The Royal Treatment

We've been to Northern Ireland this weekend and what a weekend it was!
Keith and I went with my mom to visit her friends, Derick and Marian Woods, in Belfast. We took a short flight from Heathrow Friday afternoon and were met at the airport by the warm and wonderful Marian. From there, it was three days of royal treatment.
A little background: My mother is very active in the Moravian church and her church has a "sister" relationship with a church in Belfast. They've had the partnership for more than a dozen years, many visits have been made and lasting friendships have been forged. My mother was particularly thrilled to visit Ireland again - when she decided to visit us in London, she wanted to go to Belfast since she was in the "neighborhood."
We arrived at the Woods' charming home around 3 p.m. We knew that they were taking us to a concert by the Ulster Orchestra that evening but that's about all we knew. We came in, our bags were whisked to our rooms and we all sat down in the living room - a beautiful room with big picture windows fore and aft - for a spot of tea. So in comes Marian with the tea - and a platter of scones with raspberry jam. Not only did Marian make the scones, she made the jam - and grew the raspberries as well. But scones were not our only treat. She came in with yet another platter - this one with homemade shortbread and the most amazing bar cookies - a buttery crust topped with that raspberry jam and a coconut meringue. They were insanely delicious, unlike anything I have ever had. Keith and I were wolfing these things like we hadn't eaten in weeks.
Knowing a bit about British tea tradition, we figured the tea and treats were intended to be our dinner. Oh no ... dinner was just minutes away. Yikes. We had to be polite, right? So we piled into the dining room at the appointed time.
Our hosts did not disappoint. Our dinner was a shepherd's pie - minced beef, onion and peas in a light gravy, topped with potatoes - and served with carrots. It was comfort food at its best. Then ... Marian comes back from the kitchen with a fresh baked apple pie. And yes, the apples were from her very own trees.
Tummies full, we headed for the concert in the beautiful Waterfront Hall. It's a little over 10 years old and overlooks the River Lagen in the downtown area. The concert was called Flights of Fancy and our seats were perfect. I especially enjoyed the concert because the strings were outstanding.
We slept magnificently. The combination of great food, cool Irish breeze and an super-comfy bed certainly did the trick.
Saturday morning breakfast featured another Marian creation - home-baked wheaten bread, along with more raspberry jam and her homemade orange marmalade.
I had to see this garden! Nothing in the world prepared me for what I saw when I walked into their back yard.
Derick and Marian are an awesome team. Married for more than 40 years, they complement each other well. Both were educators - he taught math and was a school headmaster; she taught physics and is the daughter of Nobel Laureate Ernest Walton, the man who split the atom. They both love to travel. And they both garden - Marian is the vegetable grower and Derick tends to the flowers. Together, they have created the most beautiful garden I've ever seen in anyone's back yard.
The climate in Ireland is so kind to a gardener. In North Carolina, heat in June demolishes so many pretty blooms, but the coolness in Belfast helps to keep things beautiful. On Saturday morning, Marian picked fresh beans for our dinner. She's growing potatoes for her Christmas dinner and there are autumn raspberries on the vines. Not everything is still in season of course but we could not believe the green thumbs of these two!
After oohing and aaahing in the garden, we drove around the area, visiting Queen's University, Methodist College, downtown Belfast, the tiny town of Hillsborough and a nearby forest and lake. This was truly my favorite part of the day. The weather was picture-perfect and the lake was filled with hungry mallards - even a swan or two. I could have stayed all day ... except I knew that a Marian dinner was lurking around the corner!
Our Saturday night dinner was salmon with a parsley sauce, fresh-from-the-garden potatoes and beans and a homebaked chocolate cake. And she brought out more of those raspberry-coconut bars. And to be polite, we had to eat them. It was the least we could do.
If you're keeping count, our Sunday dinner included yet another delicious dessert - a plum cobbler. You guessed it - Marian grew the plums.
By this time, we were calling Marian the Martha Stewart of Northern Ireland. This was a high compliment - but I'm not sure they fully understood that. They weren't sure who she was, then Derick said, "Isn't she the one who went to prison?"
As I said, we were treated royally - and then some. And no wonder - the Woods know something about royal treatment. In 2007, they were invited to one of Queen Elizabeth's annual garden parties. It's quite a coveted invitation and of course, they traveled over from Belfast to attend. They showed us the most wonderful DVD of the event. They didn't get to meet the Queen but they were just inches from Prince Charles. Marian showed us the outfit she wore to the party - all ladies are asked to wear hats. Wasn't hers wonderful?
What struck us about our visit to Belfast was the warmth and friendliness of everyone we met - and how green and soft the grass was. The Emerald Isle, indeed!
On Monday it was back to London, back to my cooking and a fifth-floor view that doesn't include flowers. Lucky Keith and I have been invited back to Belfast and we hope to get there in November.