Category Archives: Top

These are the best scones we have found so far.

The Robin’s Nest

What a find this turned out to be. We have been coming up this road for years and Taynuilt is not a place we have ever stopped. Until now! Having left Oban with the express purpose of finding a scone on the way home we had been disappointed by several places that either didn’t do scones or were closed. So we were happy to see the sign for the Robin’s Nest Tearoom and decided to give it a try.

Taynuilt is actually bigger than we imagined with quite a few houses tucked away off the main road. Robins Nest04This is an old established tearoom. It has existed in various guises though e.g. a doctors surgery, at various points in its history. When we arrived it was very busy and it did not take us long to find out why .. it is a little lost treasure. Now Taynuilt folks will dispute that it is lost but it has certainly been lost to us as we have driven past many times not realising it was there.

Wifi

It is a little bit of a throwback with nothing pretentious or flashy and we got the feeling that they just specialised in what we would call “good old fashioned service’ with lots of local arts and crafts and commuRobins Nest01nity information. When we asked if they had wifi the answer was “oh no”. Somehow that response seemed perfectly fitting. In spite of this however we did manage to discover that we were to get a fifth granddaughter in January. That news may have made us look at the place through slightly rose tinted glasses .

The basket case

Unfortunately, even rose tinted glasses can’t help with the media. It’s full of stories about Scotland’s economy  being a complete basket case. Totally unable to sustain itself without the beneficence of  England. Does it ever occur to those making the argument that if it were true , which it patently is not, then presumably that state of affairs must have been brought about by the very Union that they feverishly seek to preserve. It does make you wonder at their logic.

However, everything in the Robin’s Nest was rosy and logical. Our scones were fantastic and so was everything else .. great place.

PA35 1JE               tel: 01866 822429         The Robin’s Nest

The Puffer Bar

The tiny island of Easdale once had a population of over 500, all of whom were employed in the slate mining industry. Slate was exported as far as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. However, the last slate was cut in the 1950s and most of the houses are now holiday homes with a steady population of around 60. Easdale island lies off another island, Seil, but you can reach Seil via the Bridge over the Atlantic.

Part of the large village green at Easdale
Part of the large village green at Easdale

There is no bridge to Easdale however so to get there from Seil you have to press two buttons simultaneously on the jetty at Ellenabeich village. This summons the little ferry boat which only takes a couple of minutes to do the crossing. Once on Easdale the whole island is car free so peace and quiet reigns supreme. Just the sound of the sea and the birds, what a great place for kids to play. However this idyll is broken every September when hordes of enthusiasts descend on the place for the annual World Stone Skimming Championships. The competition takes place in one of the old quarries. A scone at the Puffer Bar, Easdale

You have the choice of one pub, the Puffer Bar and Restaurant, take it or leave it. Luckily it is a wee gem. On a wonderful warm day like this it was like a little bit of heaven. Especially with our homebaked scones and homemade jam. Ours was bramble and lime. The scones were wonderfully light and the tea delicious. As we sit here we read that the new euro is to be printed on Greece proof paper. This really does seem like another world.

View from Ellenabeich towards Mull and the ferry terminal on the left.
View from Ellenabeich towards Mull and the ferry terminal on the left.

PA34 4TB         tel: 01852 300022     www.pufferbar.com

The Pierhouse Hotel

We stopped off at Port Appin for a break and of course the Pierhouse Hotel is the place to go for any kind of refreshment. It is a beautiful spot with the little ferry running back and forth to the Isle of Lismore. There is always something going on .. though in a peaceful kind of way. With so many horrendous things going on all over the world this little oasis on the west coast of Scotland seems like it is on another planet. A place where everything is just fine. Grexit, Syria, Tunisia are all far far away.

And yet, even here, little niggles creep in. They tell us that Scotland cannot survive on its own. That we take more than we give to the Union. So why oh why does the party that refuses to subsidise a disabled person’s spare bedroom so desperately want to continue subsidising a whole nation. Perplexing if it wasn’t actually the other way round! A scone at the Pierhouse Hotel, AppinYou will be happy to hear that this conundrum did little to disturb the relaxed atmosphere on the shores of Loch Linnhe. Our scones were fantastic and came with lots of jam and cream,  and a big pot of coffee. The Pierhouse is a few miles off the main road but is well worth the detour. It has a superb seafood restaurant with beautiful views over the loch towards Castle Stalker, Lismore and beyond .. the place just oozes quality.

PA38 4DE     tel: 01631 730302      www.pierhousehotel.co.uk

Roman Camp Country Hotel

It is perhaps fitting that with just one day left before polling starts in the General Election that we find ourselves on the edge of the Roman Empire. Here in Callander the Roman Camp Country Hotel reminds us of the fact that this was about as far as the Romans got before they gave up with troublesome Scots. From here they retreated south where things were easier to manage. Like the Romans many UK unionist politicians are currently wondering if they should do the same. The conservatives may do better than predicted and if they manage to retain power I will have to concur with Aneurin Bevan when he asked. “How can wealth persuade poverty to use its political freedom to keep wealth in power?”

Sycophants and flatterers

Anyway this close to polling it would seem unlikely that a scone blog will change the outcome substantially.  However, another recent and troubling phenomena has been the arrival of a Royal baby. Internal view at the Roman Camp Hotel in Callander Very nice and all that, but the near hysteria it has created is worrying. 120 years ago, when King Edward VIII was born, Keir Hardie said “From childhood onwards this boy will be surrounded by sycophants and flatterers and will be taught to believe himself as of a superior creation”. I fear the same fate awaits baby Charlotte .. and her big brother.

Sitting, cocooned by a roaring fire in one of the Roman Camp’s sumptuous sitting rooms you could easily forget about all such matters and just sit back and watch the rain thrashing down outside. This is a lovely place and they boast quite openly, and as it happens quite justifiably, about their afternoon teas. Afternoon tea at the Roman Camp Hotel in CallanderThey serve it slightly differently … in courses. Most places serve everything at once so this was a welcome variation.

Our first course was a Haggis Bon Bon. Sounds unlikely but it was delicious. Second course was all the savouries. A range of sandwiches, sausage rolls, quiche, gougére .. delicious. The sweet stuff followed in the third course. Cupcakes, panna cotta, drizzle cake, tiffin, meringues .. delicious. All done at a very leisurely and relaxed pace over a couple of hours with as much tea or coffee as you wanted.

How to start the day

The scones were perfect, light and fluffy, and definitely get ‘topscone’ status, no problem. There was both fruit and a plain each accompanied by plenty jam and cream. A scone at the Roman Camp Hotel in CallanderThe fruit one was packed full of goodies and was particularly yummy. All in all this was a wonderful experience and, given half a chance, we would definitely go back for more of the same .. first class. We will leave you with this little piece of advice (don’t know who to attribute it to but hope they don’t mind) prior to the election results being announced.

  • How To Start The Day
  • Open a new file on your computer
  • Name it ‘David Cameron’.
  • Send it to the recycle bin
  • Empty the recycle bin.
  • Your PC will ask “Do you want to get rid of David Cameron?”
  • Firmly click ‘Yes’.
  • Feel better

FK17 8BG         tel: 01877 330003          Roman Camp

Ackergill Tower

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.

Make sure that as and when you find yourself with any such symptoms then you are the real hero for your female partner so you will have to care of her happiness and sorrows. cialis discount canada In TMC practice, the leaves of Horny Goat weed is rich in natural substances called flavonoids that affect multiple organ systems in the body. cialis österreich A Cheap Erectile Dysfunction Vacuum Therapy available in India is huge and valued at over 100Cr and not surprisingly upto 80% is bagged by sildenafil online purchase with Pfizer simply managing a meagre share. cialis is greatly useful for men suffering from erectile dysfunction and have small penis. An erection is a complex process between the brain and purchase cheap cialis http://djpaulkom.tv/6ix-commandments-chopped-up-tripped-out-skrewed-releases-on-itunes/ the male reproductive system.

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

Dan’s scones

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.

Orange Pekoe

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

Fonab Castle Hotel

 

External view at Fonab Castle, Pitlochry

Pitlochry is a huge tourist destination and has lots of good hotels. Fonab Castle Hotel is definitely at the boutique end of the market. We have stayed here before and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. The service, the decor, the setting. In fact everything you would expect from a 3 rosette AA 5 star hotel. It also has recently added a very fine Spa facility which you might want to try. Especially if you have overindulged in the scone department. Believe us, it is very easily done.

This time we were here for a champagne dinner (as you do) and if that was not indulgent enough, we managed to squeeze in a cream tea in the afternoon. A scone at Fonab Castle, PitlochryWe have long thought that the Fonab might actually produce the best scones in the world but, of course,  these things require constant checking. We were not to be disappointed. Beautifully served and presented with crisp white linen napkins, clotted cream and a variety of jams. The scones were to die for .. light and fluffy, melt in the mouth. How do they do it?               Internal view at Fonab Castle, Pitlochry

Later, at dinner we had an opportunity to ask the head chef Paul Burns what the secret ingredient was. And he actually told us! ‘Happiness in the kitchen’, brilliant, definitely going to try some of that. As you might expect Fonab Castle is not the cheapest place to go for a scone, it is about £11.00 for a cream tea but you do get first class service, beautiful presentation, two fabulous scones, beautiful views of Loch Faskally and as much tea or coffee as you can drink. You should definitely try it.

PH16 5ND         Tel: 01796 470140   www.fonabcastlehotel.com

Useful link: what to do in Pitlochry

Ardanaiseig Hotel

It is not every day you drive 13 miles down a dead end single track road .. for a scone. Especially when neither of us were feeling great with flu still hanging on both of us. Was it worth all the effort? You bet! Greeted by Catherine and some very welcoming staff we were soon seated in front of a blazing log fire in the bar. Before long our scones were brought to us. They were toasted (wonderful touch) and with little jars of cream and jam, fantastic, what more could you ask for? Especially when you are not feeling one hundred percent.Scones at Ardanaiseig Hotel

And all excellent value considering the fabulous surroundings and the stupendous location.

Scones by the fire and fabulous view towards Ben Lui with a crannog in the foreground this scone experience could easily make it into our ‘top scones’ category.

View from Ardanaiseig Hotel

Ardanaiseig (pronounced (ar-den-ass-ay) was built in 1834 by Colonel James Archibald Campbell when the journey was not a 13 mile drive on a single track road but one on horseback. They obviously thought it was worth it, and we agree. If you do make it you should also have a look at the huge oil painting in the dining room. The current owner (Bennie Gray, antique dealer) had it modified because he did not know anyone in the original. There are other similarly adapted paintings dotted around the corridors.

Large painting at Ardanaiseig Hotel
Mick, Ringo, Rod, Brian and even Kissinger are featured.

PA35 1HE           tel: 01866 833333         www.ardanaiseig.com

Palmerston’s Coffee Shop

If you find yourself in Dunkeld on a wet March day and a bit tired of walking round the town you could do a lot worse than pop into Palmerston’s Coffee Shop on the main street. Palmerston's Coffe Shop champion jam certificateIt’s small and welcoming with a wonderful display of homemade jams which have been super successful in the World Jampionships over recent years. A scone at Palmerston's Coffe Shop, DunkeldWe had the raspberry and nectarine and it was not difficult to see why it had been such a hit.

Also, each table had a note with the wifi password .. great! Wish everywhere did this rather than tediously having to ask.
A scone at Palmerston's Coffee ShopScones are a little bit different. They are obviously baked in a large round then quartered to give a sort of triangular end result. They were light and airy with generous amounts of fruit and we could have had plain or even a rock bun. Served with a little bowl of clotted cream we thought it was great value for money. Come to think of it, it does not have to be a wet March day. Anytime would be good for Palmerston’s Coffee Shop.

And if you like fiddle music this is the place to come. Neil Gow was born here in 1727 and quickly became renowned as one of the best fiddle players in the land. He is commemorated today with the Neil Gow Festival which is held annually in the town.

PH8 0AJ                  tel: 01350 727231                    Palmerstons

///evidently.footpath.proceeds

Useful link: things-to-do-in-dunkeld