Tag Archives: Auchterarder

Cairn Lodge

3rd April 2023 billpaterson1@me.com 7 Comments

Shetland seems like a distant but very fond memory now. We will always remember the friendliness of the people there. These days there’s a tendency for people to be a bit self-absorbed so it was great to see a healthy spirit of community on these islands. Anyway, now it’s back to reality. Although we would have a cheek to call Cairn Lodge in Auchterader, reality!

If it is reality then we are having a very soft landing. Today we were invited for breakfast by friends which was fabulous. And now we are at Cairn Lodge because other friends have invited us for afternoon tea. How lucky are we?

One of our aunts really liked Cairn Lodge so we used to come here years ago. Since then it has been taken over by Aurora Hotels and they have completely revamped it to become a luxury destination. Probably just as well because its next door neighbour is the well known haunt of the rich and famous, Gleneagles Hotel.

Friends to the rescue

It might be an age related thing but ‘time’ seems to play tricks on us these days. Huge amounts of it seem to simply disappear. We haven’t seen these friends since they rescued us from a car crash near their home … and that was over six years ago! Incredible! Ironically, the car that crashed into us was racing to try and catch the ferry from Aberdeen to Shetland. Nobody seriously hurt but our car was completely wrecked. Our friends, however, galloped to the rescue. They fed and watered us then insisted on delivering us to our destination many miles away in Pitlochry. Much water has flowed under the bridge since then so there was a mega amount of stuff to catch up on!

The young lady looking after us was superb and within two shakes of a lamb’s tail she was filling our glasses with bubbles and presenting us with an absolutely delicious artichoke based amuse-bouche. Then came a three tier stack of afternoon tea. Two of them between the four of us as well as a separate plate of sandwiches. Sometimes we think that afternoon teas are misjudged in that there is often too much of everything. We thought this one was judged perfectly. Separate little pots of jam and clotted cream completed the presentation. It probably goes without saying that everything was delicious and the scones were no exception. There was a plain scone and a whisky soaked fruit scone for each of us.

Harmony

Thinking about it now, it seems unbelievable that, in Scotland, this is the first whisky soaked scone we’ve ever come across. Lovely and warm, nice and crunchy on the outside and a delicate soft interior with that ever so subtle hint of the amber nectar. Two of our favourite things brought together in perfect harmony! So good they almost made our ‘totallyeffinbrilliantscone’ category!

Not so brilliant perhaps was Scotland’s new First Minister, Humza Yousaf’s first week in his new job. Many have expressed disappointment but we feel he needs to be given a chance. He has a mountain to climb! Isn’t it peculiar that all political parties recognise Scotland as a nation yet refuse to give us permission to determine our own future. What sort of logic is that? It’s also a bit odd that we now have Humza Yousaf, a practicing Muslim of Pakistani extraction and Rishi Sunak, a practicing Hindu of Indian extraction fighting over Scottish independence. You couldn’t make it up!

Today has been fantastic and it is all down to our wonderful friends. With friends like ours and whisky soaked scones, what more could we possibly ask for?

PH3 1LX tel: +44 1764 661095 Cairn Lodge Hotel

///tonsils.plan.calibrate

Ordinary, Scones

Delivino

9th November 2022 billpaterson1@me.com 3 Comments

Today we are at Delivino in Auchterarder but normally you would find us at its sister restaurant, Canada Wood. It’s only a short walk from our house. They also have the original Delivino in Crieff which opened in 2006. It’s always a good sign when you see restaurants like this expanding. Usually, it means they’re getting things right.

We like Canada Wood and have reviewed it three times but so far a topscone has eluded them. This Auchterarder venture opened in 2014 so maybe they would be better here? Their blurb says they “champion the sound food philosophy of Spain, Italy and southern France” … no mention of scones? However, they do have a lovely selection of wines from all of these countries.

Wonky Scottish weather

You know you are in Auchterarder, home of Gleneagles Hotel, when you look down the street and every second parked car is a Range Rover, many with horse boxes attached. At Delivino we were welcomed in out of the rain which, so far, had been making the day very Scottish. Having said that the weather for November, has been unusually mild. Not quite t-shirt weather but definitely unseasonably warm. COP27 in Egypt is supposed to restore our weather to it its normal Scottishishness but so far all we have heard is the usual platitudes they trotted out last year at COP26 in Glasgow. In the meantime it looks like Scotland, for the foreseeable future, might become more Mediterraneanish. “Taps aff”, all year?

After an absolutely delicious lunch we had ordered a fruit scone to share. It came with two plates. Always good when you don’t have to ask for another plate when you are sharing. Cream, however, wasn’t and option and the jam was English and the butter was Irish?? We won’t bore you with our comments about that, you already know! The scone itself was actually very good but considering everything else, it definitely fell short of a topscone.

Records broken left right and centre

We are now on our third Prime Minister this year! They should fit No10 with a revolving door! Hopes were high that it would be third time lucky but no. This government is proving to be just as chaotic as the previous ones. In a previous post from the Cross Keys in Kelso we said Suella Braverman was the shortest serving Home Secretary ever. She managed to get sacked for security breaches after just 43 days. That claim has since been overtaken by Grant Schapps who managed only six days before being replaced by, you’ll never guess … Suella Braverman. In the past week she has managed to make over three thousand immigrants vanish into tin air from the Manston processing centre. What a woman!

Gavin Williamson lasted almost two weeks as Minister without Portfolio (is that really a job?). He had already been sacked by both Boris Johnson and Theresa May. Liz Truss would probably have hired him and sacked him as well if she had held her post as PM long enough. In spite of sacking him, Boris gave Gavin a knighthood … brilliant! And the former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, is now in the Australian jungle munching witchetty grubs … business as usual at Westminster then!

Topnotch

Okay the scone at Delivino wasn’t quite topnotch but everything else was. We are looking forward to visiting the Crieff venue in the not too distant future.

PH3 1DF tel: 01764 660033 Delivino

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Scones, Top

Café Mimi’s

9th July 2018 billpaterson1@me.com

In the late 19th century, Spring-heeled Jack was a notorious fiery eyed demon of English folklore. He could leap over high objects such as hedges and scare the living daylights out of the good folks of London. And latterly of most of England. There are, however, several accounts of him having been spotted north of the border. In Perthshire near Auchterarder to be precise.

We cannot vouch for all the sightings but one at least proved to be false. What the locals initially thought was Jack turned out to be a young Auchterarder lad who was besotted with a lass from the neighbouring village of Aberuthven. In an attempt to dissuade rival suitors he took to leaping out on travelers on the road between the two villages under cover of darkness. Hence it gained the reputation of being haunted. No one knows if this strategy got him the girl but you’ve got to admire his determination, not to mention imagination. We hope it did, such is love.

Quiet calm

Anyway Spring-heeled Jack has nothing to do with anything other than to say that, if he did indeed terrorise the area around Auchterarder, then Café Mimis, with its orderly air of quiet calm, would be the ideal antidote to his antics. On our last visit to the village we had been recommended Café Kisa. At the time, we reckoned it to be the best in town and we would happily have gone back there. However, our mission is to relentlessly go forward and explore the nether regions of such towns and villages. And to report back to our readers on our findings. Hence we ended up here in Café Mimi’s. With the local hotel being Gleneagles, would Mimi’s live up to the local area’s reputation for high class produce and service? No problem, was the answer.

Beautiful toilets

With temperatures hovering between 25 and 32 °C for the past few months in these parts, Café Mimi’s felt more like this picture which was hanging in their delightful toilet. We don’t normally comment on toilets but Mimi’s is definitely worth a mention. Wouldn’t go there just for the toilet, you understand. However, if you have to go it’s one of the nicest we have ever come across. And that is always a good omen for everything else.

Cravings

The café itself is quite small, only a few tables but everything is spotless and beautifully laid out. We were looked after by a very friendly and humorous lady and her compadre, an equally pleasant lady called Morag. Turned out that she was the one responsible for baking all the fabulous looking cakes … and the scones! They only had four left, enough to give Pat a cheese one and me a plain. Both were absolutely delicious with the crunchy exterior and soft center that we crave. Together with the generous helpings of jam and cream it was an easy topscone. Their afternoon tea, which some ladies were enjoying at the next table, looked excellent as well.

Chequers fudge

It’s not that Café Kisa has been knocked off the top spot but more that it has been joined by Café Mimi’s. For a small village like Auchterarder to have two such good scone emporiums is quite something! Spring-heeled Jack may not have been the most level headed sort of chap but what would he have made of today’s news: the tragic death of a person in the ongoing Novichok affair that simply makes no sense whatsoever. The resignation of David Davis, our chief Brexit negotiator, in the face of an equally senseless Chequers fudge. The imminent and senseless Trump visit. His fiery eyes would be even more ablaze. He wasn’t that daft!

PH3 1BJ tel: 01764 664671 Café Mimi’s TA

ps: On the pavement just outside the Sugar& Spice bakery next to Café Mimi’s we came across this sage advice … consider yourselves, warned.

Scones, Top

Café Kisa

17th October 2015 billpaterson1@me.com 1 Comment

If we were to ask the question, “which town has the most expensive homes in Scotland” it might be some time before you came up with the answer – Auchterarder. Perhaps it makes more sense when you realise that the main hotel in town is the Gleneagles.

It’s a nice little town, maybe more of a village. No modern buildings, so if you half close your eyes, you can almost see it as it used to be. Horses and carts, maybe some hens scratching about in the main street. Nowadays you are more likely to see a Bentley or an Aston Martin and .. dilemma of dilemmas .. quite a few tearooms and coffee shops. How do you choose? You ask! When we enquired in lady’s fashion emporium Bear Necessities as to what was the best place in town for tea and scones there was an immediate and enthusiastic chorus of “Cafe Kisa” from the entire staff. What better recommendation?

The Lang Toun

Expectations were therefore pretty bouyant as we skipped off down the street in eager anticipation. Would our hopes be dashed on the all too familiar rocks of preloaded scones and mediocre service? Not a bit of it, this place is great! It is located near the centre. Although it can be quite difficult to determine where the centre is, as the town straggles along 1.5 miles of High Street. It’s not known as the ‘Lang Toun’ for nothing. We were looked after by a lovely young girl called ‘Trainee’ who explained our options, ‘plain’, ‘berry and white chocolate’ or ‘apple and cinnamon’. All freshly baked. Pat went for plain and I, being utterly reckless, went for apple and cinnamon.

Pat took one little nibble at hers and said “topscone”! That’s how easy the decision was. The apple and cinnamon was fab as well and came with their homemade apple and kiwi jam which was absolutely delicious. This is just one of these places where everything comes together nicely. Although busy with a good vibe, it also has a quiet sense of calm that you tend to get when you know everything is under control. We think they probably take their inspiration from this picture they have in the loo.

Wildebeest

About ten years ago Auchterarder played host to the G8 summit. At these meetings we assume that they discuss global affairs and how to make things better for all us little citizens of the world. If they do, it’s not working! Currently the world is in a right old mess. A plethora of vicious wars and mass migrations of people reminiscent of these programmes you used to see about wildebeest.

Even in the UK we have 1 in 5 children living in poverty. It is now so bad, Vladamir Putin appears to be the world leader making the most moral and practical sense. That probably says more about the others than it does about him! Nevertheless, we are pretty sure that if all eight leaders were tasked (and we realise that this might be a bit of an ask) with finding the best scone in Auchterarder, a town of many scones, they would all end up here in Café Kisa.

PH3 1AA tel: 01764 663 340 Café Kisa

ps: just realised that Putin’s Russia has been suspended. It is now the G7, maybe they would end up in seven different cafes.

Scones, history and a dollop of politics