Hidden Gems|Ladies Who Lunch|The White Goose Tea Room

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well this fine Sunday afternoon?. If you’re new to my blog, welcome, boil the kettle, put your feet up and have a read. If you have already visited here before, then welcome back. This will be the second instalment in a series of foodie type blog posts I’ve been working on. I plan on visiting two more hidden gems for lunch and then I will move onto the next cuisine, Afternoon Tea. If you plan on visiting Northern Ireland or perhaps if you already live here, I hope these blog posts can help you choose somewhere a little different to eat. I plan on rating them out of 5 and then crowning a winner at the end of each category….

Yesterday my sister and I took ourselves off to The White Goose Tea Room to enjoy some quality time and a catch up and of course celebrate my fast approaching 40th birthday! ( sad face)

Lunch Menu

Eggs Benedict, toasted sourdough with poached egg, *griddled bacon, roasted cherry tomatoes, topped with creamy hollandaise sauce.

Ulster Fry, bacon, eggs, *griddled soda and potato bread, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes. ( they use their own bacon, sausages and eggs when available from the farm )

Eggy Muffins, toasted muffins, poached eggs, bacon and tomatoes.

Ploughman’s Platter (I had this) Guinness cooked ham, selection of cheese, chutneys, dipping oils and fresh bread

Goat’s Cheese and Caramelised Onion Tartlet, Caramelised onion chutney served in a buttery pastry case, topped with creamy goats cheese, served with salad

Home Made Scones

Freshly Made Sandwiches

Toasted Sandwiches

Toasted Panini

They also have a kids menu and various specials

* A griddle is an Irish, traditionally iron, baking/cooking plate.

Sweet Options

Shortbread

Tray Bakes

Cupcakes

Homemade Cakes

Apple Pie

Lemon Meringue

House Scones (I had these with jam and cream, they were amazing, strawberry and white chocolate )

Drink Options

Belfast Brew Tea

Earl Grey

Green Tea

Peppermint Tea

Deluxe Hot Chocolate

White Hot Chocolate

Americano

Cappuccino

Latte

Mocha

Espresso

Milk Steamers

Now how did it taste? I had the Ploughman’s platter, it consisted of home baked bread, one wheaten and the other plain white crusty bread, two types of chutney, dipping oil, various cheeses, Guinness cooked ham and a salad. The wheaten bread was fabulous and was topped with what I believe were sunflower seeds, this made it a little extra, compared to normal Northern Irish wheaten bread. The white bread was pretty basic. The cheeses were great, especially the brie, so rich and creamy. The chutney was really good also, one of which I think was tomato based and the other was onion. The dipping oil was great with the white bread. My favourite part however was the Guinness cooked ham, it was divine! Then to satisfy my sweet tooth, I went for the home baked scones, fresh cream and jam. The scones were fresh strawberry and white chocolate with a sprinkle of meringue on top, they were beautiful, and are probably up there with some of the best scones I have ever eaten!

The Tea Rooms themselves are located deep in the countryside, just outside Coleraine, in a little Irish Cottage that has been converted, it really is a special little place, especially when the sun shines, very quaint and has a family of geese running around the gardens (hence the name). One thing I will say however is the car park is quite small, we had to park on the road. The staff were so helpful, friendly and accommodating. We will no doubt return at some point.