Tag Archives: Sue Gray

Scones, Top

Potting Shed Revisited

3 Comments

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

Ordinary, Scones, self-service

The Bothy Braemar

1 Comment

Most people only know Braemar through pictures of the Queen sitting with her family, swathed in tartan, watching big hairy men in kilts throwing tree trunks around. Because Balmoral is less than a mile away, the Royals usually visit the Braemar Highland Gathering every year and, of course, their attendance draws thousands of Royal watchers. There is no doubt that the village  and places like the Bothy Braemar prosper because of these regal connections but it also does well from the nearby Glenshee Ski Centre. But first let me tell you a story from that part of the world. Prepare to be shocked!

No room at the inn

Many years ago myself and a couple of friends were heading for Braemar to climb in the Cairngorms mountains. By the time we got to Glenshee it was dark and there was blizzard conditions.. Although we were still making good progress on the snowy roads in our trusty little Riley Elf, it wasn’t long before we came on a minibus full of youngsters that was stuck. The south side of Glenshee is unrelentingly uphill! The piles of sand at the roadside were frozen solid but our ice axes soon sorted that out.

We spent the next couple of hours following their bus and every time they got stuck we went through the same procedure. Late in the evening we reached their destination, a huge mansion house which served as a Church of Scotland Christian Centre. Because we just had a tent and were unsure if we would ever get over the summit of Glenshee in the awful conditions they invited us to stay overnight. We gratefully accepted.

The manger

However, they hadn’t reckoned with the management of the centre. When they discovered we were there they made no bones about it … we had to leave. The youngsters pleaded but to no avail. We offered to just put our sleeping bags down in the porch outside but no, we had to vacate the premises completely. Back out in the snowy darkness and getting in to the car, a man appeared and, immediately seeing the problem, said that he would put us up in a nearby manger. Okay, just kidding about the manger, it was just an outhouse! That’s what we did! We stayed at his place and eventually made it to Braemar the next day. Make of it what you will. I, however, will never be able to understand why a lighting bolt from someone all-seeing didn’t obliterate those management folk right there and then.

The one that’s open

No such problems this time. We sailed over Glenshee where there was hardly any sign of snow. Not great for a ski centre at the end of January but very good for us. Braemar has a lot of quite large Victorian hotels and, for its size, a plethora of restaurants and cafes. The hotels were open but the Bothy Braemar was the only cafe doing business. Internal view of the Bothy in BraemarConsidering, its external appearance it’s actually quite large inside and is fairly obviously geared up to cater for a clientele of climbers, walkers and skiers. Best of all, they had what looked like nice scones… hurrah!

cialis on line djpaulkom.tv How can anyone who is not in his shoe, understand his gloominess? The doctors obviously are someone who can give you good advice and who genuinely desires to assist you learn. Yes, it is a serious health issue, so you should seek a professional medical help immediately. cialis 40 mg djpaulkom.tv Nitric Oxide, in form of some vital signal reaches to the vessels causing healthy blood flow needed for stronger djpaulkom.tv generico levitra on line and longer erection in the bed. You don’t have to step cialis levitra generika one foot outside of your home to buy the medication.

A scone in the Bothy in BraemarIt is self service but the staff were were very warm and friendly. We ordered a couple of fruit scones. Compared to the scone we had had in our previous post from the Moulin Inn, this was a huge improvement. Still not good enough for a topscone award, unfortunately, but enjoyable nevertheless. Overall, we really liked the Bothy Braemar and it was great to be back in this part of the world.

View from the Bothy in Braemar
View from the Bothy

Who is the most famous person you have never heard of? It surely has to be Sue Gray. For the past couple of weeks no journalist or politician has been able to utter a sentence without mentioning her name at least once. Now we hear that her report into partying in 10 Downing Street may never see the light of day. Apparently, because it has now become a police investigation it may be so redacted it wouldn’t be worthwhile. Oh my gosh, isn’t it just as well we aren’t cynical!!

AB35 5YP       tel: 01339 741019        The Bothy FB

///depths.aviation.fired