Tag Archives: politics

Ordinary

Canada Wood Kitchen and Bar

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This place seems to have appeared out of thin air in an area south of Falkirk which was once well and truly off the beaten track. Now, however it appears that every one is beating a track to the Canada Wood Kitchen and Bar. No wonder, it’s great! Falkirk really has to be congratulated on creating imaginative and mega visitor attractions, The Wheel, The Kelpies, The Helix. There is also a fantastic network of cycle and walking paths that crisscross the whole area and which this place is designed to fully exploit.

The building is impressive both inside and out and great to see it being well used. Walkers, cyclists as well as people coming by car just to enjoy the surroundings and the food. We had just been out for breakfast but could not resist going in just to see what it was like. Canada Wood sconeGiven our already fully sated state it was only one cherry scone between the two of us, but what a scone it was … giiiinormous. One half the size would still have been too much. Nevertheless I managed to get through my half but Pat was defeated by hers .. smaller scones would be much better. Coffee was fine and the whole place had a good, if slightly chaotic vibe.  Given time we are sure it will all settle down and become one of our regular haunts.

When I was a lad Canada Wood was where we did forestry work or beating up for the pheasant shoots on Callendar Estate. It was definitely not frequented by coffee house aficionados. Wonderful to see such entrepreneurship so we really wish this place all the luck in the world. The website is still under construction but you can catch it on FaceBook.

FK1 3AZ                 tel: 01324 610026                Canada Wood

Ordinary, Scones

The Royal Ivy Hotel

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When the Royals have created such a stooshie over the Crown Estates in Scotland it is perhaps appropriate that we are visiting the Royal Ivy Hotel in Bridge of Allan. For afternoon tea no less! Fortunately the Buckingham Palace spokesman who started all the fuss has retracted his statement saying it was a misunderstanding. Presumably so that we can relax and enjoy our scones without being tormented by thoughts of HM being upset.

The Royal Ivy is situated on the the Stirling side of town and we can only hope that since it is a ‘Royal’ establishment that the Queen might see fit to distribute some of the £150m refurb of her London pad in the direction of this place. It needs it! Strawberries at the Royal Ivy Hotel, Bridge of AllanThe dated and soulless decor is such that it kind of pervades everything.  It makes you feel a bit down … depressed even. It certainly makes you acutely aware of how much general ambience matters. A huge pity because the afternoon tea was really good.

We were offered chocolate dipped strawberries and presecco to begin with .. a very nice touch. This was followed up with one of the most generous presentations of afternoon tea that we have come across. Afternoon tea at the Royal Ivy Hotel, Bridge of AllanMore chocolate dipped strawberries, strawberry tarts, assorted sandwiches, cakes and very presentable pancakes and scones. We were offered endless top ups of prosecco, tea and coffee.

All in all it was very good value for money, the only thing letting it down was the surroundings. We hope they sort it out so that this Ivy becomes more akin to its more famous namesake. Maybe a note to the HM asking for 0.0000001% of her refurbishment budget. That would cover the cost of a decent website as well!

FK9 4HH                   tel: 01786 834166                    Royal Ivy Hotel

Ordinary, Scones

Baristas Coffee House

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I think at one time this place used to be the RB Buffet, then the Drookit Duck, then the Edge public houses. That was before being transformed into Baristas Coffee House  in Falkirk. Like so many coffee houses it faces stiff competition from the plethora of other such places that seem to spring up suddenly .. and disappear just as suddenly.  The multinationals have deep pockets and they have the art of baristaing (is that a word) down to a fine art. Independents like this have to be good to survive.

This place is certainly trying hard,  a big airy space to the front and another large area to the rear. They can certainly accommodate a fair bit of business if they need to. Nice friendly service and easy WiFi access, so plenty to like. We were just after coffee and a scone and were slightly taken aback when confronted with one of the biggest scones we have seen in a long while. It was quite something to behold and, with its dusting of sugar, held out a lots of promise. Sadly it did not live up to expectations. It was pretty solid and seemed to be lacking in taste … disappointing. Pat did not get through much before deciding to leave the rest. Pity really because Barista generally gets good reviews on TripAdvisor and we would have liked to have done the same. So bigger is not always better!

Is bigger better?

Surprisingly, to us at least, the American Presidential election has always, without exception, been won by the party with the biggest electoral budget. Maybe in the US bigger is better, however, just look where it gets them. Here it seems to be more complex. Party spending on the GE in Scotland has just been revealed and shows that in spite of spending twice as much in almost every seat, Labour still got thumped. Except in the one seat they managed to hold onto where they spent three times more than their nearest rival. In Edinburgh SW the Conservatives spent the most of any party and still managed to come third. Make of it what you will but sometimes quality matters more than size. That applies to scones … and everything else.

FK1 1HS                  tel: 01324 671222                  Baristas FB

Ordinary

Mannerstons Café

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Mannerstons Café had only been open about two months when we popped in on our way to Hopetoun House. Perhaps because of that it looked a bit new and uninspiring from the outside .. but inside it was buzzing. It has a shop with all the usual ‘country store’ stuff, eggs, jam, vegetables, wine and beer. They also do their own ice cream. Already it has a achieved a 4.5 overall score from TripAdvisor. Internal view of Mannerstons Farm Shop Café

Cream tea

The café area is large and it has an outside sitting area for when the weather is suitable. We ordered a cream tea for two but we could have had any amount of other things. If they have a selection of different teas we certainly were not offered any. However, as it happens the tea we got was good.

Scones at Mannerstons Farm Shop CaféThe scones were homebaked and very good. Sort of crunchy on the outside and soft and light in the middle and with lots of jam and cream to go with them. There may be one or two minor teething problems (no website to speak of) but if Mannerstons continues in this vain it will be very popular.

Family silver

Not so popular is this ideologically driven government that only 37% voted for imposing massive cuts on the poor and selling off the family silver (Royal Mail, RBS) to their buddies in the City .. because they can! Who actually voted for this?

EH49 7LY       tel: 01506 834949           Mannerstons

Ordinary, Scones

The Tyndrum Inn

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Tyndrum is probably most famous for gold mining and the Green Welly Stop. At a fork in the road, it is always busy with traffic either heading west to Oban or north to Fort William. The West Highland Way provides a steady stream of walkers all year round. The Tyndrum Inn sits along side the Green Welly and provides accommodation as well as all the usual things you would expect from a small hotel.

We found it a little odd from many points of view. It did not look like a self-service kind of place .. but it was. You ordered your scone at the bar and then took your seat wherever that happened to be. As things, like your scone, appeared on the bar you had to go and collect it. The same for your tea or coffee. The order did not appear in one go so several trips were involved just to get a scone and some coffee .. odd. We are sure it would have been just as quick to bring it to the table as dump it on the end of the bar. IMG_8254

That said our home-baked scone was actually quite good. However the Inn in general looked as if was in need of some serious investment. Until that happens we will not be rushing back.

Serious investment is also needed in the Scotland Bill which gets its second reading today at Westminster. The Smith Commission proposals are way too little. If they try to force it through they might as well give up on the Union. Scotland voted for something else completely. Would they be that stupid? Think they might be. Fluffy Mundell has just announced a £170m cut in the previously agreed Scottish budget. Tories in Scotland seem to be on some sort of suicide mission.

FK20 8RY       tel:01838 400219        Tyndrum Inn

island, Ordinary, Scones

Liosbeag Café

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We took the car ferry from Oban to Achnacroish in order to right a wrong. We had never before visited Lismore. We had looked at it many times from Mull and Appin and various other places but had never actually set foot on it. This was to be our first time .. exciting. External view of Liosbeag Café, Isle of LismoreWe were guests at Bachuil Country House but before we arrived there we came on the Liosbeag Café at the local Gaelic Heritage Centre. It was just about scone time. As it turns out there is one Kiki McColl who is manager and responsible for all the baking here. She doesn’t scrimp! A scone at Liosbeag Café, Isle of LismoreThe cakes and scones all came in what might be termed ‘man-sized’ portions. Kiki’s raspberry scones looked huge to begin with but when they appeared complete with jam and cream they were indeed, something to behold. A scone at Liosbeag Café, Isle of Lismore

All we can say is if you are ever on Lismore you must have one of these Kiki masterpieces. You won’t need much else for the rest of the day. If you fancied something else however there is a whole range of other food on offer, a shop, and a history centre. Well worth a visit. Considering it is the only café on the island it is just as well that it’s good one. Well done to Kiki and the girls for the friendly welcome and excellent food. We would love to come back!

PA34 5UL          tel: 01631 760020        Liosbeag Café

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

IKEA Edinburgh

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No it wasn’t flat packed and no we did not even need an allan key. The scones at IKEA Edinburgh come in much the same way as any other.A scone at IKEA Edinburgh We had arrived here with an IKEA virgin. Honestly we thought that everyone in the world had been here at some point in their lives .. if not every weekend. It was great to see it through fresh eyes so to speak. You have got to hand it to them, they think of just about everything.

After  the IKEA journey (follow the arrows) it is perhaps just as well that they have a watering hole at the end of the trail because. By that time, it is very welcome if not absolutely necessary. Internal view of IKEA EdinburghIn true IKEA style there are no frills. Self service, follow the arrows, pour your own coffee/tea (as much as you like). Because of all that .. very reasonable prices. Our scone had surprisingly light texture and, all things considered, was rather good.

Solitary Tory

A) the Queen’s speech managed, better than any other single event, to demonstrate how out of touch and incongruous the Westminster establishment has become. As someone said “a woman in a £1m hat delivers speech on austerity“. B) the draft Scotland Bill has seen the light of day and surprise surprise it outlines some totally inadequate powers for Scotland. They can only be used if the Scottish Government seeks permission from the single Tory MP in Scotland. C) the LibDems sought to defend the dishonesty of their single Scottish Rt Honourable member by saying that all MP’s lie. You could not make it up. Something has got to change!

EH20 9PW          tel: 020 3645 0000           IKEA Edinburgh

Ordinary, Scones

Patisserie Valerie

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Patisserie Valerie is a well known chain of over 300 outlets around the UK but it all originated back in Soho in 1926. That’s  when Madame Valerie came to London from Belgium to educate the English in continental patisserie. Now she is tackling the Scots. This particular one was in Rose Street, Edinburgh but we could have easily gone to any of the other three in the city centre. They would probably all be much of a muchness. Internal view at Patisserie Valerie, EdinburghChains tend to have a recipe that they stick to (for very good reasons) wherever they set up shop. The speciality is cakes and their window display can be fairly difficult to walk past without feeling a certain ‘pull’.

Mango Tango

Since they serve afternoon tea throughout the day and you don’t have to book in advance we thought we would just walk in and give it a whirl. And it really was as easy as that even though it was early evening. Wicktoria (spelt correctly) provided excellent service though she confessed to never having tried the Mango Tango tea that I ordered. Pat had the traditional breakfast tea but when she tasted mine she was almost tempted to change, it was very refreshing.

Everything was pretty much as you would expect, a selection of sandwiches and quiche on the lower layer, scones in the middle and cakes on top. Afternoon tea at Patisserie Valerie, EdinburghUnfortunately the only problem was the scones. Two fruit and two plain, they looked good and they were warm. That was nice, however we suspect they had been heated in a microwave and that seldom provides any enhancement to a scone. All in all they were pretty solid and unappetising. Pity really because everything else was okay and not too expensive.

Single eggs

Everything is relative however. Whilst £25 for two people is not too expensive for some, for others it would be totally out of reach. Sad to read that shops in Paisley are selling single eggs for people who cannot afford more. A scandalous indictment for one of the richest nations on earth.

EH2 3JD         tel: 0131 220 1336          Patisserie Valerie

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

Edinburgh Filmhouse

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Now we know that if you are looking for a scone you would not immediately rush off to the cinema. Popcorn yes, ice cream yes, but not scones. However if you were at the pictures and there was a scone right in front of you, just begging to be eaten, then you might be tempted. Interior view at the Edinburgh Filmhouse

Force Majeure

That’s how it was for us when we went to the Edinburgh Filmhouse and ended up in their well appointed café area. You can get anything from a full blown meal to a pint of beer and a sandwich. There seemed to be only a single scone left. It seemed only right that we put it out of its misery. It would provide us with some sustenance for the film ahead. A scone at the Edinburgh Filmhouse

Presentation was what you might typically expect from a self-service place. Scone expectations were not exactly soaring. We were pleasantly surprised however when it turned out to be not at all bad. Quite good in fact, nice texture and quite light. The film , Force Majeure, was a Swedish production with subtitles and we did not have high expectations for that either but it seemed like the best of what was on offer. It was excellent. Based round a family skiing trip it laid bare the stresses and strains involved in close family relationships in an intriguing and very honest way.

Feeling fairly uplifted when we came out we were rudely brought back down again by the discovery that the former Secretary of State for Scotland had fessed up to being personally responsible for the ‘Frenchgate‘ scandal. A scandal that could have altered the whole course of the General Election in Scotland … unbelievable! If he had come clean before the election he would not have won his seat. There would be no LibDem representation in Scotland at all. Now the question is how can he hold on to it when it was obviously gained through rank dishonesty? It has also cost the taxpayer £1.4m to get to the truth.

Wheesht

More refreshingly perhaps, earlier in the week, the Presiding Officer (Speaker) in the Scottish Parliament had to resort to ‘wheesht’ instead of the usual ‘order, order’ to maintain a modicum of decorum in the debating chamber. And it worked! Anyway we can recommend Force Majeure and the Edinburgh Filmhouse scone if you find yourself so inclined.

EH3 9BZ           tel: 0131 228 2688       Edinburgh Filmhouse

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