Most of our readers are aware that we regard the scones at Fonab Castle as the best in the world and the benchmark against which we judge all others. Our first visit was back in 2015 and we have been back several times since to check that standards were being maintained. That said, we haven’t been for a couple of years and in that time the hotel has come under new management. It used to be family owned but now it has been bought by an investment company that owns a chain of high end hotels. The transition from “family run” to a chain hotel can sometimes be problematic.
Just checking
We decided to book in for a few nights. Of course, we wouldn’t be here unless we felt duty bound to ensure standards for our readers … honest! No really … honest!
If you are looking to get back to basics, however, this is probably not the place for you. 
Pampering, on the other hand is no problem and at this stage of our lives we seem to be able to tolerate pampering very well. We had a lovely swim and then par-boiled ourselves in one of their hot tubs. There were all sorts of other spa treatments available if you were in desperate need of further relaxation. We opted to skip these and indulge in the ultimate relaxation … tea and scones.
However, it was with a degree of trepidation that we ordered a cream tea. Obviously, it would be disastrous if it failed the “best scone in the world” test. Our tried and tested benchmark that had lasted almost ten years would have gone. It didn’t bear thinking about! 
The expectation was that we would each get two ideally sized scones presented in a lovely linen napkin to keep them warm. They would be “melt in the mouth” and be accompanied with delicious jam and cream. Sadly, it was not to be. Presentation was okay but not what it used to be. The scones were perfectly acceptable, in fact they were topscones but definitely not the best scones in the world. Attentive readers will remember that we once asked the Fonab chef for the secret ingredient in his scones. He simply replied “happiness in the kitchen.” Presumably the kitchen these days isn’t as happy as it used to be?
Alternatives
Disappointed and slightly traumatised, we had to wrack our collective brains to think of an alternative. Not easy! We had become so used to thinking of Fonab as the be all and end all of scones that it was difficult to think outside of that particular box. Had we just become complacent over the years? However, a few worthy contenders immediately came to mind … Schloss Roxburgh and Mingary Castle as well as Lamlash House to name but three. We are spoiled for choice.
Later, we had a delicious dinner followed by drinks in the bar chatting to some lovely people including a lovely family from North Carolina. They were keen to learn about Scottish history and whisky. Obviously, from an educational point of view, several whiskies had to be sniffed, looked at and quaffed, followed by knowledgeable nods and hushed mmmms. They were on holiday so we didn’t burden them with our scone traumas.
PH16 5ND tel: 01796 470140 Fonab Castle
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