Tully Mill Restaurant.

Last week my hubby and I took some much needed time out and we booked a meal at Tully Mill Restaurant situated near Florencecourt, County Fermanagh. Tully Mill was a working mill in its day and the owners have brilliantly retained these original features giving the restaurant some real character.

‘Set in west Fermanagh 7 miles from Enniskillen Tully Mill is nestled at the foot of Benaughlin and Cuilcagh mountains in the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark and neighbours the National Trust Florence Court estate‘  (Tully Mill)

The manager and chef, John Roche, also has 5 self-catering cottages on site which make this the perfect place to visit, eat and stay.

With the environment in mind, John uses locally sourced ingredients and ‘in season’ food where possible making Tully Mill score very highly with myself. The restaurant is open Friday and Saturdays from 5-10pm, and for Sunday lunch between 12-5pm.

Our visit was on a Friday evening at 6.30pm. We arrived at this time and it was some 15 minutes later when we entered the restaurant! My hubby was very taken with the setting and the original features that still remained.

The old mill stones were on display on the bank next to the car park. These would have been used to grind the grains – a historical reminder of the ‘goings on’ at the property many years ago.

The surrounding water played host to numerous wildlife and while we were enjoying our meal we were able to pick out quite a few varieties of birds including some beautiful moor hens and a majestic heron.

The menu was rather extensive for a little restaurant nestled in the countryside, we were very impressed. To start we had ‘Silver Hill Smoked Duck Breast’ which simply melted in our mouths. The taste combinations were superb, as was the presentation.

Not on the menu, yet cleverly served, we were presented with ‘Mango and Passion Fruit Sorbet’. Both fruits blended well together with neither taste drowned by the other. This was an excellent choice and very enjoyable.

We followed this with nothing other than a ‘Fermanagh Sirloin Steak, Pepper Sauce, Crispy Onions and Hand Cut Chips’ – is your mouth watering yet? This dish tasted as good as it looks!

I ordered my steak ‘well done’. This is always a bit of a gamble – some incorrectly interpret this as ‘char-grilled’ but ‘well done’ simply means cooked through with no ‘redness’ evident and this is exactly how my steak arrived. The crispy onions were crispy yet not greasy and the sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

To follow, (although certainly not necessary!), I had ‘Walled Garden Rhubarb and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Ginger Tuile’. Anyone who has ever grown rhubarb will know you simply cannot beat the taste of rhubarb from a walled garden!

I have had the pleasure of eating in many wonderful restaurants over the years and this pudding has topped the lot!

My husband opted for his old favorite, the ‘Apple and Walnut Crumble with Cream Anglaise’. Like most couples do when pudding arrives, we had a little taste of each others! Both surpassed all expectations, they were simply delicious.

After our meal we retired to the lower lever for coffee and to be honest, I wanted to ‘explore’ this fantastic restaurant. Downstairs, to our delight, we found a little cosy area to sit and relax. This was brightly decorated and, as in the restaurant upstairs, had a beautiful view of the mill and the surrounding water.

I can think of no-where I would rather go for a romantic dinner for two or for Sunday Lunch with my family than Tully Mill Restaurant. Please be aware this is a popular place so its advisable to book prior to your visit.

Bookings are by reservation only, and can be made through the booking line 028 6634 9879 or by emailing info@tullymill.com