg, soda and potato bread, I want it to sit beautifully on the plate.

The first time I explained this to Kenny, I think he thought I'd finally lost the run of myself.
"Kenny... these rashers aren't the right shape."
There was a look.
😂
But he now knows.

And because apparently I don't already have enough things to occupy myself at breakfast time, I also carefully snip the rind before cooking so that the bacon lies lovely and flat rather than curling itself up into something resembling a small pork-based sombrero.
Ridiculous?
Possibly.
Perfectionist?
Definitely.

But I maintain that if I'm going to feed you lovely guesties breakfast, then your bacon should be beautifully browned, brilliantly butchered and perfectly positioned.
Im a bit obsessive with my attention to detail, I know. 🙄😆

Now... the photograph today isn't actually one of my breakfasts.
I spotted this magnificent mountain of bacon and thought...
YES.
That.
That is precisely the amount of bacon I consider acceptable in a bacon bap. 😂
Crispy bacon. A brioche roll, lightly toasted. Possibly a little butter.
And NOTHING ELSE.
No tomato ketchup.
Absolutely NO brown sauce.

There.
I've said it.
And I suspect I've just divided Facebook before 8 o'clock in the morning. 🙄😂

So, seeing as it's National Bacon Lovers Day, I need to know...
How do YOU eat yours?
Soft or crispy?
Back bacon or streaky?
Ketchup or brown sauce?

Or are you joining me in the vastly superior NO SAUCE WHATSOEVER camp?

Come on... let's settle this properly.... I'd like your thoughts please.

Right then.
All this talk of bacon has reminded me that I have actual guesties requiring actual breakfast.
I'd better get a wiggle on.
Have a brilliant, bacon-filled Thursday, you lovely bunch of smashers.
Xx 🥓

I am an incredibly proud Mummy today.And I know it's unfashionable to shout about your child's results, but I don't car...
13/08/2026

I am an incredibly proud Mummy today.
And I know it's unfashionable to shout about your child's results, but I don't care.

Kelsey Van Vogt , my wonderful daughter, has achieved the results she needs to follow her dream of studying a degree in Marine Science at Plymouth University.
You go, girl. The world is your oyster.
🐳🐋🐳🐋 ..... 🎉🎉🎉

Well... I have a little bit of rather lovely news from Margaret's Cottage.And it comes in the form of a very bright, ver...
12/08/2026

Well... I have a little bit of rather lovely news from Margaret's Cottage.
And it comes in the form of a very bright, very green and rather magnificent number...

5! 💚

A couple of weeks ago, the lovely Eimear from Environmental Health arrived for our food hygiene inspection.

Now, as anyone who prepares food professionally will know, this isn't simply a case of someone popping their head around the kitchen door, deciding it looks reasonably clean and saying...
"Yep. That'll do."

Oh no.

There are fridges to inspect.
Temperatures to check.
Dates to scrutinise.
Food rotation to review.
Cleaning procedures to examine.
Due diligence paperwork to go through.
Storage, preparation, hygiene... the whole kit and caboodle.

Basically, every little thing that happens behind the scenes before a single sausage sizzles, a scone gets slathered in cream, or a Victoria sponge makes its way towards one of our lovely guesties.

And I'm absolutely delighted to say...
Margaret's Cottage has once again been awarded a FOOD HYGIENE RATING OF 5 — VERY GOOD.
The highest rating possible.

Now, I know that maintaining excellent food hygiene standards is simply part of my job.
It's something I take incredibly seriously and something I expect of myself every single day.
But...
I'm still ridiculously pleased with that big green 5.
Because behind that little sticker are years of checking, cleaning, chilling, cooking, rotating, recording, scrubbing, storing and generally being slightly obsessive about what happens in my kitchen.

You lovely bunch of smashers see the finished results...
The breakfasts.
The afternoon teas.
The cakes.
The wheaten bread.
The scones.
The sandwiches.
What you don't necessarily see (and you don't need to) is everything that happens quietly behind the scenes to make sure that the food I lovingly prepare for you isn't just delicious.....it's prepared and served to the very highest standards too.

So our lovely big green 5 is now firmly on display at the front of our wee porch at Margaret's Cottage.

And yes...
I may have given it a little admiring glance every time I've walked past it since. 🙄😂

Right then.
That's quite enough blowing of my own trumpet for one morning.
I've ladies arriving for afternoon tea at 2pm and, rather inconveniently, the scones appear to have absolutely no intention of baking themselves.

So I'd better get a wiggle on.

And if you're watching the eclipse this evening, enjoy the spectacle.
Although I must say...
I'm rather enjoying looking at a big bright 5 myself today. 😄💚
Have a lovely day, you lovely lot.
Xx

Well...Apparently this week, aeroplanes are a bit like buses.You wait ages for one.....and then TWO come along within fo...
10/08/2026

Well...
Apparently this week, aeroplanes are a bit like buses.
You wait ages for one.....and then TWO come along within four days. ✈️🙄

Yes. I've escaped again.
For the second time in four days, I'm sitting in Belfast airport with a coffee, a book and the slightly unfamiliar sensation of having absolutely nobody asking me to cook them an egg.
It's really rather lovely.

I've only just returned from a glorious couple of days in Jersey, somewhere I'd never visited before.
And oh my goodness...
What a beautiful little place.
Beautiful beaches. Beautiful restaurants. Beautiful scenery. Beautiful friends.
There was eating, exploring, chatting, laughing and perhaps the occasional glass of something cold and grape-based.
Well... I was on holiday. 🍷

And just as I've unpacked the suitcase, emptied the washing machine and vaguely remembered where I actually live.....I've turned around and headed straight back to the airport.
This time I'm off to Sheffield for a flying 24-hour visit to see my lovely cousin Deirdre.

She sadly lost her mum a few weeks ago, so this little trip has a very important purpose.
I'm going over to administer a very large cousinly cuddle.
There will be talking.
There will probably be tears.
There will definitely be laughter.
And I suspect there may be a medically unnecessary quantity of wine.

Sometimes you just need to get on a plane and go and give somebody you love a hug. ❤️

Meanwhile, back at Margaret's Cottage, Kelsey is holding the fort.
And His Royal Furriness, Mr. Michael O'Shea, is apparently completely bamboozled by his female human's recent behaviour.
I leave.
I return.
I wash some clothes.
I leave again.
This is NOT the dependable domestic service he has come to expect.

Thankfully, Kelsey has been given strict instructions regarding treats, feeding times and general feline fussing, so I'm sure he'll survive the trauma.

Possibly.

I'll be back tomorrow evening and then it's straight back into the Margaret's Cottage merry-go-round...

Afternoon teas to prepare, baking to begin, beds to beautify and lots and lots of lovely golfing guesties arriving towards the end of the week.
And do you know what?
Nipping away for TWO tiny trips right slap-bang in the middle of our busy summer season is almost unheard of for me.

Normally, once summer arrives, I disappear into a world of breakfasts, baking, bedrooms and bottomless baskets of bed linen and don't really emerge again until autumn.

So these two little adventures have felt rather special.
Sometimes even the B&B lady needs to shut the kitchen door, abandon the ironing pile and disappear for 48 hours.

Twice, apparently. 😂

Right then...
I'd better get a wiggle on.
They're about to board my flight and, much as I'm enjoying sitting here pretending to be a sophisticated international traveller.....I should probably find the gate.
Sheffield, here I come.
Dee...
Put the wine in the fridge!!
X

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Downpatrick
BT307TP

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