Hurrah it’s Sunday! My thoughts precisely when the end of last week arrived, following six days of cramming, evening work and ultimately, ticking items off my ever-expanding “To Do” list. For me, for this week anyway, Sunday was going to be our day of rest and relaxation.
An invite to The Blue Goose Country Pub in Edinburgh beckoned and I was only too eager to re-visit a place, frequented in my past to witness for myself the changes new owner, Gerry Ritchie, himself, no stranger to the Edinburgh bar scene, had implemented.
The Blue Goose presents a contradiction in terms, sitting not 10 minutes drive from the city centre buzz, yet, its riverside location, capacious parking and country style ambience belies its whereabouts.
This is a country pub with the orthodox wood beams, luxurious Chesterfields and log stove; all within an expansive, open plan lounge and dining room with character, welcoming not only customers seeking out friendly banter over a warming merlot but also their canine friends, which serves only to add to the relaxed charm.
The Blue Goose is the pub your mind conjures up when dreaming of an idyllic Sunday; newspapers, glass of wine, chilled out Jazz and some delicious food.
Way beyond pub grub, the menu presents a varied choice of starters, sharing platters and main courses with some excellent appetisers, nibbles and still warm, homemade bread. Additionally, rather randomly, the menu also extends to Tapas, drawing on fond memories of a life in Spain, equally insouciant and a splendid way to pass an afternoon.
Lulled into a perfect end to a frantic week, I was more than happy to conform to the rituals of the rural idyll within the city as such places are all too rare, nay, nonexistent within the town bounds, where I shall be only too happy to indulge that forgotten joy, once more.