Just a few minutes out of Belfast airport, and you have a fiesta of Irish treats laid out for you. Rhubarb pie with homemade ice-cream, to begin with. This is a pretty tucked-away place that overlooks the endless sea, and doubles as a local nursery – Harrisons of Greyabbey.
That pie. It alone is worth a trip to Northern Ireland. The rhubarb is nice and tart, and the pie crust is perfectly crisp. And the ice-cream, it tastes like the cow was milked a few minutes ago and the hens just laid their eggs and all of it was churned quickly together and frozen swiftly up to create this fresh, fantastic dream in cream. And that’s what the owners take pride in – they grow and source all their produce locally.
Sorry, it’s easy to get carried away when you’re reminiscing about a treat so delicious. Many days after I returned to India and Googled it, the story of Harrison’s blew me away! It is owned by a family that lives on 90 lush acres of land. What’s more, they started out as a small shop selling vegetables to local shoppers.
Picture-postcard Setting
The location is Ards Peninsula, one of Northern Ireland’s most picturesque locations. (But then, I was there for nearly a week and did not see one spot that would not qualify as that! All of Ireland, Northern or not, is an ode to natural beauty.)
And I am not the only one determined to go back for that ice cream. Apparently, 30 per cent of its customers drive more than an hour to come and eat at Harrisons. I suspect that statistic will quickly crawl upward soon. I have to admit I wolfed down the entire pie and ice-cream, and those calories were worth lunch and dinner both. And I was too hungry to take photos of the treat!
Since I visited, Harrisons have added a gift shop and a scenic Scrabo Room that can seat 60 people at a time. So popular is this family-run restaurant now, that more than 800 people pop in within an hour on some days!
Psst: we hear their strawberry daiquiri is to die for!
Know Before You Go
The store at Harrisons remains open from 9 AM – 5 PM, Mondays through Fridays. You can avail their services from 9 AM-9PM on Saturdays, and Sunday is a well-deserved break. (more info if possible)
We also discovered a lovely retreat on our trip to northern Ireland. This hotel in Armagh is a tempting dream! Read all about our stay there – Super Stay : Newforge House, Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Featured image courtesy : Harrisons of Greyabbey
