Tag Archives: Donald Trump

Scones, Uncategorized

Cupcake Café Bar

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Readers will remember from our last post regarding an unintentional visit to Bathgate and the Coffee Club that we drove around Cairnpapple Hill to get there. While we were doing that, about a mile or so out of Linlithgow, we passed a sign for the Scottish Korean War Memorial. The what? We didn’t stop but it raised our curiosity. You could probably write what we knew about the Korean War quite comfortably on the back of a postage stamp … so it made us wonder. It made us wonder so much that, in an attempt to remedy the situation, we decided to go back and actually visit the place to find out what it was all about.

Gate to the Scottish Korean War Memorial
The gate to the Scottish Korean War Memorial

 

War on communism

Apologies to folks who know all this already but it turns out that Korea was occupied  by Japan from 1910. At the end of WWII, however, when Japan was defeated, there were difficulties agreeing who was to rule thenceforth. Believe it or not, the US and the Soviet Union got involved in what the US saw as a war against communism. From 1950 to 1953 twenty one countries fought on the UN side, Britain being one of them. Five million soldiers and civilians lost their lives. Incredible, so soon after the end of a very bloody World War.

View of the Scottish Korean War Memorial
The Korean style shrine contains name boards listing all the 1,114 men who died.

 

What is canada sildenafil? levitra is a brand name for Sildenafil Citrate pills to keep away from any additional problems associated with health . This involves a personalized approach because every single problem differs from the other and hence, requires unique care and treatment. cialis tablets 100mg All the more fundamentally, it was exhibited to redesign the sexual reaction for the levitra generika 40mg greater bit of men the medicine has the ability to cure the incapability issues of women. It is less time consuming and easy to get the buy generic levitra cute-n-tiny.com ED medicine. The Memorial, the only one in the UK,  takes the form of an arboretum of 1,114 native Scottish trees. One for every British soldier who died.

The Flag of South Korea
Flag of S Korea

Also a shrine surrounded by two mounds in the shape of the Ying and Yang on the Korean flag. It’s a quiet peaceful place. Judging by the fresh flowers placed beneath trees, it is still very much a place of remembrance. Exterior view of the Cupcake Café Bar near TorphichenFeeling much better informed we decided to head for home. However, we had hardly got started when, on the other side of Torphichen, we came across signs for the Cupcake Café Bar. Not somewhere we had ever heard of in spite of it being only a few miles from home. Our ignorance knows no bounds! It had to be done. Once we had negotiated the bomb-crater sized potholes in the driveway we arrived at an old converted farmhouse set in a large nicely laid out garden. Inside, it was surprisingly modern. Interior view of the Cupcake Café Bar near TorphichenInterior view of the Cupcake Café Bar near Torphichen

Predictions

When we ordered our scones from a lady with a rather mischievous look in her eye, she told us in no uncertain terms “you will enjoy them”! We felt duty bound! She was right of course, we did enjoy them. Nicely presented with plenty butter (local), jam and clotted cream. A scone at the Cupcake Café Bar near TorphichenThey were soft and light with just the right amount of fruit. The coffee was good as well. Again, not quite a topscone but yet another admirable attempt.

Back in Korea, a cease fire was eventually brokered in 1953 by dividing the country into North and South with a ‘no man’s land’ in between. Both countries are still officially at war to this very day! The communist North is now led by the 34 year old Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un. A man who is generally regarded by the western press as more than a little ‘unhinged’. Thank goodness we don’t have anything like that in the west … oh, hold on a minute?? Kim is the only one in the country allowed to bear the surname ‘Jong Un’. All others with the name were forced to change. We suspect that no force at all should be necessary for the Trumps of this world.

EH48 4NQ      tel: 01506 654697       Cupcake Café Bar TA

Scones, Uncategorized

The Coffee Club

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Why do you think you would find yourself in Bathgate on a cold winters day? By accident, of course … why else would you be in Bathgate?

Linlithgow Palace across the loch
Linlithgow Palace and a scaupless loch

We had started off with a walk round Linlithgow loch hoping to  catch sight of a scaup . Sometimes these relatively rare ducks make an appearance here. We did the first half of the walk with snow falling quite heavily and the second half in brilliant sunshine. Scottish weather at its very best! No scaups unfortunately but a really enjoyable walk.

Instead of going into Linlithgow for a coffee we thought we would visit a place called the Vu which involved a few miles of driving round the side of Cairnpapple Hill. We had been there a couple of years back and it was nice. Nowadays, however, it has turned into a wedding venue, no coffee, no scones, nothing. They told us to go another mile to Bathgate where there were lots of cafés and bars. Hence we found ourselves, by accident, in downtown Bathgate. Its a post-industrial town which is obviously still struggling with the effects of defunct coal mining. Also British Leyland’s demise in 1986 followed by Motorola’s closure in 2001 with the loss of over 3000 jobs.

In spite of the earlier claim there seemed to be almost no sconeries. This one, The Coffee Club, seemed to have little in the way of competition. Interior view of The Coffee Club in BathgateThe surroundings could only be described as ‘basic’ however we were warmly welcomed and you got the feeling that they would happily make you anything you wanted, even if it wasn’t on the menu. The Coffee Club, however, does not do local produce. Our scone appeared, ready sliced (what’s that all about), with English jam, Irish butter and a great dollop of scooshie cream from goodness knows where. In spite of all that the scone confounded our expectations by not being too bad, fairly light if a little short on fruit. I had seven sultanas in mine … okay,okay, I need to get a life! A scone at The Coffee Club in BathgateTopscone it was not but a commendable effort nevertheless.

The town nestles in the shadow of Cairnpapple Hill which, 5000 years ago, was home to the Beaker People. So called because of the shaped pots found in their graves. You cannot help but wonder what they would make of things if they were to make a return and gaze down on the world from their lofty hilltop. Obviously they would need an iPad or two to bring them up to speed but we think there would be some serious head scratching when they saw what supposedly educated people had made of things in the intervening five millennia.

Progress?

America tearing itself apart over Trump and religion. The EU (surely mankind’s greatest achievement in the last 100 years) tearing itself apart over populism. The UK tearing itself apart over Brexit. Perplexing, or what? But perhaps most astonishing of all for these wee Beakers would be to find that Scotland was being lorded over by a parliament five hundred miles away that doesn’t care a jot about it. As Lesley Riddoch puts it “if the UK Government can completely ignore Scottish democracy on a big issue like EU membership, does anyone seriously think Scottish interests will matter in any other policy decision reserved to Westminster?” ‘Reserved to Westminster’ means just about everything meaningful for Scotland … too much for even the most hard-nosed Beaker to stomach!

If a Beaker was to go into the Coffee Club they would probably think it hadn’t changed that much … joking. Many thanks to Bathgate and The Coffee Club for making us welcome.

EH48 1PD    tel: 01506 656352    The Coffee Club FB

Ordinary, Scones

The Loft – Crieff

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Perhaps you are aware that we have a fondness for shops that, by today’s standards, could be termed “a wee bit old-fashioned”. Maybe it’s because of the pace of modern life. Perhaps it’s because of standards of service. Maybe it’s just us? We don’t think of ourselves as “not keeping up” nor do we think of ourselves as particularly old. However, when you come across the likes of the much missed McEwens of Perth and the still current, Valentines of Crieff you do feel as if you are stepping back into a more comfortable, less frenetic world. And it’s nice.

Picture of frosted plant at Bennybeg near Crieff
Frosted hemlock at Bennybeg

 

Our Stenhousemuir correspondent (oft referred to as the SteniBrainFart) once had the temerity to suggest that the sad demise of McEwens of Perth had been caused by, what he felt, was a rather caustic scone review. Okay it wasn’t great but it was entirely coincidental to the downfall of our favourite shop. The nerve!

Back in town

Valentines of Crieff, on the other hand, is much smaller by comparison. Still alive and well though and kitting out the good folk of Crieff as it has done for years. It’s one of these places where, if your dress or trousers don’t fit exactly, they alter them until they do. For free! So it was that, after an hour long walk at Bennybeg Nature Trail (we saw a robin … yes, just a robin), we were back in Crieff picking up some alterations to purchases made a couple of weeks back when we were visiting an aunt (see Royal Hotel). Picture of the interior at The Loft, CrieffUnlike McEwens, Valentines does not have a café but next door is The Loft. A shop spread over three floors, selling furniture and lots of beautiful novelty items. And scones in the café at the back of the shop. Picture of a scone at The Loft, Crieff

Again we decided to have lunch then share a scone between us. In spite of it being very busy the service was great. Holding back our tea and scone until we had finished lunch. Served with nice little pots of butter, jam and cream our scone was really good. Just a gnat’s whisker off topscone, however. Good try though and we thoroughly enjoyed looking round the rest of the shop. Worth a visit if you find yourself in this neck of the woods.

What with the final section of the Queensferry Crossing being put in place as we write, ‘bridges’ seem to be the talking point of the day. Just down the road from where we are in Crieff, Dollerie House has a crooked bridge within its grounds specifically designed to stop witches crossing. And continuing with the bridge/witch theme, Theresa May’s offer to become a bridge between Donald Trump’s USA and the EU, has been roundly rejected by the EU. Best laid plans and all that. Maybe she will try holding Putin’s hand next?

Statistics

With Trump’s travel ban on Islamic immigrants now in place it is also interesting to look at the official US fatality figures for the past year. Exactly 2 Americans were killed by Islamic immigrants. This compared to 21 killed by armed toddlers and 11,737 killed by other Americans. You have to think seriously about whether or not we want a bridge at all? Seems like a different world to the one at The Loft and Valentines of Crieff. Long may they prosper.

PH7 4DL        tel: 01764 650008        The Loft

Scones, Top

Fonab Castle (revisited)

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As you are probably aware, we have long asserted that, in our humble opinion, the best scone in the world lives at Fonab Castle Hotel in Pitlochry. Since our first Fonab cream tea experience we have devoted much time and effort, not to mention expense, looking for a worthy challenger. However, in spite of all our testing at places as far apart as Ackergill Tower in Wick and Claridge’s in London, Fonab has managed to hold on to its position. It is  on the top tier of the cake stand as the topmost topscone.

However, it is now almost two years since we made that rather bold assertion. In our minds Fonab shone like a beacon in terms of ambience, presentation, service and quality. Okay it’s not the cheapest. It’s one of these “you know you’re worth it” places. But … perhaps, after such a long period of time, our combined memories were playing tricks on us? Something that, in our advancing years, is not only possible but highly likely! Maybe the scones would be awful and we would have to find a new benchmark …. aaarrgghh!

So it was with more than a little trepidation that we decided to return and reassess the Fonab scone. Luckily we could still remember the location of Pitlochry.

Winter view across Loch Faskally from Fonab Castle, Pitlochry
View across Loch Faskally towards Ben Vrackie from Fonab
Warm bowls

The trepidation was caused by fear of disappointment. What if there was a new chef with a different recipe. What if they were just different? Picture of a cream tea scone at Fonab Castle Hotel, PitlochryYou may remember that, on one visit, we actually asked the chef what his secret ingredient was for a good scone. The answer – “happiness in the kitchen!” Well, we need not have worried! This time around the service was impeccable, the ambience relaxing and comfortable, the views superb, the range of Scottish jams just brilliant, the coffee fantastic. And the scones were just perfect … warm and light as a feather. Not only were they presented in beautiful white linen napkins but even the serving bowls had been warmed. This is how scones should be treated!Picture of cream tea presentation at Fonab Castle Hotel, Pitlochry
So just to be clear. Let this be a clarion call to every posh hotel, coffee shop, tea house and greasy spoon we visit on our travels. When you see us coming this is what we expect if you are to have any chance of dislodging the Fonab scone from the pinnacle of sconiness. At just under £11 for a cream tea, it may be expensive but it is soooo worth it! Not only that but it turns out that the chef we spoke to about ingredients has long gone. And yet the scones were still delicious. There must be a lot of happiness in that kitchen!

Taking control

Such scrumptiousness lulls you into a warm sconey world where the trials and tribulations of a mad Trump/May/Putin world seem far far away. With the PM delivering a speech on Brexit yesterday that completely ignores the wishes of us folks north of the border, it also clarifies the situation. Scotland is going nowhere until it takes control of its own affairs. Oh dear, sconey world is so much nicer. … if only we could stay for ever?

PH16 5ND     tel: 01796 470140    Fonab Castle Hotel and Spa

Useful link: things to do in Pitlochry

Ordinary, Scones

The Bothy Bistro

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You can tell by the signs above the door “Afa Fine Coffee,  Fancy Pieces and Hamely Fare” that we are quite far from home. We are, in fact, in Burghead on the Moray Firth at one of our all time favourite cafés, The Bothy Bistro. Why, we hear you ask, would you be in Burghead in the middle of January? Surely it’s not just for a scone? Well, believe it or not, it is actually all down to Pope Gregory XIII. In 1582 he decided that a new calendar was needed to better reflect the actuality of astronomical events. Hence the Gregorian calendar we use today.

It seems however that no one told the good folks of Burghead who still use the old Julian calendar. Soooo, having thoroughly enjoyed our own New Year celebrations, but being a bit down about having to wait twelve months for another bash, we decided that we would come here where you only have to wait eleven days. Their New Year is on the 11th January every year and is celebrated in some style with the Burning of the Clavie. Click on the image below to get a wee flavour.

Burning the Clavie on Doorie Hill, Burghead
These guys are not warming scones up
Health and Safety

Where else would you find a thousand people out at night in rain, freezing temperatures and  gale force winds that would cut you in half, thoroughly enjoying themselves? Definitive proof that “there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes”. Burning the Clavie, BurgheadThey are a hardy lot in Burghead and we had a brilliant time following the Clavie and delivering embers to homes around the town to bring them luck for the following year. Eventually we ended up at the Clavie’s final resting place on top of Doorie Hill. Burghead is fortunate in having some sort of force field surrounding the town. It precludes health and safety officers from entering. Anywhere else, throwing buckets of petrol onto a burning barrel of tar in a 50mph wind on top of a steep hill with lots of people standing around, would raise a few eyebrows. Not in Burghead.

We felt priviledged to be able to share the fun and enjoy the hospitality of the local people. There is no food to buy in any of the local pubs and hotels  … it’s all free! We think the whole thing is best summed up in the words of poet Mary Harding:

“For all our science and technical skill,
We watch with hearts that hungry still
 Leap with a wild primeval thrill
At the leaping flames on the Doorie Hill”.

Strip the willow

The last time we were here we ended up doing a strip-the-willow in the main street with what seemed like the entire population of the town at 1.30am. Great fun! In spite of the best attentions of the Church and its strenuous efforts to have it banned this ritual has survived for centuries. Long may it continue! Internal view of The Bothy Bistro, Burghead

Burned like the clavie

But back to The Bothy Bistro! Burghead is fortunate indeed to have this place which could happily stand against opposition from many more sopLogo for The Bothy Bistro, Burgheadhisticated places in London and the like. Their bacon, marmalade and banana croissants are to die for and their exclusive range of wines is second to none. The scones, however, on this occasion seemed to have come out in sympathy with the Clavie itself … burnt! Bothy Bistro sconeDisappointingly, not a topscone. Everything else was fine and we enjoyed  being back here again but the scone was just too hard and too crunchy!

Probably no more scones before Trump takes up the US Presidency. Maybe no more after it either, the world might just be too weird. And that’s saying something after the 2016 we have just had. You get the feeling though that, in Burghead, they will just carry on regardless no matter what happens. Happy new year to all our readers … again!

IV30 5UE    tel: 01343 830006    The Bothy Bistro FB

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