Breakfast Serendipity At The Conservatory, Laragh

We seem to have talked about serendipity and luck a lot from our Ireland road trip.

Day 5 was no exception.

The morning began with us checking out of our horse caravan. The owner Neasa recommended that we visit nearby Glendalough – an abandoned monastic settlement – on our way to Dublin, so we set our GPS for Glendalough and off we went.

We spotted Woollen Mills along the way, an outlet selling knitwear, jewelry and more, so stopped there to check it out. There was supposed to be a tea shop inside, but it wasn’t open when we were there. It was late morning by this point and we’d not had breakfast yet, so we asked the owner where we could get coffee and something to eat.

She mentioned that we were only a couple of minutes from the village of Laragh in Co. Wicklow and that there were some places to eat there, so on we went. We managed to find one of the last parking spots by the side of the road and started walking up a hill towards a building with a large sign saying ‘Cafe’ on its front.

To the left of that building, Shae noticed an unassuming sign outside a different building saying ‘Cafe Open’, so we went over to check it out.

This proved to be an excellent choice. As we walked through the gate, we were greeted by the sight of a quaint house where the owner lives. To the right of the house was a conservatory which housed the tea room.

Given the location of the tea room, the name of the cafe is…

We were also greeted by three dogs, one of whom apparently couldn’t be trusted to be off-leash like the other two. All three were incredibly friendly and they didn’t want the petting to end. To be honest, we didn’t want to stop petting them either.

The inside of The Conservatory was just as cute as the outside. On the right was the counter area, while off to the left were several sets of tables and chairs.

All of the food here was home made, so we couldn’t wait to try some of it. The kitchen’s off to the side of the dining area, so Shae took a sneak peek to see what was being made.

Seeing as none of us had had any scones during the trip up to that point, that’s what we all ordered. Shae and Megan ordered plain scones while Mark and I ordered them with fruit (sultanas) inside.

As for drinks, I ordered a pot of tea which was made with loose leaves and came with a tea strainer. Even though I’m British, I think this might have been the first time I’ve had tea that didn’t come in teabags.

Mark and Megan ordered some coffee, while Shae and Megan also ordered some elderflower cordial.

The scones arrived shortly after our drinks. They were served with butter, home made strawberry and raspberry jams and thick cream.

The scones were all large and tasted delicious. They were nice and soft inside, but were also strong enough to not crumble as you bit into them.

The home made jams were also amazing. It was tempting to spoon the leftover jams into my mouth afterwards, but I refrained.

Two of the dogs went back to sitting outside while we were eating. The red setter in particular didn’t break eye contact the entire time we were there.

If you like what The Conservatory has to offer, they also sell home made goods and other products to take with you. Megan therefore bought a bottle of the elderflower cordial as a gift for someone back home.

Final Thoughts

We were so fortunate to have come across The Conservatory. If the tea shop in Woollen Mills had been open we’d have missed out, while we also would have missed it if Shae hadn’t noticed the small ‘cafe open’ sign opposite the other cafe in Laragh.

If you find yourself in Co. Wicklow – especially if you’re visiting Glendalough – be sure to take the short trip to Laragh for tea and scones at The Conservatory. Just be prepared to fall in love with both their food and their incredibly friendly dogs.

Ireland Road Trip

Here’s everything else that we got up to in Ireland:

• Introduction: Non-Surprise Ireland Road Trip
• 24 Hours In Athlone, Ireland: Where To Stay, Eat, Drink, Shop & Visit
• Luck Of The Irish At Kilmacduagh Monastery
• Returning To The Cliffs Of Moher
• Quin Abbey In 30 Photos
• Feasting Like Royalty At The Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
• Day 3: Desmond, Dingle, Dolphin, Driving And Dining
• Puckering Up At Blarney Castle
• Day 4: Kissing Stones, Flat Tires, Stunning Food & Tiny Homes
• 4 Friends + 1 Tiny Home = 1 Fun Night In Ireland
• Breakfast Serendipity At The Conservatory, Laragh
• Glendalough Monastic Site In 25 Photos
• Shot Through The Heart At The Irish Whiskey Museum
• Dublin’s Best Breakfast At Stage Door Cafe
• What To Do (And What Not To Do) In Dublin, Ireland
• Travelling With The Peppers: Saga Holiday Adventures
• Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes When Visiting Ireland