Ordinary, Scones

Café 1496

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Today we’re in Forres on the Moray coast at Café 1496. With its sheltered microclimate and abundant golden beaches, the Moray coast is sometimes known as the Riviera of the North. January, however, is not a month to be lying on any Scottish beach. but ideal for partaking of coffee and scones.Internal view of Café 1496

Forres has been around for a while. King David 1 made it one of Scotland’s earliest Royal Burghs in 1150. Presumably the burgh incurred Logo of Café 1496someone’s displeasure because it lost its Royal status in 1312. However, in 1496 along comes good old King James IV to elevate it once again to its former Royal glory. The town was allowed to have a weekly market and an eight day fair as well as a café commemorating the event. 

Busy busy

Café 1496 prides itself on its relaxed atmosphere … “come in, relax  and stay as long as you want, there’s no hurry“. Ironically that philosophy makes it very busy and even a little frantic for the staff. We were fortunate to get the last table available while they  were turning other people away. It was busy busy!A sign at Café 1496

Nevertheless, they soon had us sorted with a fruit scone and some coffee.  Our scones turned out to be pleasant enough though we felt they were just a teeny bit doughy.  Presentation was a bit basic as well so, unfortunately, no topscone.A scone at Café 1496

We say ‘unfortunately” because we like what they are trying to do here. They make a real commitement to the community. This string of clothes pegs hanging in the window indicates the kindness of their customers.

Payment pegs at Café 1496
You can ask for a £2.50 peg to be added to your bill. Folks who are feeling the pinch can ask for their coffee to be paid for by peg. Left over pegs are donated to local charities.
Forkbeard

On the outskirts of Forres stands the Pictish, Sueno’s Stone. It’s important because there’s no written account of the Picts, only stone carvings. However, this one as well as being shrouded in a gigantic glass box is also shrouded in mystery. We do know however that it dates to the 9th century, is 21 feet tall. weighs eleven tons and came from a quarry more than ten  miles away.

Sueno's Stone in Forres
Sueno’s Stone

It’s named after Danish Viking King Sweyn Forkbeard even though there is no evidence that he ever came anywhere near Forres. But once things are named it becomes tricky to change. Whoever placed it here went to a lot of trouble so it seems only fitting that it should now be protected in this way. Experts seem unable to agree on what its intricate carvings mean. Theories abound! There are several battle scenes with many decapitations so we think it tells us quite a lot. Namely, when you look at the world today we have not advanced very much and we certainly don’t learn anything along the way. Of all the theories, we like the one that in Shakespear’s Macbeth the three witches met here and their souls are forever trapped within the stone. Impossible and really silly but some people will believe anything.

Pat at Findhorn Bay
Pat at Findhorn Bay just outside Forres
Village idiot

The richest man in the world falls into that category. He behaves like a kid who has just discovered that his gun fires actual bullets. He’s spraying them around left right and centre … great fun! The potential for harm, of course, is huge. For a supposedly intelligent man he does a surprisingly convincing impression of the village idiot. Would the Picts have bothered carving anything about him? We doubt it.

IV36 1AE              Café 1496 TA

///hangs.regularly.amaze

Scones, Top

Dowans Hotel

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A happy and healthy 2025 to one and all. We hope you will stay with us for another year of scone adventures.

2024 was notable for many things; Trump getting reelected, the passing of Jimmy Carter, Polestar producing the first car with no rear window. Fine, but all fairly inconsequential when you consider that we reviewed more than sixty scones. Disasterously, however, we also reported that our long standing benchmark scone at Fonab Castle had slipped off the top of the pile. Dilemma! Of course, like true sconeys, we gathered ourselves together, brushed ourselves down and set about the search for a replacement. At Dowans Hotel here in Aberlour we may have already found the answer … hallelujah!Internal view of Dowans Hotel

Coincidental

We had decided to stay at Dowans for a few days. The fact that the Aberlour distillery was just over the garden wall or that you could see the Macallan distillery from the front door, or that the GlenAllachie distillery was just a short walk away was purely coincidental.

Whisky snug at Dowans Hotel
Over 500 on offer in the Whisky Snug at Dowans

Dowans has had a varied life since 1888 when it was built as the family home for the owner of nearby Cardhu distillery. During WWII it was used by the military before becoming an orphanage in the 1950s. It first became a hotel in the 1960s before being taken over by the current owners, the Murray family, in 2012. The family are heavily involved in the day to day running and have, over the years,  turned it into the elegant place it is today.

Just because we are in Strathspey with its 53 distilleries, don’t run away with the idea that they only produce whisky in these parts, As Dowans was being built in the village, the global phenomenon of  Walker’s Shortbread was also just starting out in Aberlour. Okay, coincidentally it just so happens that shortbread is the perfect accompaniment to whisky. For many, a glass of whisky and a piece of shortbread is what makes life worth living. Shortbread and whisky is all very well  but what about the scones we hear you cry?

M Bar at Dowans Hotel
At a time when many pubs are experiencing a Guiness shortage there was no problem in MBar at Dowans
Dancing

Okay, hostess with the mostest, Lauren, had assured us we could have scones any time we liked. It wouldn’t be any trouble. Before that, however, we took a short drive through the Macallan Estate towards Keith and came on the hamlet of Maggieknockater. Apparently many locals say they come from other nearby villages rather than face the laughter that revealing their true origins engenders. There was once a famous beekeeper here that gave rise to a Scottish Country dance, the Bees of Maggieknockater. Only on allaboutthescones.com can readers obtain such enlightenment.

A cottage in Aberlour
The local cottages all have beautiful stonework

Anyway, today was a day when the temperatures were going to struggle to rise above freezing. The idea of scones in front of the fire was particularly appealing. Scones at Dowans HotelTrue to her word, Lauren soon had us  enjoying some freshly made scones. They were beautifully presented with lovely dishes of jam and cream and crisp white linen napkins. Being freshly baked they were wonderfully warm and had the exact crunchy exterior and soft centre that we enjoy so much. This was one of the easiest topscones we have ever reviewed. A worthy contender for that coveted  “best scone in the world” title. 

How’s that for a start to the New Year? External view of Dowans Hotel

AB38 9LS          tel: 01340 871488          The Dowans Hotel

///realm.available.mouths

Scones, Top

Inchyra Grange

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Last time we were here at the Inchyra Grange was August 2015. Scarcely seems possible that almost a decade has passed since then. Besides being a lot younger much else has changed as well!Internal view of the Inchyra Grange Hotel

Most places require 24 hours notice for afternoon tea, however, not here. Swimming at the Inchyra Grange HotelBack then we booked afternoon tea for eight adults and two grandchildren and were impressed by the way the staff were unfazed by us turning up with more than we had booked for. Ten years on and Pat and I now have six granddaughters. Four of them were with us today and after an hour or so in the swimming pool they were ready for refreshments.Internal view of the Inchyra Grange Hotel

Confusion

In our experience an afternoon tea is normally for two people so we ordered two because we felt that would be enough. Afternoon tea at the Inchyra Grange HotelToo many sweet things and we would have to scrape the kids off the ceiling. When the afternoon tea arrived, however, it was placed on the kids table. When we asked where ours was they explained that we had only ordered two. What was on the kid’s table was indeed two afternoon teas. Turned out that they do afternoon tea for one. Never heard of that … who on earth goes for afternoon tea alone??

Anyway , while the kids tucked into theirs we had to wait for them to bring another one. As they sensed our frustration, we were treated to a chorus of “the scones are sooooo delicious“. Turned out they were absolutely right. They were delicious as was everything else. Washed down with a glass of bubbly it was an easy topscone. A pastoral picture at the Inchyra Grange Hotel

Separate

We don’t want readers to run away with the idea that we put our grandchildren at a separate table because we didn’t want them at ours. Perish the thought! No,no no, it was the hotel that suggested it. It was a great suggestion!

Kids at the Inchyra Grange Hotel
So hyped after their swim and playing with their “slime” they sat at a separate table

Back in the 2015 General Election, David Cameron  had just seen off a challenge from  Ed Miliband’s Labour Party . Since then we’ve had six different PMs. In the whole of the last century we only had 19 Prime Ministers. The new ones obviously don’t have the staying power of the old ones. Anyway we are only hours away from 2025 so we hope it’s a good one for everybody.

FK2 0YB          tel: 0344 879 9044            Inchyra Grange

///scenes.upper.vase

Ordinary, Scones

Fells Coffee House

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Our hometown of Falkirk is fortunate in only being a very short drive away from Carron valley, the water supply for the town. The biggest benefit, however, is that the 15 minute drive takes you very quickly from an urban environment to one which is much more reminiscent of the Highlands. The contrast is amazing. The road also takes you over the hills to villages like Milton of Campsie where you can stop off at places like the Fells Coffee House. For a rather peculiar reason it is a very popular rendezvous for cyclists.Logo of the Fells Coffee House

The backdrop to the café is provided by the Campsie Fells range of hills. No way can these relatively modest hills be compared to the Himalayas but recently they have become a popular venue fPoster of the Tak Ma Doon roador the cycling sport of Everesting. If you, like us, are unfamiliar with the sport, let us explain. The nearby Tak-ma-Doon road tops out at 322 metres above sea level, is just over 2.5 miles long with an average gradient of 6.2%. “Everesting” is a term that describes riding the hill repeatedly to reach a total ascent equal to that of Mount Everest.

The challenge means ascending and descending the Task-ma-Doon road 34 times non stop. It normally takes in excess of 16 hours to complete. A punishing event even for the young and fit. The Fells Coffee House  caters to this cycling fraternity. As well as coffee and cakes it keeps a full range of spare inner tubes and other cycle maintenance equipment.  Sconing, rather than Everesting is more our thing … we drove.  And on this beautiful day it was perfect.Internal view of the Fells Coffee House

Sourcing

The Fells has a welcoming feel about it. They do all the usual stuff you would expect from a café like this and, of course, scones. A scone at the Fells Coffee HouseWe ordered a fruit scone which unfortunately came with English clotted cream and Italian jam. This place was fairly obviously well run so why they don’t access more locally produced produce we cannot understand. Having said that everything was delicious. Pretty close to a topscone.

Vintage view of the Fells Coffee House
The Fells Coffee House in former times. Milton of Campsie once had several corn mills as well as many illicit whisky stills
Wild West

At the moment, the world outside Milton of Campsie feels a bit like the Wild West. The US has accidentally downed one of its own £50 million fighter planes and Russia has done the same with a passenger airliner.  We’ll just drive back over the Tak-Ma-Doon and hope we don’t get hit by anything falling out of the sky!

G66 8BQ         tel: 01360 316 421.           Fells Coffee

///quail.cabbage.jolt

Ordinary, Scones

Wee Winchburgh Café

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We were here at the Wee Winchburgh Café yesterday only to find it closed. There was a notice on the door which read “Just had a baby,  closed today, open tomorrow“. Obviously we had to come back to meet this superwoman! It turned out to be a day of surprises!Internal view of the Wee Winchburgh Café

Surprise 1

Winchburgh village used to be on the main road between Falkirk and Edinburgh but it has long since been bypassed by the M9 motorway. Before the motorway we used to pass through it often. Back then it consisted of the Tally Ho Hotel and several streets of mainly miners cottages. Wall decor at the Wee Winchburgh CaféThe miners were employed in the shale oil industry … Scotland’s first oil bonanza.  If you blinked you could miss it. Little did we know that it harboured ambitions to be a city. Almost 4,000 new houses are being built as we speak. The original village has been completely consumed by what is now a ginormous building site. We couldn’t find the old village and our satnav unhelply said “unmapped area”. Eventually we had to stop and ask someone. However, when we eventually found it it was pretty much just as we remembered it with rows of little terraced houses.

When we entered the cafe the first thing we saw was a set of bagpipes displayed on the wall. A reminder to chase up our bagpipe man we talked about at the Turkish Mint Café in Stirling.

Surprise 2

Unsurprisingly the Wee Winchburgh Café is small … only three tables. When we asked the owner if she had indeed had a baby she just laughed. Turned out her daughter, who lives in Preston, had the baby and she had closed the café the day before so she could visit her new granddaughter, Sienna Rose. We were treated to some photos of the bonny baby and even a video of her sleeping.Internal view of the Wee Winchburgh Café

Surprise 3

Pat asked for a fruit scone and I thought I should try one of the cherry and almond scones on offer. Scone at the Wee Winchburgh CaféInitially, when we asked about cream she said that they didn’t have any. Then she came back and said she remembered she had some canned cream. And apparently, it was much better than the usual sort of canned cream. Normally we wouldn’t have what we call ‘scooshie’ cream but she sold it to us with her enthusiasm. However we weren’t prepared for the scones to come preloaded. They were presented  ‘ready to eat’ complete with jam and scooshie cream. Unfortunately, the cherry almond combo didn’t quite work and Pat wasn’t too keen on her fruit scone.either. Sadly no topscone but a great community café which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Wall decor at the Wee Winchburgh Café
The Broons visiting the Forth Rail Bridge
Surprise 4

As the couple at the next table were leaving and paying their bill they said that they would like to pay our bill as well. Wow! For years we’ve been trying to perfect that art of looking like an little old couple with a purse from which we would count out the pennies one by one but this was the first time anyone had actually fallen for it. Seriously, we thanked them and as they left they simply said “It’s Christmas“. Wonderful when complete strangers do things like that! Earlier our host, new grandmother and scone loader took a phone call from someone placing an order. She finished the call with a “That’s great, I’ll bring it over to you rather than you having to cross that busy road“. It was that sort of place.

Pig cruet set at the Wee Winchburgh Café
our salt and pepper
More surprises

There’s been lots going on that’s taken us by surprise: (a) Ukraine has blown up a Russian army General in downtown Moscow (b) the Church of England is having difficulty replacing the Archbishop of Canterbury because the prospective candidate seems to have been involved in the same sort of sex abuse scandals as the man he is replacing (c) the Royal Mail, started by Henry VIII in 1516, has been sold to Daniel Kretinsky a Czech billionaire. Britain is in a right old state … but that’s not a surprise!Sign for the Wee Winchburgh Café

Thank goodness for places like Wee Winchburgh Café whose heart is in the right place. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers.

EH52 6RA           01506 200659             Wee Winchburgh Café FB

///cared.childcare.watch

Ordinary, Scones

Mint Café

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You know how it is … you go into somewhere like Mint Café in Stirling for coffee and a scone and by the time you come out the world has changed. Okay, Syria to be more precise but who knows what is going to happen next. The hellish Assad regime has fallen and people are rejoicing. Mint Café signHowever, within a day of the Russians stopping their bombing of the country, Israel, Turkey and the US have started. All trying to protect their own interests but hardly an auspicious launch of a new era! There are all sorts of tensions mostly caused by slightly differing interpretations of the same religion … clerics have much to answer for! Nowhere are these tensions more evident than on the Turkish/Syria border with the third longest wall in the world separating the two countries.  Only the Great Wall of China and the US/Mexico wall are longer.Internal view of Mint Café, Stirling

Anyway, purely by accident we are here in Mint, a Turkish café. But why? Well, we were hoping to pick up a set of bagpipes in Stirling but having been unable to contact the guy who was renovating them, we decided to pay a visit to his shop. 

a light fitting in Mint Café, StirlingJust our luck, when we arrived, it wasn’t open. The word on the street, however, was that he normally opened a bit later in the day. What to do? Our solution was to go away and come back later, hence you find us here in Mint. Not only are we here but we are the only ones here. The place was deserted … just the Turkish owner busying himself behind the counter, and us. It seemed to be a place that specialised in cakes but there was a bowl full of scones on the counter … yeah, the day was taking a turn for the better!

I’ve always had a soft spot for Turkey since hitchhiking to the country in 1970 and experiencing the hospitality and kindness of the local people. Our host was no exception ,,, he made us very welcome. A scone in Mint Café, StirlingHe soon had us sorted with a scone and some coffee. Rather odd presentation but the scone was nice and warm with a very pleasant texture. It came with butter, jam and a dollop of ‘scooshie’ cream. The coffee was great but the rest maybe not so much. Ten out of ten for effort but some way short of a topscone.A wall hanging in Mint Café, Stirling

Afterwards, we made our way back the bagpipe shop. Hallelujah, it was open!

Lifestyle notice in Mint Café, Stirling
It’s not working

Turned out that our man was uncontactable because he had lost his phone. He had a new one but didn’t want to use it in case he found his old one?? And, in spite of having had the pipes for almost three months he hadn’t even started on them. He apologised profusely and promised to get on to it straight away. He would even deliver them to our house! Chaotic is the only way to describe his business operation but the workmanship is excellent so we remain ever hopeful of a delivery before Christmas. Internal view of Mint Café, Stirling

Being here in Mint made us feel a little closer to Syria. Bashar al-Assad and his family have successfully escaped to Russia. Presumably with him being an ophthalmologist he saw his downfall coming 😃. Sorry! The brand spanking new Syrian government has an uphill struggle ahead but hopefully they can magic up some real stability for the region.

FK8 1BJ           tel: 01786 357541           Mint Café TA

///bucks.agent.sculpture

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

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We are back home now after our short but very enjoyable break in Pitlochry. After our posts from Fonab Castle and Victoria’s we can now bring you one from Pitlochry Festival Theatre which we visited on our final day.

Advert for the Sound OF Music
The hills are alive

Currently they are putting on the Sound Of Music. Sadly though, there are no performances on two days every week and we were there on one of them. The cafe was open, however, so all was not lost. A scone coming up but first a fairy tale!

External view of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Fairy Tale

Readers could easily be forgiven for asking how a small town like Pitlochry in rural Perthshire with a population of less than 3000 has a theatre at all. The theatre could comfortable seat a fifth of the population. The story of the theatre is a bit of a fairy tale in itself and testament to one man’s vision and single minded determination.

In the early days of WWII, John Stewart, head of Skerries College in Glasgow, hid a slip of paper in a wooden post down by the River Tummel. It read ‘When peace is declared I shall return to this spot to give thanks to God and to establish my Festival’. On VE Day he did just that.

View of Port na Craig ferry site
Port-na-Craig was the site of the original ferry that crossed the River Tummel, connecting it to Pitlochry. The theatre roof can be seen behind Port-na-Craig
Whisky Galore

Because of the post war shortage of building materials he could not get permission from the government to build the theatre.

Bridge over the River Tummel
The ferry operated until 1913, when a suspension footbridge was built

As a result the theatre began life as a large tent in the garden of his Knockendarroch House. In 1952 a storm destroyed the tent almost spelling the end of the theatre. Stewart, however, formed a Society to which he gave over his house, garden and workshops. The Society was able to build a more substantial theatre at Knockendarroch and gave him permission to continue living in his own house.  Success followed success and 1959 saw the world premier of Whisky Galore – The Musical in the current building at Port-na-Craig. Incredible! And we have to arrive on a day when there’s nothing on! However, the future for the “theatre in the hills” looks bright. The new Artistic Director is none other than local boy and fierce campaigner for Scottish Independence, Alan Cumming.  Internal view of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The theatre itself is impressive and the cafe is a fairly typical self service facility in the foyer area. A scone at the Pitlochry Festival TheatreIt’s a large light airy space and surprisingly busy considering the time of year and the fact that there were no live performances. There was a choice of plain and fruit scones so as usual, we chose fruit. They looked as if they had loads of fruit and they did, maybe too much. Not a topscone but very enjoyable nevertheless.

Tickety boo?

Pitlochry seems like another world where everything is just fine. When you are here in the Festival Theatre it feels even more like another world.

Sign in Pitlochry
It’s a sign

In the real world, however, things aren’t quite so tickety boo. That Far Eastern beacon of democracy, South Korea, has suddenly and inexplicably declared martial law. Luckily North Korea has sent half its army to fight with Russia in Ukraine. Russia has also resumed fighting in that almost forgotten war in Syria. In Europe, France seems determined to make itself ungovernable. Across the pond, at the risk of giving banana republics a bad name America continues with its system of Presidential pardons. Why? The hills are alive with the sound of people scratching their heads!

PH16 5DR           tel: 01796 484626         Pitlochry Theatre

///charge.choppers.talents

Scones, Top

Victoria’s

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In our previous post from Fonab Castle we were bemoaning the fact that it was no longer family run. It’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what happens when an establishment goes from “family run” to a more corporate style … it’s just different, less personal. Today, however, we are still in beautiful Pitlochry but at Victoria’s restaurant. It proudly proclaims, loud and clear that it has been “family run” since 1996. Would we notice a difference?Sign for Victoria's Pitlochry

Established on the town’s Main Street and named after the family’s new born daughter you can work out how old she is now. In the low winter sun it’s not too impressive from the outside but in the summer its large al fresco dining area will be buzzing. Inside it has a warm homely feel with lots of Christmas decorations.Internal view of Victorias Pitlochry

According to Victoria’s website Luciano Pavarotti, once said “One of the very nice things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is  we are doing and devote our attention to eating“. How true! We had just walked from Fonab Castle into town and now we felt the need to do exactly that. 

Christmas recipes

We were looked after by a young girl who was full of the joys. Turned out she was from South Africa. She and her husband had come to work here in Scotland for the next few years. A scone at Victorias PitlochryThey wanted some adventure before settling down to start a family. She informed us that her husband was responsible for making the scones. When they arrived they were accompanied by the usual little pots of jam and the biggest bowl of cream we have ever seen. Not clotted cream but pretty spectacular.  Everything was delicious. She asked us if we noticed anything different about the scones? We had but couldn’t quite identify what it was. Apparently her husband had added star anise to the recipe to make them taste more Christmasy. It worked, “Christmasy” was exactly how they tasted. Internal view of Victorias Pitlochry

Although busy attending to other customers our girl always came back to us for more chat. She even produced a map of Pitlochry and, with a felt tipped pen, marked places we should visit as well as the most picturesque route for us to take back to Fonab. This was service above and beyond which eventually persuaded us to award a topscone. Well done Victoria’s, “family run” is definitely better!

View over Loch Faskally
View across Loch Faskally
A flicker of light

At Fonab, we talked with a young Ukrainian girl who was working there. Eagle sculptureShe didn’t think her family were in immediate danger but the concern in her eyes was plain to see. With President Zelenskyy hinting at talks with Russia there appears to be a glimmer of hope for an end to the fighting. However, if Zelenskyy requires a cast iron guarantee that Putin can never return it is extremely difficult to see how that can be achieved.  But for the sake of our girl and her family, at least there may be a tiny flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Fingers crossed!

Today there is also a memorial service in Edinburgh for Alex Salmond. Ten years ago he led Scotland to within a whisker of independence. Needless to say, none of the promises made to the people of Scotland at that time by the UK government have been delivered … not a single one! At least Salmond knew that independence had only been delayed.

Whisky messsges in Pitlochry
In a grocery store across from Victoria’s

PH16 5BX         tel: 01796 472 670           Victoria’s

///divides.disbelief.thanks

Scones, Top

Fonab Castle

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Breaking news bannerMost of our readers are aware that we regard the scones at Fonab Castle as the best in the world and the benchmark against which we judge all others. Our first visit was back in 2015 and we have been back several times since to check that standards were being maintained. That said, we haven’t been for a couple of years and in that time the hotel has come under new management. It used to be family owned but now it has been bought by an investment company that owns a chain of high end hotels. The transition from “family run” to a chain hotel can sometimes be problematic.

Internal view of Fonab Castle
Part of the “1892 on the Loch” restaurant looking across Loch Fascally towards Ben Vrackie. 1892 is when the castle was built.
Just checking

We decided to book in for a few nights. Of course, we wouldn’t be here unless we felt duty bound to ensure standards for our readers … honest! No really … honest!

The Lounge at Fonab Castle
The Lounge/Bar

If you are looking to get back to basics, however, this is probably not the place for you. A picture at Fonab CastlePampering, on the other hand is no problem and at this stage of our lives we seem to be able to tolerate pampering very well. We had a lovely swim and then par-boiled ourselves in one of their hot tubs. There were all sorts of other spa treatments available if you were in desperate need of further relaxation.  We opted to skip these and indulge in the ultimate relaxation … tea and scones.

However, it was with a degree of trepidation that we ordered a cream tea. Obviously, it would be disastrous if it failed the “best scone in the world” test. Our tried and tested benchmark that had lasted almost ten years would have gone.  It didn’t bear thinking about! Scones at Fonab CastleThe expectation was that we would each get two ideally sized scones presented in a lovely  linen napkin to keep them warm. They would be “melt in the mouth” and be accompanied with delicious jam and cream. Sadly, it was not to be.  Presentation was okay but not what it used to be. The scones were perfectly acceptable, in fact they were topscones but definitely not the best scones in the world. Attentive readers will remember that we once asked the Fonab chef for the secret ingredient in his scones. He simply replied “happiness in the kitchen.” Presumably the kitchen these days isn’t as happy as it used to be?

External view of Fonab Castle
Alternatives

Disappointed and slightly traumatised, we had to wrack our collective brains to think of an alternative. Not easy! We had become so used to thinking of Fonab as the be all and end all of scones that it was difficult to think outside of that particular box. Had we just become complacent over the years? However, a few worthy contenders immediately came to mind … Schloss Roxburgh and Mingary Castle as well as Lamlash House to name but three. We are spoiled for choice. 

Christmas decor at Fonab CastleLater, we had a delicious dinner followed by drinks in the bar chatting to some lovely people including a lovely family from North Carolina. They were keen to learn about Scottish history and whisky. Obviously, from an educational point of view, several  whiskies had to be sniffed, looked at and quaffed, followed by knowledgeable nods and hushed mmmms. They were on holiday so we didn’t burden them with our scone traumas.

PH16 5ND          tel: 01796 470140               Fonab Castle

///soup.material.newsreel

Ordinary, Scones

Glenkinchie

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Statue of Johnnie Walker with his dogToday we are in the pretty little hamlet of Glenkinchie just a little southeast of east of Edinburgh. About 90 people live here. It’s a little bit unusual. because unlike the surrounding towns and villages which are all built from stone, here it’s all red brick. Not sure why this should be but it certainly applies to the distillery in the heart of the village which is entirely made of red brick. It’s owned by the drinks giant Diageo who use it as the “Lowland”corner of what they call the “four corners distilleries” The other three are Clynelish (Highland) Cardhu (Speyside) and Caol Ila (Island) and they are all used in the making of the Johnnie Walker range of blended whiskies.Sign at Glenkinchie Distillery
Battle of the distilleries
We have a love hate relationship with Diageo. About thirty years ago the company also owned our local Rosebank Distillery just a few hundred yards from our home in Falkirk. It was generally seen as the King of Lowland whiskies, however they closed it in favour of  Glenkinchie … booo! It fell into a sorry state. This year, however, there were fanfares as Rosebank was opened again. Bought by Ian MacLeod Distillers who spent £millions returning it to its former glory. The town also has the added bonus of another brand new Falkirk Distillery. All is forgiven, hence we thought this rival might be worthy of a visit.
Internal view Glenkinchie Distillery
part of the visitor centre restaurant
Becoming legal
It began in 1825 by a couple of local farmers presumably trying o diversify away from farming. They ran it for about 12 years as Milton distillery before deciding to make it legal and renaming it Glenkinchie after the little river Kinchie which runs past it.
Window seat at Glenkinchie Distillery
looking out on to the gardens
Scones
Distillery tours are of no particular interest. They’re all much of a muchness so we decided to leave this one out. A scone st Glenkinchie DistilleryScones, of course are another matter and we had spotted some in their café restaurant earlier. The staff were very friendly and helpful and they so had us sorted with some fruit scones and coffee. No cream but there was plenty butter and jam served on nice crockery with unusual bronze cutlery. Everything was well presented and although it wasn’t a topscone it was very enjoyable nevertheless. Sign for Glenkinchie Distillery
 
Johnnie Walker is the world’s biggest selling scotch whisky brand with 205 million litres going down the hatch every year. That’s a lot of whisky and a fair amount of that must be made here at Glenkinchie. It is marketed under different coloured labels, red, black, green, blue etc. we’re not sure what the difference is except to say that ‘blue’ is four times the price of ‘red’, a marketing triumph!Whisky barrels at Glenkinchie Distillery
 
Troubled
We’re raising a glass of Glenkinchie to toast the health of all our readers in this strange and troubled world. Logo of glenkinchieThe ICC (International Criminal Court) has issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Not before time many might say. He is now classed as a ‘fugitive’ along with Mad Vlad Putin. We live in peculiar times when the leaders of Israel and Russia are international fugitives and America’s President Elect is a convicted felon.  Another dram please and make it a large one!
 
EH34 5ET          tel: 01875 342012            Glenkinchie Distillery
 
///gravitate.bongo.talking

by Bill and Pat Paterson and is about finding good scones throughout the world, with a little bit of politics