Today on Food on Fridays, I take a look at the diverse food experiences we had on our recent trip to the U.K.

Now while I enjoyed our brief trip to Northern Ireland, the thought that kept creeping into my mind about the food was that it was  “nothing to write home about”, as the saying goes.  And indeed, except for a single scone that was decent, the rest of the food was a bit underwhelming. For lunch in Omagh last Friday, I went to a cafe that advertised homemade soups and breads. The soup of the day was “celery”, which is not something I’ve had before. It wasn’t bad tasting, although I wouldn’t want to have it very often. But at least it was green – after all, isn’t everything in Ireland supposed to be green?

Celery Soup, at a cafe in Omagh

BTW, celery soup was also on the menu for dinner that night at a different restaurant. I asked one of the locals if celery soup was a particular specialty from the area, or something that’s typically eaten on Fridays during Lent. He said no, it probably just meant that there had been a big shipment of celery in Omagh last week.

Of course,  at the cafe where I ate lunch, they also had breakfast items available all day. I like the line about the eggs, although I guess it’s a typo for “any way”

Breakfast menu at the same cafe with the celery soup, Omagh

BTW, I decided not to go to this next place for lunch in Omagh:

American Joe’s, Omagh

Perhaps the “American fast food” there would have been an Omagh specialty, but I don’t even like American fast food in America. 😉

Of course, Chris and I didn’t try a traditional Irish breakfast in Omagh, and perhaps by passing that up we missed the best type of food in Northern Ireland.  But you see,   I’m usually more of a bowl of cereal or piece of toast kind of person at breakfast time, as opposed to someone who likes to eat a full “cooked” meal.

However, in an Irish breakfast, you get a ton of food.  In addition to eggs served “anyway”, and many pieces of toast, there are also the side dishes that include sautéed mushrooms, home-fried potatoes, grilled tomatoes, bacon and slices of white and black sausages.  “White” sausage looks like what I think of as “normal” sausage while “black” sausage is darker; it is also sometimes called “blood sausage” or “blood pudding”. It  is an acquired taste.  I have eaten some that I have enjoyed, both in Bolzano and in Tübingen — I liked them for dinner, at least.  It’s really not something I can face — or stomach — at 7am. I’m just saying…