Family life,Food,Outings

Goose in Harrogate | Eat, craft, play

Cafe at Goose in Harrogate, http://rainbeaubelle.com

Cafe at Goose in Harrogate, http://rainbeaubelle.com

Forget hanging out at the soft play, lunching on fish fingers and chips and bad coffee. Harrogate has a new place to take your little ones which is as much for grown-ups as it is for children.

Goose is part play area, part cafe, and its large, airy and stylish space makes it a really inviting place to while a way a few hours with your bairns. Centred on a dining room with plenty of tables, it has a sectioned off craft area to one side and a play area – more like a playroom with super-stylish toys – to the other.

The craft element is genius, and I haven’t been anywhere else which offers the same thing. It’s such a simple idea but it works. Children can go into the supervised area and paint, make, and play for as long as they like. Each time I have been there have been a few different activities set up on the tables for children to do, but they are equally welcome to pick up any of the large supply of cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper and card and make whatever they like.

Florence getting crafty at Goose in Harrogate

Goose from the outside

Green bench at Goose

This is perfect for my two, as Sam is hugely into craft and always likes to work on his own ideas. Flo on the other hand is only three, so needs a bit more guidance and likes to follow a plan. This time we made a little cardboard boat with a sail which stood on a small tissue paper sea. There was also a table where you could make a picture of a railway station, with all the parts assembled on the table ready to stick to your paper. Just right to give the perfect amount of a prompt for little minds.

Oh and did I say it was supervised? I did?! Well that’s the great part. Your kids can go in and craft to their heart’s content and if you do want to sit down and have your coffee, you can see right over the partition into the craft area while you grab five minutes of calm.

And it is calm. I think because it is such a big space, it never feels too noisy or hectic and the lovely things on offer at the cafe make it feel grown up. There are lots of daily salad specials, soups and sandwiches, plus hot options like a lentil chilli which I had and a veggie filo slice.

Flo playing at Goose in Harrogate

Goose in Harrogate wall quote

Painting at Goose in Harrogate

For the kids, there are several choices including these really cute metal boxes with cheese, veggies, fruit and oatcakes which Flo and her friends really enjoyed.

One of my favourite things about Goose though is the decor. There aren’t many child-friendly cafes where you find yourself taking photos inside the bathrooms, are there? The loos at Goose are so stylish that I found myself having a conversation with a stranger about how much we loved the wallpaper and the blue grout in the tiles. They are also stocked with Neom products like liquid soap and hand cream, which are my current favourite brand for scented candles, creams and general treats that make you feel good.

It’s location on the outskirts of Harrogate makes it easy to find and there is plenty of parking, so there are no worries there. It’s a great meeting point for me as it’s really close to my sister’s house and also a mid-way point to meet my friend Bridget and her littlies, who live in York. You can see Bridget, Seb and Ted painting with Flo in the photo above.

Take a trip to Goose this weekend, you won’t regret it!

x Julia

PS This post is not sponsored whatsoever, we just really like Goose 🙂

Goose in Harrogate entrance shop area

GOOSE DINING AREA

Food at Goose in Harrogate

Toilet decor at Goose

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3 Comments

  • Reply
    Hayley @hayleyfromhome
    November 21, 2016 at 12:54 pm

    This is such an amazing idea!! I think they were opening somewhere similar in the Liverpool suburbs but I can’t remember what it was called now, I wish there was more of them about as it would make it so much easier to go out and eat with little ones. It looks like such a beautiful space, they’ve obviously put a lot of thought into it…would they like to open one here 😉 xx
    Hayley @hayleyfromhome recently posted…A Little Bit Lately #28My Profile

  • Reply
    Rachel @ The Ordinary Lovely
    November 22, 2016 at 10:02 pm

    This really is a BRILLIANT idea. I hate soft play. They’re such horrible places. Anywhere where there are nice toys, a craft corner, and food that’s not awful gets my vote!
    Rachel @ The Ordinary Lovely recently posted…Side tables …. a middle-aged joy?My Profile

  • Reply
    Katie Haydock
    November 23, 2016 at 11:29 pm

    This looks totally idyllic – right up our street. So thoughtful – I wonder if there is something local to us like this?! xXx
    Katie Haydock recently posted…The Only Way is St HelensMy Profile

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