All posts by billpaterson1@me.com

Scones, Top

Ackergill Tower

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The main purpose of this particular trip was to visit a part of the world that we do not actually know every well. However we felt we did. because of reading books by Neil Gunn. He was a local author, who wrote magnificently about the area in books like Highland River. My favourite, the Silver Darlings was about the once thriving herring fishing .. sadly now defunct. He was born and brought up in Dunbeath in Caithness and apart from occasionally passing through on our way round the north coast of Scotland we have never spent much time there.

Five stars

We decided to stay at Ackergill Tower just outside Wick. It’s about 15 miles south of John O’Groats, the most northeasterly tip of the UK. The area feels remote and definitely on a different planet from London and the south. Here the land and the weather can be hard but it has a real character and a charm all of its own. Ackergill04Ackergill Tower is a stunning castle built right on the water’s edge and at one time, probably round about the 15th century, its front door opened directly onto the sea so that the occupants could come and go without  enduring attack from the landward side. The Gunn and Keith clans fought over it for many years. Fascinating but dangerous times. Nowadays it has been taken over by AmaZing Venues who have spent a lot of money doing it up to five star standard. IMG_7689

We arrived early for registration. They asked if we would like to have tea and scones in one of the sitting rooms while we waited. No-brainer! A few moments later, however, we were informed that there were no scones but they would bake us some if we cared to wait about 20-30 minutes. No-brainer! We went for a walk.

Big pouffs

The weather could best be described as bracing. There were certainly no cobwebs left by the time we got back. Our tea and freshly baked scones were being served on what must be one of the biggest pouffs in the world. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. IMG_7696Everything was perfect, the scones were sublime, the jam was fab, the cream was delicious, the setting and presentation faultless.

In these cosseted surroundings you could quite easily forget all about the outside world. It’s still there of course and what seems to be exercising some minds is our fondly held weapons of mass destruction. Farage seems so keen on them that you could be forgiven for thinking that he might actually use them just to solve his perceived immigration problem.

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The Great Hall
The Great Hall

 

Should that ever come to pass, of course, there would  be nowhere to emigrate to either .. think it through Nigel! The story goes that we need these weapons so that people will listen to us at the negotiating table. What if you just had the £300b we would have spent on them in your hip pocket. Would people listen then? What if you just put £300b in the bank. Think of the interest and what you could do with that!

Many years ago Ackergill Tower was designed to fend off unwelcome advances by men in kilts. Nowadays it looks as if it could fend off a nuclear attack just as well. If we said there was to be such an attack do you think they would let us stay. We want to stay!

KW1 4RG           tel: 0330 3337222             AmaZingvenues

Ordinary, Scones

Inchbae Lodge

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This place is interesting. A young couple from the North of England have had it about 7 months. Through the winter, they have managed to transform it into a pleasant guest house and bar/café. Previously, it had become very run down and attracted some pretty poor reviews. Now, however, it’s a fresh start and you cannot help but wish them all the luck in the world

Inchbae Lodge is on the road to Ullapool out of Garve and it would not be unreasonable to describe it as being ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Far from being a disadvantage this could be exactly what many people are looking for so lets hope that their first summer season is a good one. Unfortunately, when we arrived we seemed to be the only people around.

This may be due to the fact that we drove past it before we realised what we had done. We had to stop and turn back. Maybe a few more road signs notifying drivers in advance would help? Anyway we were made to feel very welcome as were ushered into a very comfortable conservatory at the back of the Lodge to await our scones and coffee. A scone at Inchbae Lodge

Now here I have to say that I really really wish this review could be better. However, when our scone arrived it was of the bought-in variety. It tasted ok but  the cream that came with it was aerosol ‘scooshie. As a result  it fairly quickly turned to watery white liquid in the  warmth of the conservatory.  In spite of these things it was pleasant to relax in the coziness and catch up with the news.

Outnumbered

What oh what is happening in the election? It seems that the  party with ‘Unionist’ in its title is determined to break the Union apart with their proposals for English only votes for England. If I was being kind I would say that they simply have not thought the scheme through. If I was being unkind I would say that they are trying to undermine basic fundamental democracy and becoming more nationalist than the nationalists. Either way it can only end up in tears for the Union.

Don’t they realise that according to Parliament’s own figures Scottish MPs traditionally only have a deciding effect on  0.06% of parliamentary business. In other words, in the past Scottish MPs may as well not have bothered. That figure will probably not hold true after this election but it will still remain that Scottish MPs are vastly outnumbered by English ones, as has always been the case. So what on earth are they on about?

SNP to the rescue

In the meantime it looks as if you will have to vote SNP to save the Union.  It’s a mad world! We feel that our English friends at Inchbae Lodge need to find a way of tapping into the large visitor numbers at Rogie Falls. It’s just down the road and there’s nothing in the way of cafe facilities that we could see. We wish them every good fortune but ditch the scooshie cream!

IV23 2PH      tel: 01997 455070     www.inchbaelodge.com

Ordinary, Scones

John MacNabs Bar & Bistro

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Logo at John MacNabs Bar & Bistro, InvernessIt is not that often we are in Inverness as usually we are just passing through. Today, however, although again on our way to somewhere else, we have stopped off to see what the city has to offer. As it happens, today, the capital of the Highlands is bathed in glorious spring sunshine. The river Ness runs through the city centre and on its banks we came across John MacNabs Bar & Bistro. It’s part of the Columba Hotel complex. It has an outside seating area which was very welcome on such a warm day.

Apricot jam?

No time was wasted in getting some scones ordered and they duly arrived nice and warm, with lots of jam and cream. Normally we expect to get either strawberry or raspberry jam but at MacNabs it was apricot? Pat exchanged her’s for strawberry but I thought I would live adventurously and stuck with what I had been given. I enjoyed it but not sure if it will catch on as a substitute for the more traditional preserves. A scone at John MacNabs Bar & Bistro, InvernessLovely friendly service but our scones were of the bought-in variety and although they tasted fine they were nothing to write home about.

The news today is of course about the upcoming, increasingly boring, election. Also of hundreds of people losing their lives crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. Sitting in the sunshine by the river in Inverness it is difficult to imagine what these people are going through. Their desperate attempts to better their lives, is another world entirely. In the circumstances, it seems almost immoral to be writing about something as frivolous as scones.

Old fashioned

Most will have never heard of scones so perhaps it is to be hoped that some of the survivors may eventually be able to discover the pleasure of scones. In that respect alone their lives will have become better. Maybe they could even do it in Inverness, who knows? MacNabs even give you a biscuit with your coffee and a shortbread biscuit with your scone. Nice touch but maybe a little unnecessary. They also serve on slate. Call us old fashioned but we cannot think what is wrong with a good old plate. It’s very pleasant sitting bathed in sunshine by the river but this is probably not the best scone in Inverness … nor the worst.

IV3 5NF    tel: 0871 3769900      McNabs

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Blossom’s Bistro

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Blossom’s is situated within the ever popular Torwood Garden Centre at Larbert between Falkirk and Stirling. Like the Centre itself the bistro is big, over 200 seats. Now you would not normally go to a garden centre specifically for a scone but at this time of year garden centres are going to be hard to avoid. You may as well try a scone at the same time. Internal view of Blossoms Bistro, TorwoodI have to say that Blossoms tries really hard and for the most part succeeds. There is a wide range of food on offer.

They even do an afternoon tea with generous helpings of sandwiches, cakes, scones, tea or coffee for £15 … for two people! Don’t think you can do much better than that! No surprise then that it’s a busy place, We suspect that many folk just come to the Bistro without going out to the plant area. They also support Central Arts.  An organisation of local artists, displaying and selling their artworks to benefit various charities. Highly commendable!

A Parliament of scones

It’s a beautiful warm day but I gather that some folks are getting a bit overheated regarding the upcoming election. Let’s look at it sensibly! Lets imagine Parliament being made up of scones. There would be about 650 plain ones, some of them pretty half baked. There would be another 900 or so fruit ones in ‘the other place’. All of them are half baked and we don’t really need them at all. A scone at Blossoms Bistro, TorwoodAt this point in time, before the election, all 650 of the plain scones have been discarded … binned. We only have the 900 fruit ones. Now much as I like a fruit scone many of these are well past their sell-by but there is no way of getting rid of them. Even the pigeons won’t take them.

No worries though, on May 7th, a new batch of plain scones will appear from all over the UK and normality should then be restored. However, the problem this time around seems to be with the Scottish scones. Seen by some, to be of inferior quality, hard to digest and best ignored if possible. Of course this in turn would be tricky for Scottish people to digest  because they  will have gone to a lot of trouble to make them and they know their scones are as good as any.

There are scones and scones

The democratic process that produced all these scones used to see them all as equal but maybe not anymore. Us sconeys have known for a long time that scones are not all equal, far from it. The scones we had in Blossom’s Bistro were better than expected but maybe tasted a little bit floury and slightly more cakeish than we would have liked. Nevertheless we enjoyed them, the coffee was also good, the service was very helpful and friendly. All in all, very good value for money. More than can be said for those in Parliament.

FK5 4EG          tel: 01324 557710         Blossoms Garden Centre

Ordinary, Scones

Bingham Hotel

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What a day! Not only is the temperature about 22 degrees here in Richmond on the banks of the Thames the atmosphere is suChampagne at the Bingham Hotel, Richmondch that you could swear you were on Lake Como. Only cloud anywhere is that the Conservatives have just announced a ‘right to buy’ scheme for housing associations. Are they completely bonkers? Have they lost the scone completely? The last scheme rolled out by Maggie was a disaster for the country and now they want to repeat the whole process again. Presumably in the vain hope of getting a few votes from loads of prospective landlords. If we are not mistaken it is also illegal but, of course, they will just change the law.

Rooibos and Jasmine Pearls

Back to serious stuff! When you are in Richmond you could do a lot worse than visit the Bingham Hotel for afternoon tea. It is in a fantastic setting with gardens going down to the waters edge and beautiful interiors. The champers thing just had to be done and it was not long before Francesco, who took us under his wing, delivered us two beautiful glasses while we struggled to decide which tea to have. Eventually it was Rooibos for me and Jasmine Pearls for Pat .. lovely.

As you might expect everything was beautifully presented … fantastic linen napkins and delicate floral chinaware. Afternoon tea at the Bingham Hotel, RichmondThere was four different types of sandwich, four plain and fruit scones, four assorted cakes and our scones came nicely wrapped in a napkin to keep them warm. What more could you ask for?A scone at the Bingham Hotel, RichmondWell, unfortunately, the scones were a little bit disappointing. They were too sweet and the texture was too fine so that they seemed more like a cake than a scone. Also the Bingham is a little on the expensive side. Then again you are not going to get this sort of afternoon tea experience on the cheap, far from it. Overall the whole experience was really enjoyable and we would thoroughly recommend it.

TW10 6UT       tel:020 8940 0902      www.thebingham.co.uk

english, Homemade, Top

Dan’s scones

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What a busy day! The Grand National and the Oxford and Cambridge boat race all happening. However, before all of that  we were invited to a fabulous afternoon tea at First Avenue. It’s in Barnes, south west London  where some of our family live. It has a very village -like feel which is extraordinary considering it is pretty near the centre of the city. It was all courtesy of our daughters and their friends. This is Dan’s scones.

Honourable sconey

We thought there would only be a few cupcakes, Carolyn’s speciality. No, there was tons of Fiona’s fab sandwich

Afternoon tea with scones and cakes

es as well as scrummy tarts and biscuits from Kirsty. Everything was delicious.  However, as self-confessed sconeys (scone enthusiasts) special mention must go to Danielle’s scones. Not only were they as good as anything we have tasted elsewhere but they were heart shaped .. lovely touch. All present have duly been awarded ‘honourable sconey’ status. Okay it’s not exactly the New Year’s Honours list … it’s much more prestigious than that!

Grand National

The annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge passes on the river Thames just behind First Avenue. Oxford won this time. Simultaneously the Grand National steeplechase was being run at Aintree. It was won by Many Clouds,  This was Aspell’s second consecutive Grand National victory, having won aboard Pineau de Re in 2014. Our daughter, Fiona, won  our National sweepstake.

english, self-service

Chiswick House

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As the Thames buzzes with preparations for the boat race tomorrow the grounds of Chiswick House thrive with families out enjoying an early April day of 20 degrees .. just lovely. The original Chiswick House dates back to 1610 but the building we see today is early 18th century. It once belonged to the Cavendish and De

The camellia conservatory at Chiswick House, London
The camellia conservatory

vonshire families but now it is in public ownership and managed by English Heritage. The house was closed when we visited but the grounds are extensive and very well maintained. Lots of statues and gateways leading to temples.

 

The conservatory was supposedly the scene of the first ever music video when the Beatles, fed up with touring,  recorded Paperback Writer in 1966.

Most importantly, of course, there is a café.

The café area at Chiswick House, London
The café area

It is necessarily big both inside and outside to cope with hundreds of visitors each day. As we stood at the self service counter I guess we harboured preconceived ideas of what the scones would be like. They looked a bit on the solid side and we have experienced many places like this that were disappointing to say the least. However, such dismal expectations were to be completely confounded. A scone at Chiswick House, London

Sitting outside in beautiful warm sunshine we discovered they were really most enjoyable. On a par with some of the best. You get a wee jar of Triptree jam and a lidded pot of cream. Eminently sensible for a place like this where lots of people are sitting outside. This is the school holidays so lots of kiddies running around and generally having a great time playing frisbee, climbing trees etc. Fabulous to discover baby changing facilities … in the gents. A long overdue sign of the times!

Barnet and all that

As you wander around London you cannot help but observe the general affluence. No potholes, everything works, public transport is fantastic. It’s in stark contrast to other parts of the country. In the run up to the election we hear a lot about what Scotland gets (Barnett and all that) compared to ‘England’ however we tend not to hear much about London getting £2.6k per capita more than ‘England’. That’s a lot more than Scotland and considering the population is about twice that of Scotland, that’s a lot of money .. and it shows! Are we witnessing the north south divide … maybe?

Anyway, like its scones, Chiswick House and its gardens are a delight, you will not be disappointed.

www.chgt.org.uk       tel: 020 8995 0508

english, Top

Orange Pekoe

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Another day, another Barnes hot spot. Also the day after a supposedly sensible politician managed to bore a child half to death by reading her a story. Why do politicians insist on photo opportunities with kids? Can’t think of any where they

Part of the tea selection at Orange Pekoe, Barnes, London
Part of the tea selection

have not looked completely outside their comfort zone. So why do it ? Anyway, like that poor child you are probably fed up to the back teeth with election stuff already.  And there’s still a month to go. On to better and more important things. Tea is Orange Pekoe’s ‘thing’.

It derives its name from the very finest grade of broadleaf tea. It has won the Tea Guild ‘Award of Excellence’ seven yearsExternal view at Orange Pekoe, Barnes, London in a row so it seems to be quite good at the whole tea thing. Like Gail’s, which is not far away, it is busy all the time and also has seats outside. However Pekoe is more set up as a tearoom and is renowned for its afternoon teas.

 

Light and fluffy

Lovely day so we took a seat outside and then were attended to by the very welcoming and friendly staff. If we had had more time it would have been great to sample the afternoon tea but we didn’t so we just settled for some scones. They came accompanied by small dishes of jam and clotted cream and  were beautifully warm, light and fluffy … utterly delicious. Only criticism, and it is a tiny one, was that they were maybe a tad on the small side, they certainly give you enough jam and cream for something much bigger. A scone at Orange Pekoe, Barnes, LondonAccompanied by all the other stuff of an afternoon tea the size was ideal but on its own just a wee bit small.

Also, Barnes is probably not the place to come for a cheap scone. Seen more Aston Martins and Porsche Cayennes than you could shake a stick at. So a little on the expensive side. However, having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed everything we had. Would definitely recommend if you find yourself here for the boat race. Though your chances of getting in on Saturday are probably non-existent.

Had to explain ‘scone’ to a foreign lady and found it quite difficult. There’s really not much with which to compare it.

SW13 0PX           tel: 020 88766070           Pekoe

english, Ordinary, Scones

Gail’s Artisan Bakery

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This is the BBC (baby buggy central) otherwise known as Gail’s Artisan Bakery. Barnes is a very nice spot on the bulge in the Thames where the boat race will be contested in a few days time. Only an ‘artisan’ bakery would do .. otherwise the natives would revolt.

As you might expect then, Gail’s is a very nice coffee shop which seems to be busy no matter when you go. Lots of yummy mummy’s and people ‘at the office’. Once saw a couple juggling two laptops, two iPads and four mobile phones, ah the joys! One reason it seems so busy is that it’s small. Although it has overspill seating outside it sometimes seems as if the whole of Barnes is trying to squeeze in here, and no wonder. Lots of great looking home baked breads, cakes, pastries, biscuits .. and scones. You order at the counter and pick up a paddle so that they can find you at your table. Hats off to the staff, they work like trojans, picking their way through the conglomeration of people, bags and buggies.

Being fussy

We had never tried the scones in here before so it had to be done. After a short wait it duly arrived and the reason for the wait became obvious, they had been toasting them. A little too mA scone at Gails Artisan Bakery in Barnes, Londonuch as it happens. They were so hot it was difficult to handle them and as a result the base of the scone had become too hard and the scone itself had become a bit on the dry side. They came with little bowls of cream and strawberry jam which were very nice. Bear in mind that we are comparing with the likes of Fonab Castle here so are being deliberately fussy. Overall we enjoyed Gail’s scones and are sure that the fact that ours were a little over toasted is not the norm. This place is definitely worth a visit.

SW13 9HH                 tel: 02087410987                  Gails 

Scones, Uncategorized

Magnificent 7

Out for breakfast this morning to Cafe Nero, they don’t do scones. Why is it that scones are not acceptable at breakfast? Don’t know but they just aren’t! Anyway this is the Magnificent 7

The debate

News is all about the election broadcast last night between the seven big scones. It kind of ended up as the three ladies socking it to the Wastemonster three with UKipNige throwing wee tantrums in the background. There was Natgreen (sounded like she would like her scones barbecued). LibNick (not sure what to do about scones). UKipNige (only English scones, please).  RedEd (any jam as long as it’s red). YakidaaLeanne (likes Welsh scones). NatNic (makes her own Scottish scones) and of course PoshDave (never had a scone without jam and cream). Anyway it was all quite civilised, UKipNige came close to throwing all his foreign scones out of the pram a couple of times. One very eloquent lady in the audience, Victoria,(haven’t heard the last of her), gave posh Dave a hard time about soldiers sleeping on the street.

Who won? Goodness knows! I am sure the London based press i.e. almost all the press, will declare for PoshDave. However NatNic managed to pull off the amazing feat of increasing her party membership by over 1500 in the course of the debate. Don’t know if any of the others came close to that. Maybe their memberships were going in the opposite direction?

Perhaps predictably The National came out for NatNic and Scottish scones …

The Nationalbut we were really surprised to find The Times agreeing. Mind you I think they ran a completely different story in the English edition. Two faced or what?.

The Times

 

 

 

 

 

Jam and cream

Lord Ashcroft’s latest poll also shows that NatNic and the SNP would win a third of  seats if they stood in England??  Extraordinary times indeed. Anyway off to Englandshire tomorrow to do some scone testing in the deep south. Will UKipNige be right about English scones being the best? Will there be more jam and cream the further south we go? You will, of course be first to hear the findings.