Another Tilly Tearoom

24 February 2022 billpaterson1@me.com 5 Comments

When the owners of the Tilly Tearoom in Tillicoultry decided to expand they bought this place in Dunblane near Stirling. When it came to a name, however, they were stumped. They thought and they thought and they thought … and then it came to them …. Another Tilly Tearoom, brilliant!

Gingham and teapots

It’s a very homely kind of place. A sort of jumble of tiny rooms each with two or three tables. Between each room there’s a short flight of steps so the staff have to be pretty fit to work here. The lady looking after us was super good and managed to engage everyone in friendly conversation with whizzing around the place. She soon had us sorted out with a couple of toasted sandwiches for lunch and a scone to share afterwards. She told us that there was only one fruit scone left but she would put it to one side for us … what service! The gingham table clothes the vast teapot collection and the mismatched chinaware give Another Tilly Tearoom a pleasant cottagy feel. We were sitting right next to a big roaring fire that would have had us roasted to death if it hadn’t just been a painting.

Lunch was excellent and when our scone arrived it came with generous pots of jam and cream. As always Pat took the top half and, very quickly, I could tell by the mmming that we might be heading for a topscone. It was quite big so we were very glad that we were sharing but overall it was delicious. On a really horrible wet day Another Tilly Tearoom succeeded in lifting our spirits with this topscone. Now we need to try the other Tilly Tearoom.

Vlad the invader

Today is a momentous day for all the wrong reasons. Russia has invaded Ukraine, or be more precise, Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine. We are pretty sure that ordinary Russians have got better things to worry about than Ukraine. All the frantic diplomacy over the past few weeks seems to have come to zilch. Even Boris’s efforts came to nought. To cap it all, now Trump has come out on Vlad’s side and when you hear Putin speak you can almost hear Trump saying exactly the same words. Imagine what the US reaction would have been with Trump still in power. We live in a crazy world!

In the UK, it’s odd that the Conservative party, the upholder of freedom for all, should be funded by a communist regime like Vlad the Invader’s Russia. Hath they no scruples? That was rhetorical! We ‘re sure that much more would be made of political funding if it wasn’t for the Labour Party being in debt to China. You really couldn’t make it up!

After thirty years of independence and prosperity we feel heart sorry for all those Ukranians who now feel they have to flee their homes. Given those in charge, goodness knows what will happen now. On the railings of St Blane’s church, right next door to Another Tilly Tearoom we came across this message. Hasn’t worked in any of the world’s other conflict zones but faced with a Putin/Trump combo it might be all that’s left!

FK15 0ER tel: 01786 823968 Another Tilly FB

///growth.alienated.odds

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Klondyke Garden Centre

10 February 2022 billpaterson1@me.com 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again! Although we have reviewed Klondyke Garden Centre several times before, it has changed so much that we feel another review is justified. We’re not apologising … Boris doesn’t have to apologise for anything so why should we?

Choice

It’s our annual compost fix we’re after. If we don’t get it the rest of the year will definitely not go as well as it would have done otherwise. We try to restrict it to once a year … we’re not addicts … it’s for the garden. Actually, it’s for our rhubarb which we are in the process of transplanting from the garden into large pots. Reminds me of one of my dad’s favourite stories about a man passing a mental hospital pushing a barrowload of manure. An inmate pokes his head through the railings and asks him what he is going to do with it. “I’m going to put it on my rhubarb” he replied. “Oh” the inmate said “You should come in here we get custard on ours“. Okay, okay! It remains to be seen how well our rhubarb will do in pots … it’s a high risk strategy!

Anyway, over the past year or so, much work has been done at this garden centre. The car park is now vast and the centre itself is much bigger than it used to be. As well as a huge area dedicated to plants there are gift shops, clothes shops, a shoe shop and even a car wash. All this choice can be kind of bewildering and choosing compost is no exception … ericatious, John Innes, Miracle Gro, peat free, big bag, wee bag … argh!

Internal view of Topiary restaurant Klondyke — Just part one section of the restaurant/cafe area

Technology

Unsurprisingly perhaps, it wasn’t long before the lure of the cafe became overpowering. Crikey, it’s. gone huge as well. In our previous review we tried to use their new fandangled phone ‘Order & Pay’ system. It seemed to work but after waiting for twenty minutes for our order to appear we realised something had gone wrong. When we asked a member of staff she just said “no problem, I can take your order” … argh! This time we ordered at the self service counter but they still seem to be using the same phone system at the tables. It must work sometimes so might try it again next time.

The scones were quite big so we decided to share. Expectations were not exactly high but we were pleasantly surprised. It tasted remarkably fresh and came complete with some English jam and Danish butter. The cream was whipped and nicely presented in a little glass jar. We actually swithered momentarily about a topscone but decided that the complete package just wasn’t quite right. But a bIg improvement on previous visits. Keep up the good work Klondyke Garden Centre … it’s all very impressive.

Wallpaper at restaurant Klondyke — Wallpaper in the cafe area

Also impressive is the new Falkirk Distillery which is right next door to the garden centre. It’s due to open its doors for the first time later in the year and who knows it may even serve scones in its restaurant. Exciting or what?

Trumpian?

Last time we were here in 2020 Boris Johnson was visiting Scotland. He reminded us how grateful we should be for the block grant … a gift from England!? He also said he had an “oven ready deal” for Brexit and Gove was proclaiming Brexit as the “easiest deal in history”. We all know that now, as we did then, they needn’t have bothered wasting their breath. With his administration still deep in the proverbial doodoo his latest imbecilic utterances about Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile do not bode well for how any upcoming elections will be conducted. Looks very Trumpian to us!

All is not lost though, just as we were all about to lose faith in government of any kind, up pops ex PM and arch Tory, Sir John Major, to tell it like it is … or rather, how it should be! A Tory with a brain and a heart … whatever next?

We’ll keep you posted on the rhubarb!

FK2 0XS tel: 01324 717035 Klondyke

///staple.reap.rooms

And just when you thought the world could not get any crazier, we came across this car with a banana stuck up its exhaust. What’s that all about?

Later still, I watched as a flock of siskins fought and squabbled over a load of sunflower hearts. Totally illogical because there was more than enough for them all. Unfortunately though, when it comes to our planet’s resources, we are all just siskins. That should have been a Tweet really?

Scones, Top

Potting Shed Revisited

2 February 2022 billpaterson1@me.com 3 Comments

The last time we were here in the Potting Shed was back in August 2020. Not that long ago really but somehow it seems longer. At that time we were the beneficiaries of the government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme designed to get people going back to restaurants after they thought the worst of the pandemic was over. You only had to pay 50% of your food bill and the government paid the other half. Very generous we thought until we realised where the other 50% came from …. us!

External view of the Roman Camp Hotel — Roman Camp Hotel from the Potting Shed

Anyway, here we are again and we still have the pandemic Who would have thought? The only difference now is that there are no discounts … boo!. Still, COVID doesn’t seem as bad now as back then so we should be thankful for that.

Back in 2020 this was a brand new venture set up by the Roman Camp Hotel. As you might expect, it’s situated in what used to be the old potting shed for the hotel’s walled garden. It has its own staff and kitchen though so is run pretty much independently. It’s a very pleasant place to grab a bite to eat and have a stroll round the beautiful grounds on the banks of the river Teith.

We knew from previous experience that when you order a scone here you get two … one fruit and one plain. They’re relatively small though so after a light lunch we ordered a scone so that we could have one each. They came complete with little glass jars of butter and jam and a large dollop of cream. They had just been baked so were delightfully fresh and at £3 great value for money and an easy topscone … yeah!

Fighting talk

The Roman Camp Hotel has always been painted pink. Not some girlie whim by the original owners but a sign to any Jacobite fleeing government forces that this was a safe house. Behind the wood panelling in the Library there’s a tiny hidden chapel where Catholics could worship away from prying eyes. And elsewhere, in a cupboard, lies the entrance to a secret tunnel from which those under attack could make good their escape. Bet Boris wishes he had one of these in Downing Street … or maybe he has?

Whatever, he certainly made it to Kiev yesterday. The scary thing about that is the fact that, right now, nobody would like a war more than Boris. He seems unable to dig himself out of the mire surrounding the Sue Gray Report so a war with Russia would be the perfect distraction. Prime Ministers are not usually deposed during wartime so a long war would be even better. Oh dear, is that too cynical?

FK17 8BG tel: 01877 330003 The Potting Shed

///everybody.fixed.built

Scones, history and a dollop of politics

Monthly Archives: February 2022