Tag Archives: Donald Trump

Ordinary, Scones

The Catstrand

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catstrand-06For our return trip from Kirkcudbright we thought we should try and see some red kites on the side of Loch Ken where, because of the Red Kite Trail, there is every likelihood of seeing them. As we approached the top end of the loch, however, we had almost given up hope, when just about Kenmure Castle, we had no less than eight kites wheeling about above us … marvellous sight! In the last post about The Solway Tide Tearoom, we talked of the difficulty of picking the right side and the stark ruins of Kenmure Castle are yet another reminder of precisely that. In 1716, in the Tower of London, Viscount Kenmure paid the ultimate price for his support of the Jacobites and that pretty much signalled the end of the once powerful Gordons of Lochinvar.

Integrity

These days you don’t tend to lose your head simply for supporting the wrong side. Especially if you simply pret

Piture of an art exhibit at The Catstrand in New Galloway
‘Deep Blue Sea’ by Jenny Edwards – acrylic on driftwood

end you didn’t! Mitt Romney, who picked Clinton and said that Trump was akin to the devil is now in line to be Secretary of State in Trump’s administration. What happened to integrity?

Daesh and crazy politics

Mind you, just when you thought politics could not get any more surreal on this side of the pond, Tony Blair is threatening a return to politics with his honchos, Jim Murphy and George Osborne. Apparently because he thinks today’s politicians are too weak. They may be right about today’s politicians but they also have a  very tenuous grasp on reality. Blair’s ‘strong’ politics managed to provide us with nothing less that Daesh. In the modern world of crazy politics however … who knows, they might actually do it?

Picture of café interior at The Catstrand in New Galloway

About a mile or so north of Kenmure Castle we came to the pretty little village of New Galloway. And it was sconetime! At this time of year many places are closed for the season but The Catstrand is an option we would probably have picked anyway. We have been here before and knew it to be good. Little villages like New Galloway, Moniaive and Thornhill sit prettily in their beautiful surroundings and give you the impression that they are a bit sleepy and nothing much ever happens. The Catstrand, however, proves that to be a complete myth. Piture of a scone at The Catstrand in New GallowayThere’s a shop, a cinema, a concert hall, a bar, an art gallery .. oh, and a café!

Baked by the young chap behind the counter every morning, our scones did not disappoint. Lovely jam but unfortunately, once again, the only downside was the seemingly ubiquitous Rhodda’s cornish cream. Nothing specifically wrong with that. When you are in the heart of Scotland’s dairy country, however, why go all the way to Cornwall for cream? The answer is, of course, that it keeps for ever .. but still!

The Grump

Pat thought we should stay for the cinema which was showing The Grump which, for some reason or other, she thought I would enjoy … I disagreed!

Picture of mural in the garden interior at The Catstrand in New Galloway
Mural in the garden of the Catstrand

DG7 3RN             tel: 01644 420374               The Catstrand

Ordinary, Scones

The Solway Tide Tearoom

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Before you say it, yes, we are off galavanting … again! This time we are in Kirkcudbright to inspect a new bell-mouth on a forestry road … exciting! It really would take too long to explain! Being forced to travel down this way, however, is no great hardship. Quite the opposite in fact, especially on a beautiful day like today. It is a wonderful part of the country, overlooked by many as they speed up and down the M74. In 1931 Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer and poet wrote the immortal words:

If he can say as you can
Guinness is good for you
How grand to be a Toucan
Just think what Toucan do

said “In Kirkcudbright one either fishes or paints” and, believe it or not, that is still as true today as it was then. It’s not known as ‘The Artist’s Town’ for nothing. Many artists have made their homes here and it has art galleries aplenty. Picture of fishing boats at Kirkcudbright harbourIt also never ceases to amaze us that Kirkcudbright supports a flourishing fishing industry. Still plying it’s trade from the harbour … four miles from the sea!

Anyway, after a fairly lengthy drive, squinting into the low winter sun, some sort of refreshment was definitely called for. It looked like The Solway Tide Tearoom might do the job. We have been here before but always in the summer when you can sit out in the back garden. Internal view of the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightAlthough the sun was shining brightly it was not exactly sitting-out weather so this was our first ‘sit-in’, so to speak. The interior is okay but has a slightly tired look about it.

La confiture

A bit like our waitress … welcoming but in a rather low key Scottish way that could be completely missed by your average tourist. Picture of a scone at the Solway Tide tearoom in KirkcudbrightCombined with ‘music to slit your wrists to’ by Jim Reeves , the atmosphere could never be described as jolly or vibrant. The scones however were pretty good, plenty fruit and plenty cream. Plenty jam as well but it had come all the way from France? Places like this are largely dependent on the summer tourist industry so we can never understand the decision not to use local produce. We are pretty sure the tourists won’t understand it either. Even the ones from France!

Equally we cannot understand putting the wifi password up on a noticeboard without the name of the provider. It becomes a process of elimination where you have to try them all. Not a bad scone but not the best scone experience we have had. Much better when you can sit in the garden.

Picture of MacLellan's castle at Kirkcudbright harbour
MacLellan’s Castle

Towering over The Solway Tide Tearoom is the magnificent ruin of the 16th century, MacLellan’s Castle. Sir Thomas MacLellan built it using the stones from a convent which he demolished. It never saw any action so the purpose seems to have been simply to show off his own power and importance. The Trump Tower of it’s day. There were many battles in Scotland and Ireland in which the MacLellans had difficulty picking the right side. With the family fortunes sorely depleted, they eventually ended up as lowly glovers in Edinburgh.

Calexit

Picking the right side has not got any easier with the passage of time. Now that Trump has promised to make the USA great again, California wants to leave (Calexit) more in a protest against the electoral system than anything else. With an economy bigger than that of France they are seriously miffed that, having backed Clinton, they never get what they vote for. Scotland knows exactly how you feel California!

We were amazed to see what looked like flooding down by the harbour. It turned out to be high tides caused by the recent ‘big moons’. One of the local fisherman we spoke to was totally unfazed “och aye, we’ve had them going right into the Post Office”! Only in Kirkcudbright? The bell-mouth was perfect by the way.

Picture of high tide at Kirkcudbright harbour
Very high tides down by the harbour

DG6 4HZ            tel: 01557 330735             The Solway Tide Café

Scones, Top

Granny Annie Mays

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Who wants to talk about Donald Trump … no, had enough? Okay, no Trump! In my rugby playing days I used to come to Kirriemuir a lot … for ‘The Ball‘, at least in song. A song so politically incorrect we can almost hear Trump singing it. Sorry, no Trump!! We are here to visit friends at Hamilton Kerr Photography and to see an exhibition of Maureen Crosbie’s Gallus Glass at the Bank Street Gallery.  It was an evening exhibition so there was plenty time for a cuppa and a scone. Where to go in Kirrie? Granny Annie Mays of course!

Named after the granny of the current owner Karen, granny Annie May taught her everything there is to know about everything. Baking in particular. That’s what grannies do, isn’t it? It’s a great wee place and everything is home baked, presumably according to granny’s instructions. The Hamilton Kerr folks have lived and run their business in ‘the wee red toon’ for a few years  now. They are very much considered ‘locals’. Problem with that is that the scones quickly become secondary to being introduced and shaking hands with everyone who came into the café. Half the population of the town. Picture of a scone at Granny Annie Mays, Kirriemuir

In spite of all the distractions though we think that Granny Annie May would be right proud of the scones we received. Beautifully warmed, light and soft, as if they were just out of the oven … topscone. Well done Karen and the rest of the team.

Delphine

The Bank Street Gallery had a fantastic exhibition of Gallus Glass’s leaded artworks. It was a struggle to buy anything though because, over a few glasses of wine, we were introduced to the other half of the population! Eventually however we managed to buy a piece called ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ which, appropriately for me, featured an old photographic negative embedded in the glass.

Piece of stained glass by Maureen Crosbie of Gallus Glass, Kirriemuir
Arsenic and Old Lace – negative and positive

When we got home, by the wonders of modern technology, we manged to make the negative, positive and thus were able to see what this lady actually looked like. Rather beautiful and slightly wistful. Like she had a story to tell. It could have been an image of Granny Annie May but Maureen  told us the negatives were of French origin. We have christened her Delphine after a young art critic friend who is also French. Apologies Maureen for messing with your art but we just had to see what she looked like. We are delighted with our purchase!

Trump’s good bit

Kirriemuir, of course, is where Peter Pan was born, at least his creator was, so it’s a place of fabulous fantasy. The sort of place in which we feel Trump would be right at home. We said we wouldn’t mention him but how could we not? Trump has landed the Presidency by whatever means and now the world has to try and figure out how to deal with him. There’s lots of doom and gloom around but there is also a single dazzling ray of hope … his granny!

Mary MacLeod, was a gaelic speaking woman who lived all her life on the Isle of Lewis. She died aged 96 in the same place she was born. We think she would have been gentle and wise … and probably made some great scones!  Picture of logo at Granny Annie Mays, KirriemuirLet’s hope that Scottish bit of The Donald’s character comes to the fore in the months and years to come. We drove home in the dark from Kirriemuir with that warm fuzzy feeling you get from meeting lots of cheery folk making you feel extremely welcome. When it comes to foreign affairs, if Trump can recreate a fraction of Kirrie’s community spirit he will make us and Tinkerbell very proud. Don’t hold your breath!

DD8 4EG    tel: 07840 392005    Granny Annie Mays TA

Scones

Café Gandolfi

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Believe it or not this restaurant, Café Gandolfi, derived it’s named from a camera. The famous plate camera made for 120 years by Louis Gandolfi and his family in London.

Gandolfi cameras

And believe or not, at the risk of appearing much much more ancient than I actually am, I did all of my training at Napier College in Edinburgh using these cameras. It wasn’t that long ago … honest!

Picture of a 5"x4" Gandolfi plate camera
Gandolfi 5″x4″ plate camera

At the time, PhotoShop had not even been thought of so all converging verticals and other distortions had to be corrected using camera movements. And heaven help you if you got it wrong by a few millimetres. You were sent back out again until you got it right!

When I see the ease with which photographs are taken nowadays, even I can hardly believe that this is what we used to use. Complete with a dark cloth over the head so that you could see the upside-down 5″x4″ image on the ground glass. Seems like another world. Recently we dropped in on a photographer friend at Wildgrass Studios near Lix Toll and imagine my surprise when he said “Bill, I have to let you see my new camera“. I expected the latest digital whizbang thingy but instead he dragged out a huge box from which he proudly produced an old 10″x12” plate camera. And  he uses it to produce stunning images that he sells online … brilliant!

As a plooky youth I did not really appreciate the fabulous workmanship in these hand crafted items and usually lusted after the all-metal MPP or Sinar equivalents … oh, the foolishness of youth!

Photographers and scones
Picture of stained glass at Café Gandolfi
one of Gandolfi’s stained glass pieces
Picture of artwork at Café Gandolfi
not the angel of the north – part of a permanent exhibit

Another photographer, Iain Mackenzie, who hailed from the Isle of Lewis, did appreciate them however. In 1979 he decided to start up a restaurant in the old Merchant City, a very run down part of Glasgow at that time. He opted to call it Café Gandolfi. Presumably to reflect the fine craftmanship he hoped to reproduce with his uniquely Scottish food. With it he introduced the first cappuccino machine to Glasgow. It gave the city a taste of the flourishing café society it enjoys today.

We were slightly fearful that such a trendsetting place would find scones a wee bit mundane. Our fears were groundless. We were told that scones were available upstairs in Bar Gandolfi. So up we went! This is a relatively new addition but it is very much in the Gandolfi style. They normally have lots of art on display but unfortunately we visited in the few days between their monthly exhibitions.

Not to worry we were looking forward to our Gandolfi scones … and when they arrived we were not disappointed. They were just the way we like them, crunchy outside and soft in the middle. Picture of a scone at Café GandolfiThere was no cream but the jam and butter more than made up for that. After much deliberation, however, we decided that they just missed out on topscone. But only by a very fine whisker, pity! Louis Gandolfi was an Italian immigrant. Like lots of other immigrants, he decided to move here and establish businesses which would help and contribute to the overall well-being of both themselves and the UK. In other words, they expected, like most immigrants, to contribute to their host nation through taxes and such like.

Taxes and all that

It is ironic therefore, to say the least, that Trump is now being hailed by his supporters as a ‘business genius’ for having paid no tax whatsoever in the past 18 years. Picture of the Gandolfi works in LondonAbhorrent as this may appear to all right minded people, it seems strangely indicative of the times we live in. If readers spot anyone who isn’t avoiding tax at this week’s Tory party conference we urge you to get in touch with the BBC. We are sure it would make headline news … not! We also suspect that Louis Gandolfi was a much better business man than Donald Trump could ever hope to be. So it’s appropriate that his name is commemorated so fittingly here in Glasgow. Definitely worth a visit!

G1 1NY      tel: 0141 552 6813      Café Gandolfi

Scones, Top

Boclair House Hotel

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After a disappointing run of ‘poor’ or ‘no-show’ baking encounters at the Brenachoile then at Coffee on Wooer, we felt we had to do something to lift the air of despondency on planet scone. What better, to turn our fortunes around, than a visit to the offices of East Dunbartonshire Council. That’s what it was until it was recently transformed into the Boclair House Hotel. the terrace at Boclair House HotelThe red sandstone mansion was built in 1890 by the three sisters, Misses Buchanan, Margaret, Jane and Elizabeth. It was originallly known as the Buchanan Retreat for the exclusive use of the less well off members of the Buchanan clan.

Nowadays, it is definitely for the more well to do Buchanans .. and everybody else of course! So called because it sits on Boclair hill, it was a very familiar architectural sight for Pat and I, in our courting days, when we used to whiz to and fro on the back road between Falkirk and Drumchapel.

We can do swank!

After all these years we were fascinated to, at long last, see inside. Here with one of Pat’s aunts, afternoon tea was what we were aiming for and the rather sumptuous surrounds in Annabel’s Bar, scene of the action, only served to heighten our expectations even further. Surely we wouldn’t get a duff scone here? Interior of Annabel's bar at Boclair House Hotel

Of course, we had to have a glass of champs to kick things off because if you are going to do swank then you have to do it properly. We can do swank with the best of them! afternoon teaNormally on such occasions the scones appear on the lower or middle tier of the cake stand. This time however they arrived majestically, in pride of place. Elevated above the sandwiches and cakes. It all looked scrummy … and it was! The scones were warm and slightly crunchy on the outside with a delightful soft interior. Together with the jam and cream … topscone, no doubt!

Trump and Farage

If you have ever harboured any lingering doubts about Nigel Farage maybe being one of the good guys, though we cannot imagine why you would, his recent appearance as one of Trump’s henchmen must surely clinch it for you. He’s an idiot! Probably a much richer idiot than he was before the event … but still an idiot! Having fled from the Brexit battlefield he now turns up in the US. Can we stop him returning to the UK? Apparently his wife is a foreigner so under our new regime that should be grounds enough?

G61 2TQ     tel: 0141 942 4278      Boclair House Hotel

Scones, Top

Georgian Tea Room

No, nothing to do with Mad Max! This is in Edinburgh’s George Street and there is definitely nothing thunderous about it. ‘A warm balmy evening’ might describe it better.

The entrance
The entrance

Built in 1847 as the headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland it currently functions as a bar, restaurant and night club. We often come here when we are in town, fancy a pint … and the Café Royal is just a bit too far away. On this occasion however instead of going into the bar area under the magnificent dome we went upstairs to the Georgian Tea Room. A bit of an adventure, since we had never strayed upstairs before. Needless to say the splendour continues. The tea room certainly does not let the rest of the building down in any way .. all chandeliers and ebony.

Afternoon tea

As soon as you walk in you get the feeling that you are not going to be let down either. It was a special day so we were tr

Internal view of the Georgian Tearoom
Georgian Tearoom

eating ourselves to afternoon tea and it seemed that lots of other people were doing the same. A constant turnover of tables but all done in an atmosphere of absolute calm. Of course, champagne had to be taken first. Recently, a correspondent from France could not understand how Hugh’s champagne bar existed when it was not open in the evening. I had to explain that, in Scotland, we drink champagne all day because, just living here, is a constant cause for celebration!

Anyway the bubbles allowed us time to look at the tea menu which contained six different options. Pat wanted her usual breakfast tea and I decided on the Bannockburn .. no idea why? Dome 06In our last post we were seeking out Scottish tea plantations, however, in spite of the name, the Bannockburn tea estate, which has existed since the 1850s, is situated just a few miles from the centre of Darjeeling. No prizes for guessing where the founders were from. Served in Dudson fine bone china, the blurb said it was fresh yet fruity with citrus and apricot notes; the perfect accompaniment to scones .. and it was! What with the crisp white linen tablecloths and napkins, the silver tea service and the scones being just the right size and melt-in-the-mouth, it was not in the least bit difficult to make a topscone award … hurrah!

Flying pigs

Sitting here in the Dome, cosseted and looked after superbly well, you tend to wonder what the government was thinking about with it’s recent attempt at cutting allowances for the sick and disabled. Little wonder they have decided to do a U-turn. Cafe Royal 02As we write, news is coming in of bombings in Brussels. What is happening in this deeply divided world? Maybe Trump can sort it out .. or was that a pig flying over? You’ll be pleased to know that we did manage to squeeze in a wee visit to the Café Royal on the way home.

EH2 2PF          tel: 0131 624 8624              The Dome

Ordinary

Hugh’s Bar Restaurant

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Hugh's is first floor right
Hugh’s is first floor right

We were in Glasgow for a meeting and afterwards found ourselves here, in Hugh’s Restaurant & Champagne Bar. It’s part of the House of Fraser department store. The store was founded in1849 by Hugh Fraser so that’s where the name comes from. It serves a range of coffees, over a dozen champagnes but principally Mumm and Bel Époque.

Now don’t be running away with the idea that we live some sort of champagne lifestyle, no, no, no! It just so happened that we were passing and, feeling a bit peckish (and a bit nosey) asked if they could do a scone. It didn’t exactly look like a scone place, but they immediately said “yes, of course” … very welcoming. Honest, no champagne was harmed in the making of this post. The decor is, however, fairly obviously aimed at the business folk of Glasgow who do live champagne lifestyles. Sleek, dark and sophisticated. Hugh's 03

Anyway, they scooped us humble bloggers up into their arms with promises of lovely warm scones and perfect coffee. What were we to do? It was the middle of the day and it was very quiet so they were probably more than delighted to see anyone crossing their doorstep. Hugh's 02True to their word our beautifully warm scones arrived on a slab of slate with little ceramic dishes of jam and cream. They were very good, could even have been a topscone but think they may have been baked the day before so maybe not as fresh as they could have been.

Is it an IQ test

Super Tuesday has just passed. It increasingly looks like Clinton and Trump are going to slug it out for the White House. Someone on social media noted that “the Americans seem to think it is an election, but it is in fact just an IQ test”. Kind of sums it up. Anyway, Hugh’s is an oasis of calm if you are suffering from retail fatigue. Try it if you get the chance, the staff are very helpful.

G1 3HL     tel: 0141 221 3880 ext 2101     Hugh’s Champagne Bar

english, topweird

Le Pain Quotidien

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This place is just round the corner from Victoria station and was the chosen spot for a rendezvous with a group of Lithuanians. Don’t ask, it’s a long story. Le Pain Quotidian ( the daily bread) originated in Belgium but now has outlets in nineteen countries stretching from Brazil to India. This is the first we have come across. Le Pain 02

The emphasis is on providing a place for people to meet and do business or just have a good gossip. To that end, they provide some long tables where people or families can gather round and do just that. It prides itself on it’s artisan bread made the traditional way. ‘Bakers blend organic stone-ground flour, kneaded patiently by hand and baked in stone lined hearths’ .. whatever! Can they make a scone?

In the interests of diversity, we thought we should try the ‘organic spelt & quinoa scone’. If nothing else it was definitely different and, from that point of view, difficult to compare with other scones. Le Pain 03A heavy mix as you might expect with a spelt flour but the added quinoa seeds, currants and almonds gave it a, not unpleasant, crunchy texture. It came with a pot of mixed strawberry/rhubarb  jam and a dish of what we thought was cream but turned out to be ricotta – an Italian whey cheese made from sheep milk.

Now once we had got over the surprise of it being nothing like the cream we had been expecting, it was not that bad. In fact, with the scone itself being so completely different, the ricotta complemented the scone quite well. Probably better than cream would have done. Le Pain 04This is the first  time we have come across quinoa (pronounced: kinwa) in a scone. It probably demonstrates Le Pain Quotidien holding true to its basic philosophy of using good honest healthy ingredients. Apparently it originated from the shores of Lake Titicaca which is quite exotic in itself. At £5 per scone however, they are not cheap. Never had a hope of being a topscone but just for being sooooo different we think it qualifies for a top weird scone award. Won’t be rushing back for another but well done for broadening our scone horizons.

Weapons of mass destruction

Not far away there was a Stop Trident rally in Trafalgar Square. Isn’t it odd that we give so much attention to making nuclear power stations absolutely safe. Then spend vastly more money planning for the creation of even bigger nuclear disasters .. bizarre. Of course, things have moved on. The big question now is not whether we should get rid of them but whether we can get rid of them fast enough. Before The Donald and BoJo are ruling the world. The BBC‘s report on the rally just prattled on about how disappointing the turnout had been in spite of their own pictures showing umpteen thousands present.

BREAKING NEWS:

In best BBC style, keeping you up to date with scone news, we have breaking news from our Trossachs correspondent. The same one who, you will remember, gifted us some Dobbies scones at Christmas. Dobbies 01Apparently, when he went to pay for his cream scone the other day at Dobbies in Stirling he discovered that cream scones were subject to a BOGOF deal so he went home with another scone in a box which fed  four people the following day. All for £1.45 .. remarkable. Many thanks to our reporter. Obviously they were not spelt and quinoa scones. In spite of the London prices, however, Le Pain Quotidien is worth a visit. A little bit quirky, good food, great service and nice atmosphere. It also has a good website with plenty of information and recipe suggestions.

SW1V 1JZ     tel: 020 3657 6945     Le Pain Quotidien

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Cameo Picturehouse

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We are members here and try to visit whenever we can. It is smaller and more intimate than the local multi-screen cineplexes and tends to show more interesting and foreign language films. The weather was typically January so it seemed like an ideal day to squirrel ourselves away somewhere dark and cosy with a good film. Internal view of the Cameo Picturehouse Edinburgh

Arriving with enough time to spare for some tea we decided to give their scones a go as well. Although having looked at them on the counter we were slightly fearful. They did not look at all promising. Well appearances can be deceiving, as they say, because, although not topscones, they were pretty good. The fruit and cinnamon ones were maybe a bit too crusty on the outside but nice and soft on the inside. There was also plenty butter and a nice little cup of jam.

If only our film had been as good! A scone at the Cameo Picturehouse EdinburghThere were three to choose from and we chose ‘The Lobster’. A near-future story about single people staying in a hotel and having 45 days to find a romantic partner. If they failed they were turned into an animal of their choice. The main character had his brother with him all the time .. a collie dog. He had failed on a previous occasion. In the event of similar failure our man had chosen to be a lobster. Apparently a lobster can live to over a hundred and remain sexually active throughout. Never realised that lobsters had so much fun.

Spoiler

We would have enjoyed the start of the film a lot more if we had known that it steadily went down hill from there. It was co-produced by companies from Ireland, Greece, France the Netherlands and the UK. It kind of looked like a film made by a committee. Won’t say more though in case we spoil it for you. Internal view of the Cameo Picturehouse Edinburgh

Sitting in the cinema we thought it was a pretty dystopian surreal experience until we came out into the daylight and realised we had women being brutalised in Cologne, another shooting in Paris, people starved to death on purpose in Madaya, Saudis bombing the Iranian embassy in Sana’a, Pyongyang‘s H-bomb test, China‘s stock market collapse. And that the answer to all these problems might be Donald Trump! Maybe we should have stayed inside where it was all much more believable. Thank goodness for the scone … even though it only had a cameo role .. sorry!

EH3 9LZ           tel: 0871 902 5723         Cameo