Category Archives: foreign

foreign, Ordinary, Scones

The Coffee Pot

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External view of Bootleggers in Hopeman
Bootleggers in Hopeman

Since our previous post from The Royal Oak in Cullen we have been to Hopeman, a seaside village next to Burghead. When we are in Burghead we particularly enjoy the Bothy Bistro, one of the best restaurants we know. Now they have opened a new venue in Hopeman called Bootleggers and, although it is still a work in progress, we wanted to see it. It’s a beach cafe so you have to park at the harbour and walk along the beach to get to it. It’s still something of a building site but we do recommend you try and go there if you are in the vicinity, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately we couldn’t hang about because we had to get home so this post is from the Coffee Pot in Dufftown.

High Street, Dufftown
Dufftown
No excuses

In Dufftown there’s a saying – Where Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown was built on seven stills. The stills in question are Mortlach, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Dufftown, Glendullan and Kininvie. Another three: Convalmore, Parkmore and Pittyvaich are not producing at the moment. The town’s six working distilleries account for more than 10% of Scotland’s whisky production. Pat’s bound to find something here!

The Coffee Pot seemed to the only place open so in we went. The wee lass who came to serve us looked as if she would rather be anywhere else but here. Not even a hint of a smile. We asked what kind of scones they had. She replied ” plain, charry, cheese”. We said “what?” She repeated what she had just said. Then we realised  it was our fault for not being fluent in Dufftownspeak.  ‘Charry’ was actually ‘cherry’.  We opted for a cheese and a plain.Internal view of the Coffee Pot, Dufftown

The cafe recently made headlines because it was bought by a nineteen year old local girl, Chloe. She had worked there for several years and when it came up for sale she bought it. A scone at the Coffee Pot, DufftownWell done Chloe, a big step but good luck with it all. It’s definitely a ‘no frills’ kind of place but we think it could do with a few more frills. The decor just makes it look fairly spartan so hopefully she will do something to make it a bit more cheery. The scones were okay at best … a bit ‘no frills’ as well. Maybe our server was just having a bad day but we really hope she brightens up soon.

The Watchers

To get home we decided to take the notorious A939 from Tomintoul to Cockbridge. It is billed as one of Scotland’s great and most dangerous drives. Every year without fail it is the first to get blocked with snow. Since the temperature was about 25C we reckoned it would be safe enough. It’s a great road. Soon we came to the Watchers a sculpture which mimics many of the prehistoric standing stones in this part of the world. The Watchers at CorgarffThey are actually made of folded sheets of steel that form a cowal with a seat to provide shelter from the elements as well as a fantastic view over Corgarff Castle.

Corgarff Castle
Corgarff Castle in among the heather

The castle was built in 1530 and burned down a few times before eventually being used to suppress the illegal traffic in whisky. Did we mention that Dufftown had quite a few distilleries and that it would difficult not to buy some there? Well, she did … woohoo! Finlaggan whisky labelI am now the proud owner of a bottle of Finlaggan whisky. Appropriate because my middle name is McDonald and Finlaggan, on the Isle of Islay, is the seat of clan Donald, Lords of the Isles! Problem … it appears to be prone to evaporation because the level has gone down quite a bit in the short time I’ve had it.

Home

We continued home at the end of our time away on very ordinary undangerous roads. It’s been great!

AB55 4AB     01340 820246      Coffee Pot FB

///renovated.edicts.decency

PS: Now you’ve all heard of Oberon, the King of the Fairies. Well the other day we heard from our Bathurst correspondents who were actually in Oberon, a village about a three hour drive from Sydney. Turns out that many years ago they befriended a Vietnamese girl called Quit (pronounced Whoot, as in soot). We think Quit (pronounced as in quit) should be Boris’s new name. Anyway Quit has just opened  Café Oberon so they decided to visit.External view of Cafe Oberon

This is in spite of the the pretty half of our correspondents having broken her leg … that’s dedication. We wish her a speedy recovery. 

They report that their scone was excellent.Well done QuitA scone at Cafe Oberon

Pronunciation

On the subject of pronunciation they also report as follows:

“On the subject you raised recently regarding the pronunciation of “scone”, I can advise that the town so named to the north of us is pronounced like “phone”. Some hoity-toity people in our part of the world also pronounce the edible version the same way.  Not us, of course.

PS – your last post featuring Speyside Coffee shows a picture of The Sydney Harbour Bridge on the packet. What is the connection , if any. Perhaps it is the bridge in Newcastle which rumour has it, was a trial of the design of our SHB”.

Coffee at Speyside Coffee RoastersWe are happy to report that the bridge in question is in fact the Spey Viaduct only a few hundred meters from the cafe in Garmouth.

130 Oberon St, Oberon NSW 2787, Australia

foreign, Ordinary, Scones

The Scotch Tea House

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As you know from our previous post, Café 66, we have been following the swallows in their southerly migration. Unlike us, however, they probably managed to avoid French rail strikes.  As they continued blithely onwards to South Africa we had to contend with the vagaries of continental travel.

A sign in the toilet at the Scotch Tea House in Nice, France
No jeter in the toilet

As the officials kept telling us, the strike was a ‘surprise’, only announced overnight so there was nothing much they could do The answer to most of our questions was a gallic style shrug of the shoulders. There were a few trains running but no one seemed to know which ones. The French seem to accept such things fairly philosophically. And, in any case, they are fortunate to have Macron to blame for everything.

To cut a long story short we eventually arrived at my sister’s place about five hours late. The swallows were probably in South Africa by then. Never mind, we received a welcome like no other so all our inconveniences were immediately forgotten.

The carpet in the Scotch Tea House in Nice, France
The Tea House carpet

To make matters worse it was raining. It was raining a lot … a monsoon. It was warmer rain than we get in Scotland, however. Six years since we were last in Nice so there was much catching up to do and new things to see. My sister was keen that we see the new tram system which was still under construction on our previous visit. Also the new Coulée Verte, a beautiful green corridor that runs through the centre of the town. It’s a place for people to walk and take their ease.

Of course, France like the rest of the EU, is pretty much a scone free zone. A bit of a desert to sconeys like us. There are may culinary things France is famous for but scones isn’t one of them. However as we wandered through the Coulée Verte what should we spy in the distance … the Scotch Tea House! Was it  possible that a scone, a beacon of genteel civility, might exist in such a place?

Internal view of the Scotch Tea House in Nice, FranceWe entered into a cool dark wood paneled interior that must have given many delicate Victorian ladies refuge from the midday sun. It didn’t look as if it had changed much in the intervening years. And, sacre bleu, they had scones! This was indeed unexpected. We had thought that we would be scone free until our return to the UK. Once we had chosen our tea from the tea menu it wasn’t long before our scones arrived … toasted? No one had asked if we wanted them toasted, that’s just the way they came.

A scone at the Scotch Tea House in Nice, France
Presumably all scones come ready toasted in France

In spite of there being lashings of cream in some of the cakes on display, there was none for scones, c’est la vie. There was a selection of jam and a little pack of French butter … just like you get in the UK!?  The scones were different, not unpleasant – just different. They had a fairly dry even texture which may have been partly due to the toasting. We enjoyed them but thought they fell well short of a topscone. Good enough for a top ‘French scone’. though. Bravo, the Scotch Tea House, good attempt!

The menu in the Scotch Tea House in Nice, France
Specialités Anglaises’, a tad odd for a Scotch Tea House

One of the benefits of being here is that we are almost devoid of Brexit news. Suffice to say, the French are just as perplexed as the UK on the whole sorry fiasco. We may have to all learn the gallic shrug of the shoulders accompanied with a “Quels imbéciles!”External view of the Scotch Tea House in Nice, France

06000 Nice      tel: +33 4 93 87 75 62        Scotch Tea House TA

///eternity.trout.shrimp

foreign, Scones, Uncategorized

The Lemon Tree – Mijas

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Remember our Trossachs correspondents? We haven’t heard from them in a while but that does not mean a lack of discipline on their part. They have been diligent in their scone searches, however, a recent visit to Sri Lanka simply did not yield any finds. In order to understand the mess the world is in you have to realise that many countries do not benefit from the civilising effect of scones. They are scone deserts! Okay, okay, what about the the UK, we hear you cry? We know … it’s simply inexplicable that a scone rich country like the UK should find itself in such a perilous state. Perhaps it should be compulsory for all politicians to have afternoon tea every day?

Snorters

Anyway our correspondents are on their travels yet again and have sent a comprehensive report which neatly fits into our recent run of nautical scones, albeit these ones are more ‘aeronautical’. It also provides a welcome distraction from Michael Gove’s confession to being a bit of a coke snorter. Is he trying to appear normal in some way?  Although he says he finished with Class A drugs more than twenty years ago it looks, to us, as if they are still having a profound effect today.

In our correspondents own words

Street view in Mijas, SpainGreetings from Mijas (pronounced Meehas) in sunny Spain, a long time favourite of ours. We love its narrow lanes, stunning flora, evening tranquillity and unspoilt ethnic nature and views over the Med. The licensed taxis are even donkeys. No skyscaper apartment blocks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger Houses or English Breakfasts here . So we thought!

Advert for scones at the Lemon Tree Café in Mijas, SpainOn previous visits to the Costa del Sol we have avoided the beach culture of the large resorts which has extremely limited our search for scones. Our only previous success when we visited Gibraltar and sampled scones of an inferior nature. Mijas has now presented us with a cultural dilemma. On our first evening we noticed The Lemon Tree – a new café type restaurant tucked into a corner of the Plaza de la Constitution and horror of all horrors it proudly advertised Full English Breakfast. However, we were partly consoled that they also offered cream tea for two at a very reasonable 6.95 Euros. Should we, shouldn’t we? This morning we yielded and after a brisk walk around the village and its old walls we headed towards the Lemon Tree to sample our first scones in Spain.

The place was mobbed but we managed to get the last outside seat and placed our order.
Scones at the Tree Café in Mijas, SpainIn the parlance of AllAboutTheScones, the scones were well presented with an accompanying pot of tea, strawberry jam and a tub of Rodda’s Cornish Cream. They were nice and warm, crisp on the outside, fluffy in the centre and surprisingly delicious – real candidates for Paterson Top Scone if the cream had been fresh. To be fair butter was an option. We’ll be back, but may sacrifice the scones for the Lemon drizzle cake with Ice cream!

NB we give Rodda’s Cornish Cream a hard time but only when it is served in Scotland. Scotland has plenty of its own cream. However, a Cornish Cream tea in southern Spain is obviously genuine so the use of Rodda’s is perfectly acceptable.

29650 Mijas              tel: Jan 634153256           Lemon Tree FB 

///second.thick.afflict

The Mango

External view of the Mango Café in Mijas, Spain Can Mijas be the scone capital of Spain? Fresh from the pleasures of the Lemon Tree we have found another gem, The Mango Café. It is hidden away in the corner of a courtyard. We enjoyed a cream tea which will sound familiar to you two Top Sconers. Not too big, warm, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy in the centre and served with real cream and home made strawberry jam. Absolutely delicious!!!A cream tea at the Mango Café in Mijas, Spain

Sincere thanks to our corespondents. Their admirable dedication and excellent reports have brought a ray of sunshine to the blog.

29650 Mijas      tel: +34 951 53 54 82           The Mango Café FB

///bashed.laying.flagged

foreign, Scones, Top

Hotel Montefiore Tel Aviv

Sea shells

תֵּל אָבִיב-יָ‎, that’s Hebrew for Tel Aviv and  تل أَبيب-يافا‎‎, that’s Arabic for the same thing but what else does Tel Aviv have other than two languages that are completely indecipherable to most of us? Well it’s famous for lots of things e.g. this is where Jonah set sail from before he was eventually swallowed by a fish. Interestingly, the city was established in 1909, by dividing up sea shells on a sand dune in a kind of lottery. One hundred and twenty shells were collected from the beach … sixty white and sixty grey. People’s names were written on the white shells and plot numbers were written on the grey shells. A boy drew names from one box of shells and a girl drew plot numbers from the second box … brilliant!

Grannies

Now, however, besides having a population of almost half a million people, it transpires, according to our Middle East correspondent, that Tel Aviv now has scones. Surely a measure of how far and how civilised it has come in a relatively short time. The Hotel Montefiore is the place in question. Our correspondent sets the scene:

“A sanctuary of peace in the centre of Tel Aviv? No seller’s cries? No TVs. No politicians arguing? No gunshots? No, none of that … just the occasional customer’s chuckle. The cafe was a real surprise….ochre interiors with subtle illumination and dark furnishings, palInternal view of the Hotel Montefiore, Tel Avivm trees and in the background I think I detected Paul Desmond’s sax. Nubile waitresses attired in elegant black summer dresses waving menus elaborated in the King’s English served the scones and poured the jasmine tea. We cannot deny that our appetites had already been whetted by reading those weekly experiences of our scone mentors in Scotland. The objects of our desire were delicious. Crunchy on the outside and softish inside with a few raisins. Squarish instead of roundish but the taste and consistency were just perfect. Even my Granny in Dublin would have enthused“.

Free scones

Given suchA scone at the Hotel Montefiore, Tel Aviv a wonderfully detailed and enthusiastic report as well as an endorsement from a Dublin granny, we feel we have no option but to award the Montefiore a topscone. Or, at least a topscone for a foreign scone! We also notice on the hotel’s website, for all you really keen sconeys already booking your flights to Tel Aviv, that: “Hotel Montefiore invites guests to unwind and enjoy a happy hour of expertly crafted cocktails along with complimentary scones, coffee and tea”. Go get ’em! Many thanks to all our correspondents for expanding our horizons so deliciously.

66 88 3 Israel    tel: +972 3 5646100   Hotel Montefiore

A white K6 in Hull
White K6, tweeted by Petroc Trelawny

K1 telephone box at Tintinhull
repro K1 in Sumerset

In our previous post we asked “what colour is a red telephone box?” Perhaps it was only to be expected that ‘the Pedant’ would respond. He forwarded a picture of an albino K6 located in Hull. What ever next? If anyone can spot a K1 we would be delighted to hear from you … photographic evidence please.

foreign, Scones, Top

The Shakespeare Hotel

This is a departure from our normal protocols because we think it is worthwhile giving you the full story of how scones were introduced to Lithuania. You will remember our Tyrolean correspondents sent us details of the first scones ever produced in Austria. Well this is another truly inspirational story of another successful colonisation.

Tartan Army

Just over a year ago our ever adventurous Trossachs correspondents visited Lithuania on holiday and searched high and low for scones. They sent a picture of the nearest thing they could get at café Kmyninė in Vilnius. However, it was only a mere approximation to any scone that you or I would recognise. This year, with a young apprentice in tow, they were back. This time as part of the Tartan Army supporting Scotland in their World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.

In their own words “the Shakespeare Hotel is a classy establishment where we enjoyed a couple of visits last year. At that time, during some banter with the staff, we bemoaned the lack of Lithuanian scones. Afternoon tea menu at the Shakespeare Hotel in Vilnius

This time, to our utter disbelief, the current notice board displayed a flyer for Afternoon Tea with among other delicacies FRUIT AND PLAIN SCONES with clotted cream and raspberry and mint jam. To our initial disappointment, we were asked if we had booked because they needed an hours notice. However, the kilts and a little bit of good old Scottish charm led to a quick consultation with the kitchen and the excellent news that the scones would only take half an hour”. Unfortunately they had to fill in time by sampling some of the local brews … oh dear! A scone at the Shakespeare Hotel in Vilnius

“The scones when they arrived were beautifully presented, on the small side and shaped more like marshmallows than scones but they were delicious – warm, crisp on the outside, incredibly light and the cream and jam worked to perfection. There was even an egg timer set to ensure the correct time for the tea to infuse”.

A first

Now this is indeed momentous stuff. Not only have our correspondents persuaded the Shakespeare Hotel to serve scones but, by all accounts,  they have done it extremely well. Because of this, and because of our correspondent’s growing expertise, and because the likelihood of us ever getting to Vilnius is extremely slim, we have decided that this should be the first topscone not judged by ourselves. Well done and congratulations to all concerned!

A K6 telephone box at the Portobello Bar in VilniusTo top things off they later went to the Portobello Irish pub where, lo and behold, sitting proudly in the entrance … a K6. Quite how these things find their way into all the neuks and crannies of the world is quite bewildering. Of course, the icing on the cake was a 3-0 win for Scotland. Oh, and news that the Rough Guides readers have voted Scotland as the most beautiful country in the world. However we all knew that!

Back to our correspondents. “No doubt, Lithuania is changing which may in part be due to the number of young Lithuanians able to come to Scotland and share our culture. As we enjoyed Lithuanian company, culture and friendship, the UK Government were again making fools of themselves in Brussels“. The Lithuanians definitely find Brexit hard to understand but then again, why wouldn’t they? We’re sure the vast majority of people in the UK find it equally difficult.A Brexit sign at the Portobello Bar in Vilnius

Vilnius 01124     tel: +370 5 266 5885      Shakespeare Hotel

foreign, Scones, Uncategorized

United Scones of America

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US sconesHooray,  our North American correspondents have been in touch … a photo of some American scones. Now we have to admit that we thought scones were a measure of a civilized, cultured society. So what on earth were they doing in the USA? The photo concentrates on Wegmans products (based in Rochester NY) which seems to be the Greggs of the US.

You would imagine that American scones would be slightly vulgar. At least three times the size of a good scone but these ones look fairly normal … though it’s quite hard to tell. If they haven’t gone ‘large’ then Wegmans, in typical American, ‘land of plenty’ style, certainly make up for it in variety. Maple walnut scones; organic cranberry scones; cinnamon scones; caramel toffee scones; chocolate chip scones; pumpkin scones; lemon poppy scones; coconut mac choc dip scones; orange cranberry scones; vanilla bean scones, to name but a few … phew!

At this point we would have liked to have launched into a diatribe about what a mess the US is in  and what a mess it makes of the whole world. However, we find the moral high ground at the moment, on this side of the pond, is not as nearly as high as it used to be. The UK cannot exactly stand up as a shining example of anything at the moment .. scones excepted. We have just got a new prime minister who absolutely nobody voted for and she has just announced her cabinet. What could possible go right? This morning we hear that Nice, where a large and much loved part of our family live, is in trouble.

Unbelievably, that confection called the Hotel Negresco, where we once spent a wonderful night of pampered luxury, has been converted into a makeshift hospital. It is catering for the numerous casualties of a terrorist atrocity. Can this be laid at the door of the US? We don’t know. However, the long awaited, detailed and forensic Chilcot Report, has exposed the US, ably assisted by the UK, as the bully boys of the world. So perhaps it can. When the US describes itself as the ‘land of plenty’, it’s just a pity it’s usually somebody else’s plenty. Many thanks to R&K for the photo, keep up the good work.

NY 14603-0844      Wegmans Food Market 

foreign, Scones, Uncategorized

Trakai Island Castle

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What are our Trossachs correspondents like?? A couple of weeks ago it was Gibraltar, then Stronachlachar and now, Vilnius, (we are prepared to bet that that is the first time these three places have ever been mentioned in a single sentence). We thought our own scone efforts were pretty good but this is definitely above and beyond. It all depends on the scones of course.

Searching for scones

Well, .. in spite of their best endeavours, scouring Vilnius from top to bottom, not a single scone was found … zilch. At one point they excitedly crossed the street because they had seen these in a café window. They turned out to be some sort of crème brûlée thingys. Easy mistake to make. Lithuania 04They did however come across signs of support for our own Nicola Sturgeon.

Did they give up? Not a bit of it. Undaunted, and taking inspiration from our Aussie correspondents who recently reported from Eilean Donan Castle, they elected to try and find an equivalent. And they did, about 20km west of Vilnius.  Trakai Island Castle on Lake Galvė, like Eilean Donan, is situated on an island and joined to the mainland by a bridge. It dates from the 14th century. After falling into serious disrepair it underwent a major reconstruction program which was only completed in the 1960s. Unfortunately, yet again there were no scones. There were, however, reminders of home.Lithuania 02b The Lithuanians have a haggis equivalent, vedarai, and seem happy to compare it to the genuine article.

Incomprehension

What of Lithuania itself and its people? We can do no better than quote directly from our correspondents report: “the very clear message here (Lithuania) is that all generations cannot understand how or why the UK voted for Brexit. They also know quite clearly that Scotland voted to Remain. This is a small country of just under 3 million, reveling in it’s independence and EU membership. Is everything perfect.? No, many of their young people are working in Scotland and sending money home.

However, they are confident about their future, have an education system where children are educated in Lithuanian and English and are generally very positive about being members of the enlarged European family. Lithuania 03We have experienced none of the xenophobic rhetoric of Farage, Gove and Co. We note that Gove has got his just deserts and that the UK will now have a woman as Prime Minister. Lithuania already has one and of course we have Nicola. Let’s hope that the UK does not repeat the last occasion we had a female Prime Minister. A model of whom we saw in a street market in Trakai today”.

Scotland and Lithuania

Once again we are indebted to our Trossachs correspondents in spite of the dearth of scones. It seems that Lithuania has much in common with Scotland. A high degree of national pride and a philosophy that foreigners are welcome and considered an asset. Of course Scotland has a vast array of riches compared with Lithuania, not just scones! Unbelievably though, Scotland, still has all it’s major decisions made by another country with very different interests? You can almost see the open-mouthed incredulous look on Lithuanian faces. They must think we are mad … or stupid, or both!

Lithuania       tel: +370 528 53946      Trakai Island Castle

BREAKING NEWS: Our correspondents, still in Lithuania, have decided that they are not going to find any Lithuanian scones comparable to our own. Lithuania 12However, they have managed to find a sort of scone equivalent in a café called Kmyninė just east of Vilnius city centre. Lithuania 10They were served by a lovely man and woman who have had the café for just over a year and made them feel very welcome.

Lithuanian scones

Once again quoting directly. “It is one of many great initiatives, we have experienced, where hard working young people are making a real fist of it in challenging circumstances. It is hard for us to comprehend how the poisonous narrative of the Brexit campaign managed to persuade the UK electorate that these fine young Europeans are a threat to our society and values. At least they know that they are welcome in Scotland”. Lithuania 11But what about the Lithuanian scones? Lithuania 08“There was no jam,cream or butter but these offerings were delicious. crisp on the outside, soft and tasty inside with a lovely nutty flavour. A bit like Ma Broon’s rock cakes”. So there you have it, another first for allaboutthescones.com. If in Vilnius and crave a scone, your best bet is to head to Kmyninė.

Vilnius        tel: +370 640 49042          Kmyninė Food & Groceries FB

foreign, Ordinary, Scones

Aragon Bar Gibraltar

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Every now and again, particularly if our flow of scone posts slows down a bit, we get a communiqué from one of our foreign correspondents. In this case the ‘foreign’ may be something of a misnomer since they are better know to all as our ‘Trossachs correspondents’. Needless to say, all our correspondents have a roving brief. Unsurprising then to find them straying far far away from Loch Ard. They are visiting one of the last vestiges of the Great British Empire … Gibraltar.

This is their story. A sign at the Aragon Bar, GibraltarAs most of you probably know, this ape covered Rock on the southernmost tip of Spain is more British than Britain. So after circumventing the Winston Churchill car park, passing by Morrisons, M&S and Costa Coffee, enveloped in the all-pervading smell of ‘English’ fish & chips. Then … as if to complete the picture, our intrepid travelers came on this startling sign. It pointed them up a steep hill to the Aragon, a typical “English” pub . We all know that no self respecting English pub would be without it’s scones.

A sign for the Aragon Bar, GibraltarAfter their uphill travails they were very much looking forward to some refreshment however the picture of Catherine of Aragon on the menu should have been a warning. Unbeknown to them she had already had a scone. If we can quote directly from the report “poor old Catherine’s face says itA scone at the Aragon Bar, Gibraltar all!! Losing her first husband and then marrying his wee brother who chucked her for Anne Boleyn she now has, as a testament, an establishment that sells hot doughy scones with synthetic cream and a carton of rather insipid jam”. ‘Nuff said.

The wonder of Gibraltar

The scone disappointment did not deter our reporters from digging into the background of Gibraltar and it’s weird British outpost status. Apparently it is the 3rd richest territory on the planet.  It has a per capita income of €53,000 and an unemployment rate of less than 2%. In contrast, the neighbouring province of Cadiz has a per capita income of less than €7,000 and unemployment of 40%. A third of the Rock’s income comes from tobacco sales and a further 25% from on-line gaming. Gibraltar is also an important financial centre with over 70,000 registered companies. What are the chances of most of them being registered there for reasons of tax avoidance. Answers on a post card. We now fully understand why eurosceptic, Liam Fox, was stressing the importance of Britain maintaining sovereignty over Gibraltar in the event of his desired Brexit.

is that Bojo?
is that Bojo?

So there you have it. Will the sun ever set on this last bastion of the Empire? Just when you thought Catherine had more than enough problems, she will now, forever, be associated with awful scones. Many thanks to our reporters … where next?

GX11 1AA        tel: 35020078855        The Aragon Bar TA

foreign, Ordinary, self-service

The Duke Restaurante

Now here’s a wee change; no it’s not Portobello, or Bournemouth,  it’s the view from the Duke restaurant in Palmanova, Majorca. Not that we have been there, mind you. Friends of ours were, however, and they Spain 02decided to keep us up to date with the Spanish scone situation. According to them it’s nothing to write home about but they thought they would anyway! The scone was okay, the cream was not up to much but just eating a scone in 35 degrees of heat was something of a heroic feat in itself. They did it for us Spain 01and the enlightenment of our readers .. such sacrifice! Spain 04

All peace and tranquility here, lying on the beach quaffing beer. In the far north of the country, however, the Catalan people have recently been trying to persuade the Madrid government that they should have some say in running their own affairs. Can you think of any similarities closer to home? They have been subjected to exactly the same extreme propaganda war that Scotland suffered during the 2014 referendum. However, no sooner had Catalan president Artur Mas guided his nationalist coalition to victory at Catalonia’s elections last Sunday night than a court in Madrid announced that Mas would face formal charges relating to civil disobedience and the ‘usurpation’ of Spanish constitutional powers.

Exotic

It’s not just the UK government that’s a bit slow on the uptake! Anyway many thanks to C&D for making this post more exotic than usual. Looking forward to the next holiday scone report!

07181 Palmanova       tel: 971108205      The Duke Restaurante TA