It does exactly what it says on the tin - a Not For Profit Charity Honesty box at the top of our driveway, selling home made cookies and bakes. He is ably supported by the Cookie Box Team - his assistant Baker, his assistant Baker's Husband, Smelly Big Brother David, Big Sister Gym Bunny Nicki, Big Sister Writer in Residence Laura and Elder Statesman Grampa. We bake most days according to work and family commitments, and make whatever takes our fancy, although we do have a few staples - Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies and Chocolate Goop, Lemon Drizzle and White Goop, Endorphin Bars, Gluten Free Carrot Cake....
When a fresh batch is baked and labelled, we put up a post on FB to let you know what we have, and then put up a few packets at a time in the Cookie Box until they are all sold. The way it works is that we ask you to cover the cost of ingredients and packaging, and then add a donation - and when you open the door of The Cookie Box you will find a sheet that explains it all. But by way of a quick explanation, we have a colour coded system - if you look at the label on the packet, there will be a green, yellow or red dot. Bakes with green dots cost £1.10 to make so you cover that AND THEN ADD A DONATION. Bakes with yellow dots cost £1.30 to make so you cover that AND THEN ADD A DONATION. Bakes with red dots cost £1.50 to make so you cover that AND THEN ADD A DONATION. And to give you a wee steer, on average, each packet takes 15 minutes to make. All the donations go to the Charity of The Month - and the name of the charity will be on the packet. And to date, over the 5 (almost 6) years that Ryan has been running his Cookie Box, he has raised over £50,000 for charity. The Cookie Box itself is a little on the quirky side, and we revamp it every few weeks, so it always has some daft old theme - which gives us a bit of fun. And last year we put together a flat pack beehive, called 'Ryan's Jam Jar Open Here', and it stocks home made jellies and chutneys - mostly made from the apples which we are so kindly donated from far and near. The page records all the details of where your hard earned cash goes. It is also full of Tosh and Twaddle - so if you have nothing better to do, or are having a lengthy session on the throne, you can read about The Big House, Hedgehogs, Jummy C the Squirrel, Squealer the Cat and the assistant baker's wandering ruminations. Don't say we didn't warn you! And thank you for dropping by - virtually or otherwise. Oh - and you might like to know where we are, and how to get here:
Our address is 100A Drumnaconagher Rd, Crossgar, Downpatrick, BT30 9JJ
And your best and easiest way to come is from Ballynahinch, so-
Coming in to Ballynahinch from the Belfast side, take the B7 road to Crossgar. Drive along there for about one and a half miles - you will pass St Colman's School on your left, and you will go over a tight little bend at a bridge. If you keep going, the road goes into a long, left handed, uphill bend, and the Drumnaconagher Rd is on that bend on the right hand side. We are half a mile down on the right - the sign is on the roadside, and the Cookie Box just through the gate. Look forward to seeing you!
