Tag Archives: David Cameron

Ordinary

So Strawberry Caffé

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The question is, what do you do when it is tipping it down with rain and blowing a chilly north wind? Go for a walk of course … well some of us do! Strawberry 07Those who read our previous post will know that, from time to time, we are prone to a spot of bird watching. Linlithgow Loch is as good a place as any to spot all sorts of water birds. And sometimes the occasional rarity. Not this day however; the birds, having more sense than us, had obviously run for shelter. Only a few coots and swans braving the elements along with our good selves.

Somewhat drookit, we eventually came round by the Palace and came across the recently unveiled statue of Mary Queen of Scots looking out over her former home. Not sure about it, what do you think? She was born in the Palace and, because her dad died, became Queen of Scotland when she was only six days old. She also became Queen of France when she was seventeen. Not bad going for a mere teenager. Of course many believe she should also have been Queen of England but that is a whole other story. At the end of the day, her main claim to fame comes through our Canadian niece whose two favourite women of all time are Mary Queen of Scots and Lady Gaga.

Happiness is homemade

By now you will have deduced where all this is leading .. a scone refuge! Slightly battered, but nevertheless invigorated, we found our way here to the So Strawberry Caffé in the town centre. Enticed inside by the banner ‘Happiness is Homemade’. Strawberry 08

By the time we had discarded all our wet stuff our scone was on the table in front of us (we had opted to share one because they were quite big, but mostly because Pat fancied their gingerbread). All their goodies are indeed home-baked. The scone was really nice with a slightly crunchy top and soft inside, just the way we like them. Loads of butter and jam .. no cream on offer, but sometimes you just have to make do! Life can be tough! Again it was a close run thing but unfortunately So Strawberry Caffé just missed out on a topscone award. You see how hard it is! The gingerbread was very good too.

Christmas is coming
Christmas is coming

So often, in places like this, the staff can be a bit on the surly side, but not here; all the young lasses  appeared to be enjoying their work … lending little festive adornments to the displays. They do something a little bit different here too. Miniature cakes for children .. very useful for frustrated parents trying hard not to overindulge their kids.

Strawberry 05

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masquerading

Today is St Andrew’s day which provides a convenient link between Scotland, France and Syria what with Mary’s french connections and Andrew being Syrian. The government seems hell bent on joining France in the bombing of Syria. Though it is extremely unclear how this will help. And not at all difficult to see how it could make matters much worse. Cameron is using the old “Britain must do the right thing” trick to make those opposed to the bombing appear to be doing the wrong thing.

Peter Ford, the former British ambassador to Syria says “if we are not careful we will stumble into the Syrian quagmire and the people of Britain, not David Cameron, will pay the price in blood” .. and he should know better than most! At times like these wouldn’t it be wonderful if  the government had an opposition worthy of the name rather than the shambles currently masquerading as the Labour party! At least So Strawberry Caffé doesn’t have to masquerade as anything other than a great wee café.

EH49 7EY        tel: 01506 843333       So Strawberry Caffé FB

Ordinary

Roasted and Toasted

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This place, Roasted and Toasted, came second in the Falkirk Herald’s  2015 cafe competition. Goodness knows what criterion they were using. It is one of these places we find intensely annoying. A family run business you desperately want to support but which is ignoring some business fundamentals.

Fundamentals
  • The coffee was tasteless .. like it had been watered down. Costa and Cafe Nero know their coffee and are both just a few meters away and packed out with customers. Go taste the difference.
  • Decor is what we would call ‘extreme bland’.
  • Lighting unimaginative. Not helped by the fact that about 40% of the lights had failed and not been replaced so adding to the overall slightly depressing atmosphere.
  • Lots of lifestyle messages that make you slightly nauseous e.g. “when it rains, look for rainbows” .. how about “in a coffee house look for a decent cup of coffee”!
  • Scones not homebaked.
  • Tables only seemed to be cleared when somebody needed them.
  • Not bothered to take the name of the previous occupants off their street canopy.

R&T 02

 

Now all this is a shame because the service is very friendly, hard working and generally trying  hard to please the customers. They asked if we wanted our scones heated in a microwave. Pat is firmly of the opinion that a microwave does scones no favours, so they offered to grill them .. nice touch. We previously had this done at Ardanasaig, and it was great, so we happily accepted the offer. Unfortunately it meant we had to wait ages and when they eventually came they had been heated in an oven rather than grilled .. but the thought was there and it was appreciated. R&T 03Sad though that they are putting in so much effort but ignoring some of the basics. With more attention to detail it could be transformed .. but then again it has been a pretty sad week.

EVEL
  • ‘Roasted and toasted’ could easily describe the current state of the Union after the poorly thought out EVEL (English Votes for English Laws) was successfully rushed through the Commons as a Standing Order. It hasn’t been done for constitutional reasons but rather for narrow political reasons. It means, for the first time since 1707, MPs are no longer equal. Of course, it has gone completely unreported by the BBC and most of the press.
  • One unelected head of state met another unelected head of state in a grotesque orgy of gold carriages, bearskin hats and obscene banquets in order to let all those using food banks how lucky they are. As a result of all this feting the Chinese will build a nuclear reactor for us. that is provided we pay double the going rate for electricity .. brilliant! The Chinese, of course, have a huge sovereign wealth fund second only to Norway. Just think .. if Scotland had become independent 30 years ago Cameron would be coming here with his begging bowl.
  • You may not have been worrying about this but it transpires that the Treason Felony Act 1848 has not been repealed after all. This act makes it a criminal offence, punishable by life imprisonment, to advocate abolition of the monarchy in print, even by peaceful means. The Ministry of Justice said that it had been repealed but then admitted that it hadn’t .. oops!

Roasted and Toasted can ignore all this, of course, they have more urgent matters to attend to.

FK1 1EY         tel: 01324 629117       Roasted and Toasted FB

Ordinary, Scones

Deacon’s House Café

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  • Deacon Brodie was an Edinburgh cabinet maker in the mid 18th century and was by all accounts an interesting character. Respectable tradesman and City councillor by day and burglar by night. Logo at Deacon's House CaféThe Deacon’s House Café is situated in what was once his workshop. It has plenty of olde worlde charm to satisfy the legions of tourists who must pass through here. After all they have trudged up the Royal Mile with its plethora of cashmere and souvenier shops, seeking some sustenance .. maybe even a scone. A scone at Deacon's House CaféOn offer were plain and fruit as well as apple and cinnamon scones which they advertise as ‘fresh baked’,. However, we found them very disappointing .. too big, too hard and too tasteless. Unfortunately there were a number of things that made this place feel slightly unwelcoming:
  1. • no credit cards of any kind taken in spite of it being in one of Scotland’s busiest tourist areas • orders have to be placed and paid for at the counter before they bring it to your table; if it’s busy this entails a long wait •  toilets are on the other side of the close and an access code is required • no wifi that we could find • service could best be described as ‘adequate’. Interior view at Deacon's House Café, Edinburgh

Overall you got the feeling that, because there was a constant stream of tourists coming through the door, they did not have to try too hard. Unfortunately it showed.

Brodie’s double life eventually caught up with him and although he ran away to the continent he was caught in Holland and returned. He was hanged in 1788 before a crowd of 40,000 in the High Street. That must have been a good day out.

Crowdfunding

Parallels can be drawn between Brodie and Scotland’s only Lib Dem MP, Alistair Carmichael. He, you will remember, covertly released a memo which besmirched the First Minister by accusing her of being a David Hameron supporter. Only after the General Election did he own up.  By that time, of course, he had narrowly held on to his seat in Shetland. Four of his own constituents thought that he would not have won had the electorate known he was a liar and decided to take him to court. Of course they could not afford the immense costs. Hallelujah, all the costs were met by crowdfunding. See the connection to Brodie?

#CarmichaelMustGo

Perhaps  40,000 people all contributing a couple of quid in order to get justice .. a modern day hanging. The case was not expected to succeed because according to the LibDems “all MPs lie”. However, the court has decided that there is a case to answer and Carmichael will probably have to testify. Today, Carmichael must feel a bit like Deacon Brodie. #CarmichaelMustGo.

teapot display
teapot display

EH1 2PS        tel: 0131 226 1894         Deacon’s House Café

Ordinary, Scones

Farmer’s Den

On a day like today, when it has been noted that all the traits that made David Cameron a successful politician have failed to make him a decent human being, it is reassuring to be here at Briarlands Farm and the Farmers Den. Children play on giant inflated pillows without a care in the world. It is a working farm doing all the usual farming stuff but has diversified into a kind of children’s adventure centre based around farm activities. Animals to feed, tractors to ride, strawberries to pick, go-carts to go and lots of other things to keep them busy and enjoying themselves.Briarlands 06 Briarlands 01

The café area is called The Farmer’s Den and it is ideal for families. A play area for toddlers and a gift shop for the adults. You have to pay to go to the outside attractions. Depending on the size of your party, it could work out quite expensive. Definitely worth it though to have your kids amused for the best part of the day.

Squeals of pleasure

Unsurprisingly it was just a scone and a coffee we were after. Perhaps equally unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a good honest hearty farm sized scone. Briarlands 05The strawberry jam was of course made with their very own strawberries. Not sure if it was their own cream, but there was plenty of that too. We had a great time going round just looking at all that was on offer. If you just want a quiet scone, however, then this probably isn’t the place to come. It must get a bit frenetic when there are loads of kids playing .. squeals of pleasure and cries of delight. Sounds that are totally absent from some areas of the world where kiddies suffer immeasurably and have no facilities like this at all.

FK9 4UP          tel: 01786 841309               Briarlands Farm

Ordinary, Scones

JamJar Café

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Bridge of Allan is the kind of Belgravia of central Scotland. A favourite hangout for the well off to live and play so there are lots of hotels, cafés, bars etc. Today we decided to stop off at the JamJar Café.  A nice day though not quite warm enough to sit outside on their pavement patio area. Inside though it is toasty no matter what the weather. A couple of big log burning stoves blazing away all day. It has the atmosphere of a well run but relaxed bistro and you can get pretty much anything you want from Sunday lunch to a snack. Internal view at the Jamjar Café, Bridge of Allan

Needless to say we were after the scones so I got my usual fruit one and Pat got a savoury cheese one. Since our last post, of course, the election has come and gone .. and what an election. The media are having a field day trying to figure out what happened with the loss of three party leaders within as many hours. Scotland, typically some might say, has gone off on its own in a direction almost diametrically opposed to England. It managed to get PoshDave returned with an overall majority thus proving that polls are not worth the paper they are written on.

Again typically, Scotland seems to be getting blamed for all the ensuing problems. Bringing down Labour , bringing down LibDems and, for all I know, bringing down UKIP. Though I’m not sure that could actually be classified as a problem. NastyNige bleating on about his 4 million votes being worth only one seat whereas the SNP’s 1.5 million  votes gets them 56 seats. Of course, conveniently forgetting that the SNP only stood in 59 seats compared to over 600 for UKIP.

Statistics

However, the most interesting statistic to emerge was the one that determined that if every single voter in Scotland had voted Labour (or any other party) it would not have made the slightest difference to the result. That for me encapsulates ‘the Scottish problem’. When it comes to voting, Scotland may as well not bother. Except maybe this time with virtually the whole country turning yellow, it might be different. Emphasis on ‘might’.

Anyway PoshDave and his classmates can pretty well do as they want now but I suspect that most of England will not be happy with the results. That, along with the EU, the Union, and him being unpopular within his own party, may turn out to be the least of his problems. “He’s gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside his sole” as Christina Perri would say. A scone at the Jamjar Café, Bridge of AllanIt will be fascinating to see how it all pans out.

Meanwhile the scones in the JamJar Café were consumed with varying degrees of indifference. Pat didn’t finish her cheese one and although I finished both of mine (I got two because they said that they were a little bit small but they probably just wanted rid of them) it was only because I was peckish. They did not seem fresh and certainly not produced on the day.

Daughters of Bridge of Allan

Everything else looks good in the JamJar, and it’s busy so they are obviously not depending on their scones. On the plus side log burning stoves are great. The service was efficient if not overly friendly. The daughters of Bridge of Allan are probably forced to work here so they can experience ‘the real world’. No passwords for the wifi, it is just there, brill! So why is the website so useless?

FK9 4HR      tel: 01786 831616      www.jamjarcafe.co.uk

Scones, Top

Roman Camp Country Hotel

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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

Ordinary, Scones

McTears Auctioneers

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.McTears is one of many well run auction houses in Scotland. One which we use on a fairly regular basis. This time we had to go through and pick up a bottle of whisky and a sextant (don’t ask) that had been bought on line. It is always good fun at auctions but even just visiting can be interesting. Lots of stuff going on and lots of interesting people. By the time we had paid for and acquired all our goodies it was scone time and it just so happens that McTears have a great wee café serving hungry antique hunters.

Broken teeth

We were served by a very friendly lady who soon had us fixed up. When I asked if the scones were home baked she shrieked “if I had baked them you would have to go to the dentist  to get your broken teeth mended”! Such honesty! So no home baking here but then again you come here to buy antiques not scones.  A scone at McTears Auctioneers

Last night there was the three leaders debate on BBCQT. Normally these things are notable for their lack of excitement and, to some extent, this one was no exception. PoshDave maintained his track record by telling a whole load of half truths as well as some blatant lies. LibNick maintained his track record by not saying anything. RedEd, as well as stumbling off the podium (that will be the headlines) seemed to say that he would prefer that PoshDave carried on in power rather than him do a deal with the vile NatNic.

Coming from a Labour leader that is quite extraordinary. Perhaps explains why, in Scotland, RedEd’s party is known as the RedTories. Poor old Keir Hardie is spinning in his grave. As it happened the scones were okay, exactly what you would tend to expect from bought-in. No dental damage whatsoever!

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

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.