Lockdown, but make it posh.

When lockdown first started about 200 years ago (or in March to be exact) one of the first big occasions we had to mark in closed off conditions was Mother's Day. At the time, the genius staff at Castle Leslie came up with the idea of offering drive-through afternoon tea to help deserving mammies celebrate in style. Now, the Monaghan estate has launched a full takeaway menu of its gourmet food offering, including brunches dinners, Sunday roasts and afternoon tea. It's basically everything our lives have been missing! (Well, other than, you know, our families.) The Castle Leslie traditional afternoon tea is available for click & collect orders on Saturdays and Sundays in May. Enough for two people to share, it includes a selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes and costs €45. You can make your afternoon sparkle by adding a 750ml bottle of Prosecco to the order, which takes the price up to €60. If you live locally and really want to up the luxury factor of your weekend even more, Castle Leslie also has a small selection of products from its spa available as part of the takeaway orders. They're all from Irish brand Voya, of which we're really big fans. Choose from the detoxifying Voya Lazy Days Seaweed Bath kit (€40), the Voya Hydra Veil hydrating facial mask (€38.50) and the Voya Bright Eyes regenerating eye cream (€41.50). The full details of what's included are below, and you can order by visiting the estate's website here.

Castle Leslie Traditional Afternoon Tea

Sandwiches: Free range egg and chive Crispy onions in a brioche bun Smoked chicken, cured bacon & truffle Home baked ham on soft grain white bread Cakes: Warm scones with lemon curd, clotted cream, jam and butter Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting Patesserie: Chocolate glazed dome Spiced orange and honey meringue tart Apple and rhubarb crumble Passionfruit cheesecake Mango compote