Chapters and Cravings

We set off for Wellesbourne Market on Saturday with a very important mission: hunt down some ridiculous wigs for Christmas and track down prizes for our family’s annual Christmas bingo game. This year, I’m the host, so sorting out the prizes is officially my job. Honestly, I’m calling that a completely valid excuse for a bit of festive shopping.

The wig hunt? A total flop. Not a single stall selling them this time, so that bit of Christmas silliness is still waiting patiently on my to-do list.

But did I come home empty-handed? Not a chance. I managed to find plenty of treasures worth chatting about.

There’s now a handmade cup on my shelf that I absolutely couldn’t leave behind, bags from my favourite sweet stall, and enough mystery parcels to make my kitchen worktop look like a miniature sorting office. Fancy a peek at what I brought home?

If you haven’t been, let me introduce you to Wellesbourne Market. It’s this sprawling outdoor market at Wellesbourne Airfield in Warwickshire, not far from Stratford-upon-Avon, and honestly, it’s the kind of place where you go in for one thing and come out with a bag full of surprises. There’s everything from clothes and gifts to food stalls and those random little treasures you didn’t know you needed. I always end up with more than I planned, but honestly, isn’t that half the fun?

If you’re tempted to visit (and you absolutely should be), the market is open on Saturdays from 8.30 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. Entry and parking are both free, which always feels like a small victory. Pop CV35 9RY into your sat nav and you’re sorted. The official website is handy for checking opening times and any bank holiday surprises.

I tend to call it Wellie Market, and a visit always involves a stop for mystery treats. This time, though, I also had to do some Christmas bingo business. Very serious work. Obviously.

Next up: C&C Sweets. If you’ve ever been to Wellie Market with me, you already know I can’t walk past their mystery treat bags without stopping. It’s a tradition at this point. Honestly, I don’t even try to resist anymore.

The boys went straight for the Round the World mystery bags (they’re creatures of habit), while I somehow ended up with not one but two All-American bags. Clearly, I was feeling ambitious. Or maybe just greedy. I’ll let you decide.

At least with the American bags, we’re safe from accidentally discovering yet another European bacon-flavoured crisp. I swear, every time we try something new from Europe, it’s bacon this, bacon that. Is bacon the official snack flavour of the entire continent? I’m starting to think so.

Each bag was £10, so yes, we left with four mystery bags and a slightly lighter wallet. But honestly, the excitement of not knowing what’s inside? Worth every penny.

Honestly, the best part is the mystery. You stand there, trying to guess what you might get, but really, it’s all a lucky dip. Picking the bag is just the start. The real excitement is in that moment when you open it up at home and everyone crowds around to see if you’ve scored something amazing or just another packet of plain crisps.

And yes, don’t worry—a full taste-test is absolutely happening soon. These bags are getting their own moment in the spotlight, complete with our honest reactions and probably a few dramatic opinions from the kids. Stay tuned!

And then, finally, the real reason I’d dragged myself out: the mystery parcel stalls. My heart did a little excited leap.

If you’ve never seen these before, here’s the deal: traders buy up big batches of parcels that were lost or never delivered, then sell them on as mystery bundles. You hand over your money with absolutely no idea what’s inside. The suspense is half the fun—like Christmas morning, but with more questionable packaging.

I managed to hit up two stalls, spent £30, and somehow ended up lugging home forty-two mystery parcels. Yes, forty-two. My arms are still recovering.

So, if you’re curious, that’s about 71p per parcel. Not bad, right? Now the real challenge is figuring out which of these mystery parcels will actually make good bingo prizes. At the moment, I’ve got a cheerful little mountain of packages and absolutely no shortage of things to poke through.

My plan? Tear into every single parcel first, see what treasures (or oddities) are hiding inside, and then pick out the best bits for prizes. After that, I’ll hunt down some Christmas gift bags and tuck the winners inside, ready for their big reveal.

When someone shouts bingo—whether it’s a line or a full house—they’ll get to rummage through the prize bags and pick their own mystery treat.

Honestly, I get all the fun of opening parcels now, and then the bingo winners get their own little surprise at Christmas. I can’t wait to see what I’ve actually bought before I start playing Santa with the prize bags!

And yes, I might already be plotting another trip next payday, just to make sure we have some truly excellent prizes. All in the name of quality control, of course.

I somehow ended up coming home with an adorable cup (couldn’t resist), four bags of mystery snacks I absolutely did not need, and what might just be the start of my Christmas bingo prize stash. Honestly, I think I have enough here to keep me busy for hours while I attempt to untangle the pile of ridiculous wigs.

I think Amazon might be our best hope for the wigs at this point. Big Boy has already picked out one with a dramatic emo-goth fringe that he claims is ‘the one.’ Meanwhile, I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole and now have about six wigs in my basket, and Spud is still pondering his options like this is the most important decision of his life. The Christmas hair saga continues!

But before any of that, I need to wrestle back my kitchen worktop from the mountain of parcels currently threatening to take over the house.

Hosting duties have officially begun. 😂