Ordinary, Scones

Auntie Ann’s

2 Comments

We thought we had reported on all the scone establishments in Falkirk until we picked up Falkirk’s 17° Magazine and there was another one – Auntie Ann’s. We had to investigate.  A breakfast run was the order of the day17 degrees magazine

It’s only been open for a few months, but it got a glowing report in the magazine. However, would it survive scrutiny from a couple of slightly contrary sconeys? Logo of Auntie Ann'sAuntie Ann’s is located in Brightons on the outskirts of Falkirk and one of the immediate benefits of that is that you can park right outside the door.  Inside it is very pleasantly decorated and we were very warmly welcomed by the staff.  This early in the morning, it was relatively quiet, so we almost had their undivided attention. Our order was two bacon rolls and one apple and cinnamon scone to share. The coffee was Henrys, our favourite. We’re off to a great start!Internal view of Auntie Ann's

Our bacon rolls were very good and we can recommend them to anyone interested in these breakfast goodies. A scone at Auntie Ann'sOur scone had been warmed which enhanced the cinnamon flavour rather nicely. There wasn’t any cream, and the butter was foreign, but the scone itself was lovely and soft and full of flavour. Turned out we were being served by the lady who had made them earlier, so she had to be congratulated. Not a topscone but pretty close. Auntie Ann’s is a very welcome addition to the town’s armoury of scones.

But indeed, I would rather have nothing but tea

Elsewhere, the UK is reeling after inadvertently leaking by email 19,000 names of Afghans who helped British forces’ futile attempts to dismantle the Taliban after 9/11. Thus putting them all in danger. The cost of righting this blunder is liable to cost £billions. It’s a humungous mess. Also, today our PM is out of the country trying to do a trade deal with the German Chancellor. It’s interesting watching the government trying to wriggle its way back into the EU without admitting the abject folly of Brexit. Hey, no such worries here in Auntie Ann’s. What would Jane Austen have made of it all?

FK2 0JS            tel: 01324 366703           Auntie Ann;s

///rams.wicked.kings

Scones

Tormaukin Inn

5 Comments
 Glendevon must be one of Scotland’s loveliest glens. It’s not rugged or majestic like many other glens. It’s a gentle, soft glen following the River Devon, with green, rounded, bracken-covered hills on either side..One such hill is Tormaukin (hill of the hare), and today we are at its foot in the Tormaukin Inn. Originally built as a drovers’ inn in the 1720s, it’s still going strong, welcoming wanderers like us. Tormaukin is not that far from Mona’s, where we were last month.Internal view of Tormaukin Inn
 
We’re no strangers to this part of the country.  For about twenty years, Glendevon Castle (next door to Tormaukin) operated a very lively pub and nightclub in the 1960s. It was called The Dungeon because that’s where it was located. Very atmospheric and very trendy. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, folks felt they could let their hair down, and they had lots of that back then. Those were the days!  Perhaps the introduction of stricter drink driving laws saw its demise. Today, it’s uninhabited and looks sadly neglected.
Internal view of Tormaukin Inn
The bar
Out the window
However, don’t imagine that Glendevon was always so idyllic. The Earls of  Douglas, who owned the Castle in the 15th century, became too powerful for their own good. In 1452 relations between the Douglases and King James II could best be described as ‘strained’.  The King summoned the Earl to Stirling Castle in an attempt to resolve some issues. The Earl was promised safe conduct. However, when the Douglas refused to bend to the King’s demands, the King stabbed him and, according to the Auchinleck Chronicle, “struck out his brains with a pole axe” and his body was thrown out of a window. Those were the days!
 
Internal view of Tormaukin InnThat’s all in the past, and we were welcomed into the cosy interior of the Inn. It’s very olde-worlde with lots of antique furniture and dark oak beams. There are lots of warm, cosy sitting areas; however, we chose a conservatory which, in contrast, was bright and airy. A scone at Tormaukin InnAs usual, we just wanted a fruit scone to share and some coffee. The scone was wonderfully warm and came with lovely Chinese soup spoons filled with jam and cream. Everything was delicious, and it was nice to know that the lady serving us had made the scones earlier. Forget everything we have said earlier … these are the days! Topscone!
Stupid?
Ball and chain at Tormaukin Inn
Pat had her eye on this.
If you think King James II must have been a nasty sort of chap, spare a thought for the people queuing for ages to get some food, only to be shot at and killed by Israeli forces.  The excuse this time was that they targeted a Hamas terrorist, but there was a technical glitch. Why do they not realise that by trying to eliminate one terrorist, they create an entire nation of what they would refer to as “terrorists”? It is unbelievably stupid.
 
 
FK14 7JY            tel: 01259 781252          Tormaukin Inn
 
///dramatic.silent.jousting
Ordinary, Scones

Oakwood Garden Centre

Aside 7 Comments

Today, we had a specific destination in mind; however, what with one thing and another, we got a bit lost and ended up here at Oakwood Garden Centre. We thought we knew this part of the country quite well, but obviously not – we had never heard of this place until we stumbled across it today. Normally, we are not great fans of garden centres. Of course, if it’s plants you are after, they do have some redeeming features. Oakwood, however, besides being huge, also has an Art4you art centre and Alfie & Co coffee roaster as additional attractions.

Internal view at Oakwood Garden Centre
Looking out towards Earl’s Seat hill and the west end of the Campsie Fells

You’ve probably guessed, of course, that our main interest was their café. They had everything you would expect in such a place, including the obligatory gift shop. A scone at Oakwood Garden Centre

Cream?

Our modest requirements consisted of a couple of coffees and a scone to share.  They’re never going to get rich on folks like us.  It was a gorgeous day, and we could have sat outside, but for some reason, we didn’t. When we asked if they had cream, they brought a small jug of cream for our coffee. The misunderstanding was quickly corrected. Our plain scone (that’s all they had) was pleasant enough but fell considerably short of a topscone.External view of Oakwood Garden Centre

We took a look at an art class in action, and it looked wonderful. They have a full program of classes for watercolour, oils and pottery

Art class at Oakwood Garden Centre
A sign on the wall had a quote from Pablo Picasso:  “You have to have an idea of what you want to do, but it should be a vague one” Sound advice
What is normal?

Scotland has a reputation for being endlessly hospitable and a bit Scrooge-like when it comes to financial affairs. We don’t suffer fools gladly. However, in the name of hospitality, we are willing to suffer the visit of the big orange fool to open his new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Scotland has about 600 golf courses used by about 3% of the population. It’s not as if we are desperately in need of another one. What we do object to, however, is having to pay for 5000 extra police officers required to try and make his visit seem normal. 

G63 9PT       tel: 01360 551742           Oakwood 

///inspects.send.tentacles

Scones, Top

Delivino

5 Comments

Everybody knows the story of The Great Escape, and immediately associates it with the name Steve McQueen. But what about the name of Auchterarder man, Sandy Gunn? The difference between McQueen and Gunn is that one acted a part in a film of the escape, and the other faced a firing squad for actually taking part in the escape.  We know this because there’s a memorial garden to Gunn across the road from Auchterarder’s Deli & Wine bar, Delivino, where we are today.

Logo of Delivino in Auchterarder
Stalag Luft III

As part of the RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, he was tasked with photographing the German battleship Tirpitz, sister ship of the Bismarck, as it lay off the Norwegian coast. He flew from Wick on the north coast of Scotland but was shot down. He ejected and was taken prisoner by the Germans, who transferred him as a POW to Stalag Luft III in Poland.

Photo of Sandy Gunn
Sandy helped dig the tunnel named “Harry ” that allowed 76 men to escape in the dead of night. Unfortunately, he was recaptured 36 hours later and executed under the direct orders of Hitler.   Photo courtesy of www.spitfireaa810.co.uk

No such heroics for us, however. Auchterarder is the address of the world-famous Gleneagles Hotel. When the hotel guests get bored with their champagne lifestyle in luxury surroundings, they could come down here for a slight change.  Many do, and they are not disappointed. Service is second to none, and the quality of the food is just as good as its big brother up the road.Internal view of Delivino in Auchterarder

It is very pleasantly decorated, and perhaps because it was relatively quiet, service was super fast and super friendly. A scone at Delivino in Auchterarder We ordered a light lunch, which was excellent, followed by a fruit scone to share.  When our scone arrived, it just came with jam and butter. When we asked about cream, however, they immediately went and whipped some up for us … excellent! We normally like our scones to have a slightly crunchy exterior, but this one didn’t. but was delicious nevertheless. All things considered, this was an easy topscone. Internal view of Delivino in Auchterarder

A few years back, the last time we wrote about this place, we promised to review its sister restaurant in nearby Crieff. It’s very remiss of us, but so far we haven’t done that. However, the promise is renewed.

Contagion

It is salutory to think that in WWII, men like Sandy Gunn had to fly sorties to take pictures. Now it’s all done by computers and satellite. Wars are conducted at a distance with little or no human interaction. Emotionless wars? The chaos emanating from the  American government has been matched or perhaps surpassed by our own UK government. Keir Starmer’s chaotic attempts at governance have resulted in the extraordinary sight of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in tears.  Rachel Reeves probably wanted to make her own great escape, but at the same time, her emotions on public display were kind of heartening. Emotion in politics does exist.

PH3 1DF             tel: 01764 660033.          Delivino

///gulped.zoos.masterpiece
Scones, Top

Mona’s

9 Comments

You are probably aware that on a nice day, and having nothing better to do, we tend to go wandering. Luckily Scotland is blessed with a myriad of tiny roads, many of them unsigned. Even in an area you know relatively well there are always roads you have never been on. A nightmare for some but we like to take them just to see where we end up. Sign for Mona's of MuckhartSometimes the road peters out completely, and you have to simply turn round and come back, but at least we then know. Today, we have been wandering and ended up here at Mona’s in a pretty little village called Pool of Muckhart. Together with another adjacent village, the Yetts o’ Muckhart, they form an area unsurprisingly referred to as Muckhart.

A garden pavement in MuckhartThe villages are quite well known simply because of their unusual names. As far as we can tell, the “Pool” refers to a long nonexistent pond and the “Yetts” probably referred to a toll house that charged drovers passing through on their way to market with their cattle.

Logo of Mona's of MuckhartBattle of Trafalgar and all that

Despite giving the air of sleepy little Clackmannanshire villages, Muckhart has quite a history. Close by, there’s the remains of a thirty-five-foot-high limekiln which was operated by the Carron Iron Works in Falkirk. We are very familiar with the Carron Foundry, where we are actively involved in trying to preserve its iconic clock tower.  However, we had no idea it had a connection to this area.  Back in the 18th century, everyone was fighting everyone else, just like today, so Carron was busy making cannons to scare Napoleon’s forces at  Trafalgar. In more peaceful times, Carron turned to making telephone and post boxes. As if to emphasise the Muckhart connection, we had to pass one of these post boxes directly outside Mona’s door.

A Carron post box outside Mona's
A post box made by the Carron Foundry at Mona’s of Muckhart

It was surprising to find these connections to our home town of Falkirk in these little villages.

Also nearby is “Joe Bell’s tree”. Joe has the dubious distinction of being the last man to be publicly hanged in Scotland. Back in 1866, he was destitute and just wanted some money for bread. As he waited for his victim, an unfortunate farmer, he carved his initials “JB” into the tree.  He shot the farmer dead and robbed him of £5.10. A month after being found guilty, he was hanged outside Perth Prison on a gallows specially transported from Aberdeen.

Rhubarb and apple

All a bit morbid, but like some sort of antidote we have Mona’s, a wonderful, cheery place. You get a good feeling just entering the café. It’s been in the same family for three generations and is named after the current owner’s grandmother, Mona Cram. Plain, fruit and cheese scones were on offer, and they all looked delicious. A scone at Mona's of MuckhartAs usual, we went for fruit, which came nicely presented with generous amounts of jam and clotted cream. We chose “rhubarb and apple” jam, but, in what must have been a technical glitch, we got ” forest berry”. No matter, the jam was excellent as was the scone. Coffee was great too. When you get cheerful service and everything else to go with it, it leaves us little choice but to award a topscone. Well done Mona’s, though as Pat ended up buying half the shop, our visit worked out quite expensive.Internal view of Mona's of Muckhart

 

We posted from here back in 2017, and if anything, we think it’s got even better than it was back then.

Safer?

2017 was at the time of the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack, which, in many ways, replicated a similar horrendous attack in Nice the previous year.  It would be good to think that things were safer now, but with many of our world leaders only evading prison through maintaining their respective positions of power, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

FK14 7JN     tel: 01259 781322      Monas of Muckart

///broken.sting.ourselves

Ordinary, Scones

The Harbour

7 Comments

Readers are well aware that we sometimes go to extreme lengths to expand our sconological knowledge on their behalf. However, they may not be so aware that sometimes we risk life and limb in the process. This post from The Harbour in Edinburgh’s posh suburb of Cramond is one of the more extreme.

Causeway to Cramond Island
The mile-long causeway to Cramond Island
Castaways

It has been many moons since we were last here. Even when we lived in Edinburgh, we didn’t come here very often, and we certainly never ventured as far as Cramond Island, our target destination for today. Notice at Cramond IslandIt can only be reached via a causeway and only at low tide.  If you ignore the tides, you could end up in trouble. The foreshore on either side of the causeway is very flat, so the tide goes out a very long way, but when it comes in again, it does so very quickly. It’s the moon that’s to blame. There are plenty of notices, however,  telling you not to be stupid.

Since we have little or no influence over the moon, our main concern was ourselves. Given our advancing years, would we make it in time, or would we end up spending the night as castaways? Making a run for it was out of the question.

Pat on the rather windy island. Forth bridges can just be seen in the far distance. The last sheep farmer to live on the island, Peter Hogg, died in 1904, but the ruined remains of his house can still be seen.
Causeway to Cramond island
The return trip along the causeway. It was built during WWII as a defence against invading landing craft
Only two?

Back on the safety of the mainland, we made a beeline for the Harbour. After such an adventure, what could be simpler than getting a coffee and a scone … wrong! The only two tables outside were taken, and there didn’t seem to be any alternatives.

River Almond at Cramond
Boats in the harbour in the mouth of the River Almond, opposite the café. Just pleasure craft these days, but in the past, it was very industrial

A lady came to a window, and the conversation went something like this. Us: “Do you only have these two tables?” Lady: “Yes, we only have a takeaway service. What do you want?” Us: “Just a coffee and a scone” Lady: “Okay, would you like to sit inside?” Us: “Yes” Lady: “Just come down to the door and I ‘ll unlock it“. And we were ushered into an empty café.Internal view of the Harbour cafe at Cramond  Okay, it’s their business and they understand how to run it, but we don’t.

To be fair,  as we sat there with our coffee and scones, they seemed to be doing a very brisk trade from the takeaway window. What do we know? A scone at the Harbour Café

It would have been nice to sit outside looking at the boats in the harbour, but after our island-hopping exertions, we didn’t really mind where we sat. It was just good to have a seat. There was no cream, but our fruit scones were nice; we thoroughly enjoyed them. No one else was admitted into this inner sanctum while we were there; perhaps we should have felt more honoured rather than puzzled. 

Romans and lions

There was once a Roman fort at Cramond, and in 1997, the Cramond Lioness was recovered from the harbour.

Picture of excavating tiger at Cramond
Carved from a single piece of sandstone, the Lioness is depicted sinking its teeth into the skull of a bound male prisoner. How it came to end up in the harbour remains a mystery

Seems like lovely, peaceful  Cramond may have been somewhere where people were actually thrown to the lions. Though, since unicorns are more numerous than lions in Scotland, perhaps it was just a decoration for some Roman commander’s tomb.Logo of the Harbour Café

Reckless

The Commander in Chief of the US forces has bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities on behalf of Israel and presumably on behalf of God. This could prove to be extremely reckless but for us, the most chilling factor of the whole affair was the US’s incredible ability to carry it out from an airbase in Missouri. It indicates that nowhere and no one is out of reach of US forces. Just this piece of mild criticism could result in a missile through our kitchen window. The world could end up even more in the image of America than it is already: a terrifying thought. It’s a stop the world, we want to get off moment, or maybe just back to the island? Is the tide still out?

EH4 6NY          The Harbour

///grand.ranch.soda

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Blossoms

5 Comments

Is Blossoms a restaurant with a garden centre attached or is it a garden centre with a restaurant attached? That is the question! Not a particularly burning question, but a question nevertheless. Okay, in terms of acreage, the garden centre is bigger, but in terms of population, Blossoms wins hands down. It’s big and there are always loads of people  having full-blown meals or just coffee and scones like usInternal view of Blossoms

Unbelievably, it is ten years since we first posted from here. Someone should remind us to get a life.Sign for Blossoms

The door

Back in 2015, there was a General Election, and as we sat in Blossoms, we were fantasising about “A Parliament of Scones”. There would be about 650 plain ones in the Commons, some of them pretty half-baked, and another 900 or so fruit ones in ‘the other place’. We know! You would think perhaps that allaboutthescones might have been a bit more sensible back then, but no!. Anyway, we mention the House of Lords simply so we can have a rant about its new front door – at £10 million, the most expensive front door in the world. – and it doesn’t work! It should be automated; however, they have decreed that, given the design, it will probably never work. Someone has to permanently stand beside it to open and close it. It’s virtually useless, a bit like the place itself.Internal view of Blossoms

We were here to buy a hosta. We got one called “June” which we thought appropriate for the time of year. A scone at BlossomsWhile Pat took June and a little viola out to the car, I went to Blossoms. Disappointingly, in the self-service line, all the scones seemed to be preloaded. It wasn’t until I came to pay that I realised that they had ordinary scones on display at the far side of the cash desk. What’s the point in that? I couldn’t be bothered trying to change – a preloaded scone it was. It wasn’t too bad, but a million miles away from a topscone. Pat had a strawberry tart, which was demolished in record time.

Given rights

Even sitting here in the safety of a garden centre in the middle of Scotland, we feel a little less safe with the latest bout of bombing in the Israel/ US/Iran madness. Where will it all end? Since Israel’s “God given right”  seems to be at the root of all the problems, it seems a bit odd that no one questions it. We’re pretty sure that whatever God intended back in 1948, it’s not what He’s ended up with. We do know, however, that He would want us to get home and find a nice shady spot where “June” can flourish in peace.

Hosta June
June

FK5 4EG              tel: 01324 553152             Blossoms

///caskets.enter.hammocks

Ordinary, Scones

Smith Café

7 Comments

Once again, we had no intention of visiting the Smith Café when we set out. It was a lovely day, so we actually set out for the Potting Shed in Callander. It’s a lovely wee place that we first reviewed more than five years ago

The Potting Shed at the Roman Camp Hotel
The Potting Shed at the Roman Camp Hotel

We had coffee and cake before taking a walk down by the river. Very peaceful, but the water was quite high after recent much-needed rain.

Silver casket

Heading homeward, we knew there was a traffic problem in Stirling. Going north is okay, but south is a nightmare. Logo of the Smith GalleryTo avoid it, we took a detour, and coincidentally, it virtually took us to the door of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum. We had read on social media that Mary Queen of Scots’ silver casket was temporarily on display here. It’s not every day you get to see such a personal effect of our current King’s great, great, great great grandmother. And since we were already here, we thought we should take a look. 

Mary Queen of Scots casket
Made in Paris c1493, a gift from her husband the King of France the casket in which she kept her letters accompanied Mary throughout her life. It’s about the size of a shoe box.

We see folk moaning about their lives in the media. Fretting over whether they’ve wasted theirs or wondering if they could have done more. They could do worse than look at Mary Queen of Scots’ life. Relatively short and much of it in prison, but still eventful. 

44 years of Mary
  • became Queen of Scotland at 6 days old
  • smuggled out of Scotland to France aged four
  •  became Queen of France aged 16
  • King of France dies, returns to Scotland
  • Marries Lord Darnley, who murdered her secretary, David Rizzio
  • Marries the Earl of Bothwell, who murdered Lord Darnley
  • imprisoned on Loch Leven and forced to give up the crown in favour of the son she had never met
  • escapes from Loch Leven
  • her army was defeated by her son’s army at Langside
  •  exiled to England and imprisoned for 19 years
  • beheaded on the orders of her cousin, Elizabeth I
  • Buried in Peterborough before being dug up and transferred to Westminster Abbey
Katherine Hepburn as Mary in 1936

Ironically, it may well have been some of the letters from the casket that were used as proof of her treachery towards Elizabeth.  Many, however, think they were fabricated. In many ways, rather than living her life,  Mary had her life done to her.  Whatever, we think she must have comforted herself with scones during her many years of captivity.Sign for the Smith Café

We spent much longer than we had anticipated going round this fabulous museum so we were ready for a scone by the time we had finished. A scone at the Smith GalleryThey had plain or blueberry scones. Plenty of butter and jam but no cream.  We chose to try a blueberry one. Although it didn’t look too promising, it turned out to be surprisingly light. The blueberries provided lovely, tasty, squishy bits amidst the softness of the scone.  No topscone but enjoyable nevertheless.

As we sat there in the Smith Café, news was coming through that the bromance between Trump and Musk might be heading towards the rocks. Oh dear, what a shame, never mind!

King of Scots in fighting mode
You can tell when the King of Scots is ready to fight, he’s gone to a lot of trouble.

With Musk, having put Trump in the White House, it was only a matter of time before the slightest sign of ingratitude would have a profound effect. It made us wonder if it might help the world order if leaders such as Putin, Musk and Trump had to prepare for a fight, as in days of yore, Musk’s t-shirt and baseball cap just wouldn’t cut it … not even as a responsible, sane human being.  Maybe by the time they had polished all their armour and prepared their horses, they might have forgotten why they were fighting in the first place? But then we remembered that it didn’t stop them back then, and these guys would probably enjoy dressing up anyway. Mary Queen of Scots wouldn’t have given any of them the time of day.

Painting by Donovan Adam 1878
Painting by Denovan Adam 1878 …. more quiet wisdom depicted here than in the White House

FK8 2RQ          tel: 01786 471917           Smith Café

///verse.ready.things

ps: The Stirling Smith Gallery also has a room dedicated to Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, another inspirational figure whose life was just one long adventure. Worth investigating!

Ordinary, Scones

Castlecary Hotel

9 Comments

Our target eaterie today turned us away; we hadn’t booked … argh!  Nothing else for it but to keep moving and see where we ended up.  It never crossed our minds that it might be Castlecary Hotel. Many moons ago we used to visit here quite a lot for evening meals. It was only a twenty-minute drive away, it was small and friendly, and, most importantly, they didn’t seem to mind three small children running around the place. It became quite a valuable asset. That was many years ago. Today, with lots of extensions and additional buildings it’s much bigger.

When we pulled into the car park, there seemed to be floods of people going in. It would be just our luck to get turned away from here as well! Logo of the Castlecary HotelWhen we went in, however, apart from some staff, we were the only ones there.  We asked where all the people we had seen outside had gone. The young girl looking after us happily explained that today they had a football function for 120 people, another function for 100, two birthday parties and a retirement celebration all going on simultaneously … wow! And yet we seemed to be the only ones here in this part of the hotel.

Internal view of the Castlecary HotelMind you, it has always been a popular meeting place. The Roman  Antonine Wall passes through the village, and in 80 AD, Agricola built a fort here housing about five hundred men. Catering to their supposed predilection for dining on flamingo tongues and ostrich brains would have been tricky in Castlecary at that time, or indeed anytime.. Nowadays, the village has a canal, the M80 motorway and Wardpark Studios where Outlander is filmed, all within a few hundred yards. No wonder the hotel is busy.

Leftovers?

Coffee wasn’t a problem, but none of the staff seemed to know if they had scones. They would have to go and find out.  Odd, how can they not know?De-alcoholised wine at the Castlecary Hotel While we waited, we perused the wine menu and came across a new word: DE-ALCOHOLISED.  We’ve come across LOW ALCOHOL and NO- ALCOHOL wine, but this was a new one on us. Scones at the Castlecary HotelOdd, but not as odd as when they simply appeared with a couple of scones on a plate. Just two scones on a plate, no cutlery, no napkins, just two scones. No one had taken an order; they simply assumed that this was what we wanted.  They also assumed that we couldn’t be bothered to assemble the scones ourselves; they came preloaded.  What’s more, they came preloaded the wrong way, cream first! Mon dieu, could this be happening or would we wake up?  On top of all this, the scones were decidedly unfresh, probably leftovers from some other function.  

There were no redeeming features to these scones. Indeed, they struggled to make it into our “ordinary scone” category, but we don’t have anything lower. When we settled our bill, they only charged a total of £7, so we suspect they didn’t charge us for the scones. 

Money well spent??

Our visit was odd but enjoyable nevertheless. It didn’t really matter about the scones, we only get them so that we can write these posts.  As we sat there drinking our very good Ringtons coffee, we were treated to a stream of folk passing through from the other functions. People watching emphasises the fact that although we are all the same, we are also all individuals. Some of the outfits had to be seen to be believed. Logo of the Castlecary HotelOur Prime Minister has announced that he is preparing the UK for the future. Apparently, that means spending many  £billions on creating the means to destroy our fellow human beings. Another ten nuclear submarines presumably means that we also need the means to destroy the entire planet as well. Just think what else that money could be spent on? Fresh scones?

G68 0HD             tel: 01324 840233              Castlecary Hotel

///practical.ground.surely

Ordinary, Scones

Majestic Tearoom

5 Comments

Up until this post from the Majestic Tearoom, Inverkeithing has only been meaningful to us for one thing: a big shed!

Inverkeithing shed
For several years this Inverkeithing shed has been the biggest shed in our Sheds of Scotland collection
Grangemouth shed
Recently challenged by this Grangemouth monster. We think the Inverkeithing one is more characterful.
Doune shed
Another challenger, but agricultural, so slightly different category

Anyway, we only mention sheds in case some readers might run away with the idea that all we have to worry about is scones.

Logo of Majestic Tea RoomSo, up until now, Inverkeithing has only been of interest because of its big industrial shed, however, today Pat discovered that it also had an Antique Centre… with a tearoom.Logo of Majestic cinema Our sort of place! It’s housed in what used to be the Majestic cinema. It was opened in 1914 and had 1,000 seats, splendidly decked out in orange and blue.  By the 50s, however,  it had succumbed to the new-fangled gadget, the TV. People preferred to sit at home in their slippers. The last film shown in 1959 was The Black Orchid with Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn.Internal view of the Majestic Tea Room

The premises, spread over two floors, are not what we call an “Antique Centre”. They specialise in house clearances, so most of the stuff is not that old.  Hopefully, their scones would be nice and fresh.Internal view of the Majestic Tea Room

Sensory overload

Scone choice was easy since there was only one type on offer: cherry. A scone at the Majestic Tea RoomNo cream, so it just came with jam and butter. The tearoom is set within Fleming’s Furniture and Antique Centre. In our opinion, it seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. Its vastness, filled with a mix of brand new furniture and mountains of second-hand bric-a-brac, leaves you with a kind of sensory overload.  The tearoom is the same. Everyone is trying very hard, but they are probably just trying to do too much. For example, afternoon tea is on offer, but you have to order two days in advance. We enjoyed our visit to the Majestic, but we were probably the nearest thing they had to antiques. At least we now know  Inverkeithing for more than just big sheds.Internal view of the Majestic Tea Room

What a mess

If this place is a bit higgledy-piggledy, it’s as nothing compared to Trump’s pronouncements on trade tariffs that now appear to have been illegal. Uncertainty abounds. Perhaps “higgledy-piggledy” is too genteel, and considering where we are, “bull in a china shop” might be more appropriate. Whatever, it’s a mess, particularly for folks in the US.

KY11 1NH          tel: 0 7500 091741          Majestic Tearoom

///postage.comforted,narrow

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