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These are the best scones we have found so far.

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Another Tilly Tearoom

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Logo of Another Tilly TearoomWhen 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. Fireplace in Another Tilly TearoomShe 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. 

A scone at Another Tilly TearoomLunch 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.Internal view of Another 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! Try Praying sign in Dunblane

FK15 0ER     tel: 01786 823968        Another Tilly FB

///growth.alienated.odds

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Potting Shed Revisited

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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.

Internal view of the Potting Shed BistroBack 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.

Scones at the Potting Shed BistroWe 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!External view of the Potting Shed Bistro

Fighting talk

Rum advice at the Potting Shed BistroThe 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

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Dakota Edinburgh

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It’s ten years since we were last here. Back then we were staying here for our daughter’s wedding which was held at nearby Hopetoun House. This time we were just on our way to the airport to do a pick-up. From the outside Dakota Edinburgh looks like a rather austere black box but inside it’s opulent interior tells a completely different story.

Internal view of Dakota Hotel
the Bar/Grille

It’s the creation of Ken McCulloch and his wife, interior designer Amanda Rosa. In the past they have been responsible for such iconic places as One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow, the Columbus Hotel in Monaco and the Malmaison hotel group.

A shaggy dog sculpture at Dakota Hotel
This  had us fooled for a minute. Just a life size ornament!

More recently they made the first  Dakota Deluxe Hotel in Glasgow and now there are three in Scotland and two in England. Why Dakota? The name was inspired by the revolution that took place after the first flight of the Dakota airliner between New York and Chicago in 1936. It provided sophisticated style and impeccable service at prices people could afford. That’s what this place is all about. But could they provide a half decent scone? That was the question on everyone’s lips. Okay, maybe not everyone!

It all kicked off beautifully when they came to explain that their scones were all made to order so it might take a wee while. No problem, we weren’t going anywhere and we had to get rid of a light lunch in the meantime. A scone at Dakota HotelWhen they did arrive it was all presented as you would expect at the Dakota. A little bowl of clotted cream, an individually wrapped pat of butter and a pot of jam for each scone.  But, of course, it’s all in the tasting. No disappointments here, they were delicious. Lovely and warm with that slightly crunchy exterior we are so fond of. No hesitation … topscone!

What would they give?

Sometimes on our scone adventures it makes us ponder on how fortunate we are. While we sit here in the lap of luxury there are fathers loading their families into tiny rubber boats to try and sail across the Channel. Families at the Belarus/Polish border that have travelled from the Middle East and Africa in search of a better life and are left freezing and hungry. Unable to go forwards or backwards. It’s hellish. By comparison we lead completely charmed lives. Do we feel guilty? Not personally but it’s hard to escape the fact that our wonderful Britain has usually played a major role in creating the misery from which these poor folks are trying to escape. What would they give for a scone at Dakota?Internal view of Dakota Hotel

Discretionary?

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Dakota Edinburgh even though it’s not exactly the cheapest … £13 for two coffees and two scones. The only downside came when a 10% ‘discretionary’ service charge was added to the bill. A candle at Dakota HotelPresumably because it’s ‘discretionary’ you can ask for it to be removed but how many people do that? There’s a note at the bottom of the bill saying it will be passed on to the staff. Is this an admission that they don’t pay the staff enough? The service we received was excellent but we would prefer they didn’t do it this way. Just saying! But then we remember, with our charmed lives, that we actually have absolutely nothing to complain about.

EH30 9QZ        tel: 0131 319 3690      Dakota Hotel

///lifts.kind.unlocking

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Fletcher’s

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Well, we have barely recovered from the tarts at the Original Maids of Honour in London and here we are back in Scotland doing a bit of scone foraging. We are at Fletcher’s in Stirling for afternoon tea. The first thing you notice is the building itself. It’s impressive for a restaurant but when you learn that it was originally the Bank of Scotland it starts to make sense. Most of the banks had very expensive elaborate buildings at one time but now they have almost all been given over to pubs and coffee shops. A sign of the times perhaps. Some people lament this change however not having been in a bank for more than thirty years  we are at least partly to blame.  That said, we have been in quite a few old bank buildings but for scones. In our eyes this is progres!Internal view of Fletchers

Anyway this is a family run business and has only been going for a year or so. Previously it was called Cook’s. It has seven bedrooms and a seventy cover restaurant so it’s no small affair. 

A long way to come

A glass of bubbles set us up nicely for whatever was to follow. It all came rather nicely presented in a traditional cake stand bedecked in flowers …. nice touch. Afternoon tea at FletchersYou all know by now that we aren’t fans of big scones in an afternoon tea. By the time you’ve eaten the sandwiches a couple of large scones is the last thing you need. We needn’t have worried, the scones were some of the smallest we have ever come across. Needless to say everything was first class and the scones had a superb crunchiness which we like. Even the cream, the ubiquitous Rhodda’s was very nice though it would have been nice if it had been a little more local than Cornwall. Hey, is this not what they are going on about in COP26? Transporting stuff for hundreds or even thousands of miles for no good reason.Scones at Fletchers

Scandal

This is the last day of COP26. World leaders have come and gone. Grandiose statements have been made but little real progress has been made. Scotland lost part of its soil – officially designated UN territory for the duration of the event. The UK also made a shocking discovery. Not only does it have a blithering idiot as its PM but a corrupt blithering idiot to boot. Was anyone surprised? The Tory scandals surrounding Owen Paterson and Geoffrey Cox have diverted attention from COP26 to the point where the PM had to stand up in front of 196 countries and deny that the UK was corrupt … brilliant!

A highland cow at Fletchers
hair by Boris

Anyway, in spite of our cream having come a long long way to land on our scones, Fletcher’s got a well deserved topscone.  Great to see a bank being used for something worthwhile.

 

FK8 2DT      tel: 01786 478297       Fletcher’s

///boxer.amount.latest

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Newens, The Original Maids of Honour

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Now, if anyone thinks there is anything such as a benign dictatorship, think again. You only have to look back to Henry VIII to see what can happen. While these desperados creat havoc and destroy people’s lives they also have sycophants fawning over them for fear of losing their own position … or even their heads. This innocent little tale of a scone from Newens, The Original Maids of Honour in Kew will help illustrate the point and educate those of you who are not already familiar with tarts.

We are in London for a combined wedding anniversary/house warming party … it was quite a bash! After everything had calmed down we thought we should take a couple of our granddaughters and educate them in the art of scone and tart appreciation. Internal view of Newens Original Maids of Honour, KewNewens was only a couple of short bus rides away but when the children related their adventure later, it was 750 buses.

High Tea

Cakes at Newens Original Maids of Honour, Kew
If Henry VIII had walked in it would definitely have been “off with their heads”

First impressions are very definitely of a genteel quintessentially English tearoom. A sort of hang out for blue rinse ladies and probably not the best sort of environment for a pair of scallywags. We ordered ‘high tea’ for two at £18 per person. It turned out to be more like what we would call ‘afternoon tea’ at home. We are in the madness they call London so perhaps such things are to be expected. More than that they also had ‘The Special Taster Set Tea‘  at £35 per person, the Champagne Set Tea, the Prosecco Set Tea, the Savoury Set Tea as well as the Maids of Honour Afternoon Tea. Gosh, we may have to go back! So what is all this Maids of Honour stuff anyway?

HR departments

For that we have to return to Henry VIII. Apparently when he was married to Anne Boleyn he walked in one day to find Anne and her maids of honour tucking in to some little tarts that one of the maids had baked. He tasted one and found it so delicious he decided they should be made exclusively for him. So instead of chopping Anne’s head off right away and promoting the maid to wife … or even Queen, he imprisoned the maid so that she could bake tarts just for him. The recipe was locked away in an iron box in Richmond Palace. Anne’s head would have to wait a while until it could be detached. Heads of HR departments all over the world may be squirming at the moment however Henry would doubtless have topped them as well.

Choosing cakes at Newens Original Maids of Honour, Kew
difficult choices

Eclair truffle and tart

One of the features of our High Tea was that you had to go next door to the bakery shop and pick your preferred cake. One of our young granddaughters chose a chocolate eclair and the other a chocolate truffle. I of course had to have the Maids of Honour tart. Before all that, of course, there was the sandwiches and scones. All washed down with as much tea as you could drink. As expected, it was all very good. The scones were deliciously soft, not crunchy like we usually prefer but somehow they were still good enough for our top award.

And what of the Maids of Honour tarts? Well, obviously the recipe has escaped from its strongbox in the Palace and somehow found its way to Newens. We hope we are not putting ourselves at risk by disclosing it here though Newens still keep their recipe secret. They are delectable little crisp puff pastry wonders with a filling of squidgy cheese and lemon curd. Fan-dabby-dozy … we could easily understand why Henry got a bit carried away!Old staff photo at Newens Original Maids of Honour, Kew

COP26

We wonder what Henry VIII would make of the COP26 summit starting today in Glasgow. It stands for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties and will see over 400 private jets flying in as well as all all the other flights. They will produce more climate warming gas than the whole of Scotland in a year. Not an auspicious start. Well known climate sceptic Boris, or should it be Borax, will be there blabbering away pretending to be a dyed in the wool greenie. Over 190 countries will be represented though not the host country. Scotland not invited … ask Borax! With all the disruption it’s causing they better come up with something worthwhile but it may take Henry with his great big axe to concentrate minds!

TW9 3DU     tel: 020 8940 2752    Newens Bakery

///supply.strain.liked

 

 

 

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Vera Artisan Bakery

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Logo of Vera Artisan BakeryThe Laird got in touch to say that Vera Artisan Bakery in Stirling might be worth a visit. The Laird (full title Laird of Dumyat) is an avid sconey and the only member of the aristocracy willing to lower himself to our level so we value his judgement. Internal view of Vera Artisan Bakery

Display case at Vera Artisan Bakery
Pies and cakes all made here

The first thing you notice walking into Vera Artisan bakery is that it is quite small, only three tables. But you also notice its light bright interior and the two large display cabinets full of little wonders. And you don’t have to be here very long however before you notice something else … it’s a happy place!

Toasted
our server at Vera Artisan Bakery
our happy server

There’s great cheerful banter between the staff working behind the counter in the bakery itself and those out front serving the likes of us. These days when lots of places get swallowed up by large multinationals, it’s delightful to come across a small independent and apparently thriving  enterprise like this. We decided to share some lunch and do the same with a fruit scone for afters.  Everything was great but then it came to the scone. “Would we care for it to be toasted?” Why not? It duly appeared, toasty warm and accompanied with nice wee pots of jam and cream.

My dad used to say sarcastically of some of my mum’s baking efforts “It won’t need pegging down”. Well this scone almost needed pegging down,  it was so light. Overall, very nice indeed.A scone at Vera Artisan Bakery

After no deliberation at all we decided to award a top scone. Well done Vera Artisan Bakery. This place could be described as small, beautiful, happy and independent … words that could be describing Scotland in a few years time?

We feel there is something odd going on in government and the media at the moment. Surprise, surprise we hear you say! In spite of an abundance of supply problems, no-one seems willing to mention Brexit as a possible cause. They cast around looking for reasons for staffing shortages but seem allergic to using the ‘B’ word. Very strange, like it’s a taboo word.

Britain is also the only country in western Europe to have decreasing exports over the past year. Must be the weather! Anyway as long as places like Vera continue to thrive, we’ll be okay. Many thanks to the Laird for the heads-up.

FK8 1NA         tel: 07928 140636       Vera Artisan 

///jelly.sings.oppose

A scone in Cheadleps Our newly appointed Cheshire correspondents sent this picture of their scone at John Lewis in Cheadle Royal shopping centre in Greater Manchester. Apart from a comment saying it was ‘delightful’ there was no further information.  They are rookies after all so we have to make allowances. Many thanks, great first effort!

///pardon.grit.fell

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Nithbank House

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.We’re away for a few days … hurrah! These days it’s not that easy to find a hotel or B&B with availability because everywhere in Scotland seems to be fully booked.  The COVID staycation phenomenum  has seen loads of people coming here from other parts of the UK … and who can blame them? Many will have visited for the first time so hopefully the staycation will become a regular thing rather than the usual jetting off to foreign parts. We did, however, find Nithbank House which had a room free for a couple of days … bingo!

Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig Castle
The Chamberlain

Driving down Nithsdale we stopped off at Drumlanrig Castle for a bit of a nosey. It looks like it could house a small army but actually only two folk live there, The Duke and Duchess of Bucchleuch and Queensberry. Drumlanrig’s 90,000 acres forms only a relatively minor part of the 280,000 acres the Duke owns in Scotland. It’s good to know he has done nothing, apart from being born, to merit such vast wealth. It transpired though that Nithbank House was built in the 1790s by the 4th Duke as accommodation for his Chamberlain … a kind of estate factor. And, would you believe it, we were going to be staying in the Chamberlain’s Quarters!  

View from Nithbank
the view from our scone over the river Nith and Nithsdale
Shallow or shallow

The house has a magnificent location looking out over Nithsdale. In the blurb it says that everyone is welcomed with warm scones. Now we don’t want you to think that we are shallow enough to be enticed by such frivolous inducements … okay, okay we are! It is run by Melanie and John, two very warm and friendly people, and when we arrived Melanie said we could have our scones in our room, the lounge or outside. We opted for outside and within a few minutes we were sitting in the sun admiring the view.

External view of Nithbank
Pat limbering up for a scone

The beauty of the view was only bettered by the arrival of our scones. Wow, this is how scones should be presented!Scones at Nithbank

There were two treacle scones and two fruit ones. Nice little dishes of cream and jam as well as one full of finely cut strawberries. Everything was homemade. Unfortunately one of the treacle scones could have done with another minute in the oven however the rest were fabulous. Given the setting, the presentation, the service and the scones themselves we decided that one slightly undercooked scone could be overlooked … easy topscone. Well done Melanie and John!

The power of love
Internal view of Nithbank
A Rembrandt at Nithsdale House. Drumlanrig Castle thinks it has the original.

In such a romantic setting you can’t help. but think back to 1715 and the love between the Earl of Nithsdale and his wife, Lady Winifred. For his part in the Jacobite Uprising he had been found guilty of treason and thrown in The Tower of London to await his execution. Lady Nithsdale rode to London in deep snow accompanied only by a maid. She visited the Earl and together they hatched a daring escape plan. Elaborate and extremely dangerous but it worked. They escaped to Italy where they spent the rest of their lives probably reminiscing about Scotland and Nithsdale. They’d have sympathised with the folks currently having to flee Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Today is the first day in two decades that Afghanistan has not been occupied by foreign troops … cause for celebration in itself! It remains to be seen how things will pan out with the Taliban. Strangely though, at the moment they seem to be only ones talking any sense. In future Afghanistan will be ruled by a handful of men who think they know what is good for everyone else. However, we all know what that feels like! With talk of kalashnikovs and burkhas, Nithbank seems like it’s on another planet. Planet Nithbank for us!

Logo of Nithbank

DG3 5AP      tel: 07823 773211     Nithbank Country Estate

///sonic.puppy.automatic

 

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Crail Harbour Gallery & Tearoom revisited

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Salt and pepper pot at the Harbour Gallery CafeLast time we were in the Crail Harbour Gallery & Tearoom was way back in 2018. We hadn’t heard of COVID, Boris was just a joke rather than an elected joke. These were halcyon days! Never mind here we are in 2021 and at least we have the unaccustomed freedom to travel about the country. We are grateful for small mercies such as this. Crail village is picturesque, a favourite among artists. And probably has the most photographed harbour in Scotland. So it’s not entirely surprising that we were drawn back here.

A typical street in Crail
typical Crail street
Much bigger keep please

Last time, we told you the story of the wee boy who had misbehaved back in the 1600s and was thrown in the keep at Balcomie Castle to teach him a lesson. He starved to death because everyone forgot he was there. Tragic but then we wondered who we would like to throw into a keep, The list was so long we decide we would need a bigger keep. Three years later the list has got even bigger. Not only do we have Johnson, Gove, Rees-Mogg and the likes, we now have Cummings, Hancock and most of the DUP, and many more. Much bigger keep please!

View of Crail Harbour
The Crail Harbour Gallery and Tearoom is to the right of this picture with blue shutters

We are very pleased to report that the smoked haddock still adorns the Tolbooth weather vane rather than the traditional cockerel … only in Crail!  After a few purchases at the Pottery we were ready for some lunch and a scone. The tearoom is still run by artist DS Mackie who fills the space with her own works. Internal view of the Harbour Gallery CafeLike last time, we elected to sit outside and take in the panoramic views over the Firth of Forth to the distant Isle of May. A short boat trip will take you there. The puffins and razorbills have no fear and you can just sit down beside them. It’s great!Outside tables at the Harbour Gallery Cafe

Sacrifice, sacrifice!

We were very well looked after by a gentleman who definitely wasn’t local … probably French we thought judging by the accent, the beret and the string of onions round his neck. Just kidding about the beret … and the onions! Our lunch was excellent and the scone came very well presented. Sitting in the sun thinking about puffins, eating scones helped down by some great coffee wasn’t easy. Honestly, the things we do for our readers! The tearoom isn’t big and does very well to maintain all the COVID rules and regulations. Back in 2018 the tearoom just missed out on our topscone award so we were very happy to rectify that this time around. 

​A Crail Pottery flowerpot with some Nepeta bought in CeresIn case you’re wondering what we bought at the Pottery, it was just a couple of little wall hanging pots. The plant is the nepeta we bought by chucking money down a chute in Ceres in our previous post. It’s rather nice don’t you think and well worth its 50p cost?

Character

Crail harbour today still supports a few fishing boats but in the past it was at the centre of a bustling trade with Holland and the Low Countries.

A small door in Crail
Folk must have been smaller in the past

Sailing ships would take produce from Crail and return loaded with pantiles as ballast. This gave the East Neuk of Fife its particular character. The orange pantile roofs and the architecture just reek of Dutch influence. That, of course, was when we could trade freely with Europe, something we have just recently lost due to the imbecilic Boris and his merry band of eejits.

Who was first?

The trade with Europe in the 18th century probably gave rise to a ‘nouveau riche’ which in turn resulted in Crail now claiming to have the very first ever golf course in 1786. This may, of course be disputed by neighbouring St Andrews which prides itself as ‘The Home of Golf’. Continuing the sporty theme, last night in the Euros,  England saw off Ukraine in some style with a 4-0 win. Great, however, we are dreading the next unbearable week of infantile speculative rambling about the next semi-final game with Denmark. Keep it in England please … we have scones to eat and puffins to think about!

KY10 3SU         tel: 01333 451896           Harbour Gallery 

PS Also came across this post box while wandering round the village … made in Falkirk!A Carron made post box in Crail

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Rhubarb Lime Coffee Shop

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Many many months ago, the Laird got in touch to say that the Rhubarb Lime Coffee Shop in the village of  Kippen was worthy of investigation. Needless to say, COVID made that impossible until now. The Laird of course is the self-styled Laird of Dumyat (Dum-eye-at), a hill that provides an impressive backdrop to the City of Stirling. As it happens, self-styling in this neck of the woods is a tradition that goes back quite a long way.Logo of Rhubarb Lime Coffee House

Lost dinner

Back in the early 16th century King James V of Scotland (Mary Queen of Scots’ dad) was resident at Stirling Castle. When travelling outwith the castle he usually adopted the more low key guise of “The Guid Man o’ Ballengeich”. One day he dispatched a party of men to hunt for deer at Gartmore. On their return journey they were attacked and relieved of their venison by a band of men led by John Buchanan … the self-styled King of Kippen.  When Buchanan was informed the venison was for the King, he said “He may be King of Scotland but I am King of Kippen“. When the men returned empty handed and told James the story he was not a happy bunny.

Lessons

He assembled some men and rode to Buchanan’s palace at Arnprior where he was refused entry. The guard saying that his master was at his dinner and was not to be disturbed.  James replied, “Tell your master, the Guid Man o’ Ballengeich humbly requests an audience with the King of Kippen“. Buchanan guessed the identity of the Guid Man and received His Majesty appropriately. They became great friends and thereafter the King of Kippen was always welcomed as a brother sovereign  at the Royal Court. We tell you this story because we think it may hold valuable lessons for the Vladimirs, Borises and Joes of this rather fractious world.

Poster at Rhubarb Lime Coffee HouseAnyway let’s get to the scones. Rhubarb Lime, run by Shona and Greg,  is a small place but it packs a lot in. It must be a bit of a hub for the village. Besides being a cafe it also sells a good range of groceries and a great range of mostly Italian wines. My brother had joined us to experience at first hand his first real scone adventure. We decided to sit outside where we could witness village life as it happened. On the opposite side of the street was the butcher’s shop … appropriately named “Skinner of Kippen”. The service was very friendly and we were soon wonderfully sorted with some excellent lunch followed by plain scones … no fruit scones left!

Adventures

 Shona had made them earlier in the day so suffice to say, the scones were excellent. The best we have tasted in a long time. A scone at Rhubarb Lime Coffee HouseNicely presented with ample clotted cream and raspberry jam. They were just how we like them, lovely and soft with that slightly crunchy exterior. A very easy topscone. Before we left, Pat and I bought some wine. But my brother, still high on adrenalin from the adventure, lost all sense of self control and bought more than a dozen bottles of his favourite Primitivo.

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Wine at Rhubarb Lime Coffee HouseWe were surprised to find such a good range of wine in a pretty wee village like this. But perhaps we shouldn’t have been? Back in 1891 a descendent of the King of Kippen planted a vine which ended up as the biggest in the world covering 460 m2 and four large greenhouses. Unfortunately in 1964 it was cut down by yet another descendent so Greg has to source his wine  directly from Italy. Apparently cuttings from the original vine (Gros Colman variety) are still flourishing in greenhouses all over the village and the surrounding area, so the old vine lives on.

Sour cherry jam at Rhubarb Lime Coffee HouseWill Team Scotland live on in the European Football Championships? That’s the big question! So far they have maintained that age old tradition of losing magnificently … 2-0 against the Czech Republic. At the end of this week Scotland will be confronted by the old enemy, England. We don’t actually care who wins … and we wrote that with a straight face believe it or not? Okay, you don’t!

Traditions need to be maintained. Many thanks to the Laird, both Kings and Rhubarb Lime from the Lord and Lady of Scones!

FK8 3DN      tel: 01786 870077        Rhubarb Lime

///brief.reader.blatantly

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Rufflets

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Logo of Rufflets HotelOh dear, what do you do when you have a birthday girl on your hands and you are in lockdown? You can’t go out to buy presents, in fact you can’t go anywhere! But, wait a sec! We can now travel to anywhere in Scotland … it’s official. Okay, they would rather you didn’t but I go back to my original quandary. Suffice to say we are here in St Andrews at Rufflets having done what seemed like a massive road trip to get here. We actually drove for more than an hour … first time in living memory! Okay that’s not that long given our combined memories general state of decrepitude. It did seem like a road trip though … quite thrilling! Anyway, we were having a few days roughing it here at Rufflets. Don’t worry it’s not actually that rough.

Jute

Rufflets was built in 1924 by a local jute baron. In fact, nearby Dundee was once the jute capital of the world. Nowadays most people have never heard of the stuff but back in the good old Empire days we  pilfered loads of the stufExternal view of Rufflets Hotelf from impoverished Bangladeshis. Never mind, with a new Royal Yacht on order, Britain will surely rule the waves once again and go around the globe poking its nose in where it’s not wanted. Or maybe it’s just for Boris and his extensive family to go on holiday with the Rees Moggs? As long as the scones are as good as they were on Britannia we don’t mind,

Rejuvenation

When Rufflets was a private home it must have been magnificent in its ten acres of gardens but since 1952 it has been a hotel and run by the same family ever since.

Pat in the garden at Rufflets Hotel
She didn’t fall in

After all this time in lockdown you can’t beat a few days of pampering and wandering round these beautiful grounds to feel rejuvenated … like COVID had never actually happened. Having to wear a mask when moving around inside the hotel was the only reminder.

Pat in the garden at Rufflets Hotel
The birthday girl desperately trying to act responsibly

We spent a day going round St Andrews. It’s a lovely place but my goodness we hadn’t seen so many people in a long long time. It was busy, busy, busy! Scotland is now in Level One which means that things are almost back to normal but rules about masks and social distancing still apply. Overall, however, the atmosphere is much more relaxed than it’s been for a long time.

Rather than have a scone in town we headed back to Rufflets to see what their scones were like. And, of course, you would also like to know as well, wouldn’t you!

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At last, Scottish jam

Scones at Rufflets HotelWhen the weather is like it is, where better to do some intensive sconology but on the Rufflets terrace. Unsurprisingly perhaps the service was impeccable. We didn’t think it appropriate to ask for cream and sure enough the scones arrived with everything a discerning sconologist  would expect. Starched and ironed linen napkins,  a bowl of clotted cream and Galloway Lodge jam from Gatehouse-of-Fleet. What’s not to like?The scones themselves were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, just the way we like them. Again, unsurprisingly we gave them a topscone.Happy girls at Rufflets

Sitting here eating beautiful scones in the beautiful sunshine on a beautiful terrace in a beautiful garden with a beautiful girl, one felt slightly detached from the real world. It’s okay now though …  we’re back!

KY16 9TX         tel: 01334 472594          Rufflets Hotel

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PS: You all know our Australian Bathurst correspondents by now. Together with the New South Welshman they have kept us abreast of sconological events down under for the past couple of years. When it has been difficult to go on scone adventures in the UK they have provided us with invaluable additional posts. However, you probably don’t know that part of their family lives here in Scotland.  

The past couple of years have been particularly difficult for them since they have been unable to visit their grandchildren due to COVID. Their daughter lives only a mile or so away from Rufflets with her husband and two daughters. We hadn’t met them before but decided to just barge in and introduce ourselves. What an absolute pleasure that turned out to be! They are the warmest kindest people … obviously something to do with the stock they come from!Rebecca and Dave at the Tavern I even had my first post-lockdown pint of Guinness  in the Tavern at Strathkinness (pronounced Strathkinis I was reliably informed by a chap at the bar).

Wishful thinking

Anyway our stay at Rufflets has come to an end. We have emerged back into the real world to find that the G7 have found a way to get large multinationals to pay their fair share of tax. After years of saying its couldn’t be done it only took a couple of hours over dinner to get it sorted.  Brilliant, maybe if the G7 had a scone on the terrace here at Rufflets they could sort out a whole lot more pressing global problems?