Tag Archives: Eton

The Royal Oak

10th August 2022 billpaterson1@me.com 3 Comments

Okay, our previous post from the Garmouth was a bit heavy on the historical side so this time we thought we would come here to The Royal Oak in Cullen. Not for the history of Cullen, no, we came for its soup … and scones, of course. Anyone who departs this earth without having tried Cullen Skink hasn’t really lived at all. It’s made from smoked haddock, onions, potatoes and milk … food of the Gods! And, the only thing better than trying a bowl of Cullen Skink is trying it in Cullen itself, where it actually comes from. Hence we are here at the Royal Oak, only a few yards from the beach.

We had heard that there were several cafe’s in this little fishing village but for some reason we couldn’t find them and eventually ended up here. With a population of just over 1000, it’s hardly enough to support a thriving cafe culture.

Obligations?

Elizabeth de Burgh, Robert the Bruce’s wife fell off her horse and died here while visiting Cullen Castle in 1327. The locals removed her organs and buried them in the local church yard. Then they sent the rest of her to Dunfermline Abbey, the official burial place of Scottish Kings and Queens. Bruce was so grateful to the town for its treatment of his wife that he arranged for an annual payment to be made to the village. Obviously, expectations of how the dead were dealt with were different back in the day. In 2000 the government tried to stop the payment but a court case found in the villages favour. The princely sum of £5 per annum is still being paid every year. Okay, okay, it was a small fortune in 1327 and there’s a principle involved!

Oatcakes

Enough history, what about the skink we hear you cry! When we arrived we asked if the Royal Oak had the best skink in Cullen? The look we got said “obviously!”. They are a friendly bunch here and they soon had us sorted with a nice bowl of the ambrosia complete with some oatcakes. It was only me, Pat is not a skink appreciator! It was excellent and the oatcakes were a perfect accompaniment. Having said that I don’t think it was any better than the skink Pat makes for me at home … just need her to get some oatcakes.

Afterwards, we discovered that the World Cullen Skink Champions were Buth Bheag’s Fisherman’s Kitchen, Kyle of Lochalsh. Nowhere near here Cullen!

After the Cullen Skink it was the turn of the Cullen scones. They were nice but we were a little disappointed to find that, this far north, they felt they had to get their cream from Cornwall. We had a really nice time at the Royal Oak and for me it was a box ticked … Cullen Skink actually in Cullen. No topscone, but hey, you can’t have everything!

Brightly coloured house in Cullen — One of the brightly coloured houses in Cullen

Backbones

Meanwhile, rudderless Britain is suffering a major energy and cost of living crisis. Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister but on holiday! in spite of much cajoling he has declined to intervene. David Cameron did a similar disappearing trick as soon as he realised what a mess Brexit was. David and Boris were in the same class at Eton … presumably they were both off the day they handed out backbones.

Still no sign of that promised bottle of whisky …. time is running out!

AB56 4SD. tel: 01542 842762 Royal Oak

///farm.reverted.mandates

Ordinary, Scones

Buttercup Café – Doune

6th September 2019 billpaterson1@me.com 1 Comment

Movies like Ivanhoe, Outlander, Game of Thrones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail have all been huge box office hits. But what else do you think they might have in common? Yes, okay, they were all filmed here in this tiny hamlet of Doune, or, to be more precise, at the medieval fortress of Doune Castle. However, perhaps the most important thing they have in common is that, in spite of them all being totally unrealistic flights of fancy, they are all sooo much more believable than the current actuality of British politics. The situation has descended to such a level that watching ‘Westminster live’ has become compulsive viewing. Coronation Street has had to take a back seat as the masses switch to watching politicians conniving, lying through their teeth and stabbing each other in the back over Brexit. Some have even taken to stabbing each other in the front! Scriptwriters could not make this stuff up … it’s beyond imagination!

Doune on a wet day — Downtown Doune in the rain

Witches and MPs

This preamble, some might say ramble, is simply to say we are in Doune in the Buttercup Café, just a couple of hundred yards away from the castle. The last time we were in a Buttercup Café it was over a year ago in North Berwick. Back then we reported on how the town tortured and burned witches alive if they failed to conform. Looking at how the Tory party is dealing with its own MPs it seems that little has changed over the centuries.

We had just spent a strenuous few hours rummaging at the local Antique Centre on the outskirts of the village. As is usual when we visit such places, we bought quite a few items we didn’t need. In spite of knowing we didn’t need them, we bought them anyway. Such is the influence of antique shops over weak willed souls like ourselves. So, when we arrived at the Buttercup we were in severe need of respite and sustenance.

Lovely lunch

Some lunch was called for. The ladies here were super attentive and soon had us sorted with everything we needed, including a fruit scone for afters. Everything we had was super good and we were very much looking forward to our scone. Unfortunately it didn’t quite hit the mark. Enjoyable enough but a little bit dry and flowery for our taste. No topscone this time but a great wee café run by lovely people. We thoroughly recommend it.

Only one thing is sure

Now that Jo Johnson has decided to remove himself from the mess that masquerades as British politics we think he has shown an admirable and excellent example to his brother. Don’t hold your breath though. Somehow Boris gives the impression that it is all, what they would have called at Eton, ‘a jolly jape’. Only one thing seems to be sure. No matter what happens Boris will be just fine and laughing all the way to the bank.

FK16 6BJ tel: 01786 842511 Buttercup Café Doune FB

///crown.drummers.swooned

english, Scones, Top

Orange Pekoe – Revisited

12th December 2018 billpaterson1@me.com 1 Comment

The last time we reviewed a scone at Orange Pekoe the mighty David Cameron was in power. He had just bored a small child half to death with one of his storytelling photo opportunities. It was only a month to go before the EU referendum he had called to resolve all his political problems. Oh, if he had just waited for the result, what a story he could have told then! Except he mysteriously vanished and hasn’t been seen since?

Plonkers

We have come to the conclusion that the subsidies that schools like Eton, Harrow and Westminster enjoy should be withdrawn. They are supposed to produce fine upstanding leaders to rule over us and set an example to us ordinary folk who cannot afford such an elite education. Their primary purpose, of course, is to maintain the system whereby the country’s wealth is retained by them. In recent years, or perhaps always, they have failed completely in this relatively simply task. Instead they have produced a long line of plonkers. Plonkers or not, credit where credit’s due, they have managed to retain their wealth. Stop the privileges for the privileged we say! Radical or what?

Anyway, enough of that. London is awash with eating places. Sometimes, however, in such cosmopolitan surroundings, a simple scone can be surprisingly difficult to find. As you know we have reviewed upmarket Claridge’s and top of the range Connaught but our favourite remains this tiny tea house in Barnes. It’s friendly and informal atmosphere is very reassuring. It’s always nice to be greeted with “just the usual” when you walk in after not having been near the place for months. Naturally it serves wonderful food and, of course, a wide range of teas. We come here a lot for breakfast but, since the last review was three years ago, we thought we should check the scones again on your behalf.

There was no need to worry our fruit scone came just as it had the last time, deliciously warm and with lots of everything to go with it. Ten out of ten for consistency and absolutely no problem awarding a topscone.

Panto

Orange Pekoe revisited means we are just a short hop up the Thames from the Palace of Westminster and coming up to Christmas it’s panto time again. Never mind Aladdin and Cinderella though the best pantomime this year is definitely here at Westminster … “will she, won’t she?”, “they’re behind you”! Our politics is all happening in typically chaotic pantomime fashion, only with none of the humour! No matter what the result is of tonight’s vote of no confidence in Theresa May, the Brexit pantomime looks set to continue indefinitely. Thank you Orange Pekoe for providing a strong and stable oasis of calm.

SW13 0PX tel: 020 88766070 www.orangepekoeteas.com

Scones, Top

Tweeddale Arms Hotel

29th May 2018 billpaterson1@me.com

What is it with the aristocracy? Does having too much money and privilege simply make you bonkers, or do they have to take lessons? Maybe at places like Eton or Gordonstoun? Today we are in Gifford just a short distance outside Edinburgh. The village takes its name from the Gifford family of noblemen the first of whom was Sir Hugo Gifford, a known wizard, who in 1267 built Yester Castle. He designed the castle and an underground dungeon known as the Goblin Ha’. Built, supposedly with the help of magic and a small army of hobgoblins, the beautifully vaulted Ha’ (Hall) can still be seen beneath the ruins of the castle. Even today, the Goblin Ha’ Hotel sits proudly on the main street.

A view of Gifford main street — Gifford main street

Odd beginnings

Gifford village itself does not go back as far as that though, in fact, it didn’t even exist back then. In the 17th century. One of Sir Hugo’s ancestors who valued his privacy highly, the first Marquess of Tweeddale, built a 7 mile wall round the Yester Estate and demolished the village of Bothans (John Knox was born there in 1505) . He deemed the village to be too close to his house. See what we mean, bonkers! A redeeming factor was that he built this village over a mile away just outside the wall to house the estate workers and gave it the family name … as you do? Thus Gifford was born.

Fairies and scones

After a beautiful drive through the Lammermuir hills we thought that, if we were ever to get a scone in which fairies may have had a hand, the Goblin’ Ha’ Hotel was our best bet but unfortunately it wasn’t to be … no fairies and no scones. We took our leave and went round the corner to this place, the Tweeddale Arms. What a good move that turned out to be. We were ushered into a lounge filled with antique furniture and pictures and we had it entirely to ourselves! This was a beautiful and very comfortable room. It would have been nice if there had been a log fire in the big granite fireplace but hey, it was a hot day, so maybe just as well. The lady who was looking after us was lovely. Nothing was too much trouble.

When she brought in our scones everything was presented perfectly. Okay the jam and butter were prepacked but the supersized tub of cream more than made up for that. A very pleasant hour was spent noseying round the room and reading country life magazines in the big comfy armchairs. This is the life, nice surroundings, topscones and wonderful service!

Trump’s America

Among the pictures in the room was this lovely little ceramic in a gilt frame and a photograph depicting a young lady ready for tennis … obviously in more genteel times. One of Gifford’s most famous sons is John Witherspoon, a signatory to the American Declaration of Independence and first president of Princeton University. We wonder what he would make of Trump’s America? And would he have signed Scotland’s upcoming declaration of independence? We have it on good authority that Witherspoon was a very fair and eminently sensible man so we have no doubt he’d have jumped at the chance.

A picture at the Tweedale Arms Hotel in Gifford — Picture of a stag hunt at the Tweeddale

Thanks Tweeddale Arms for a great visit

EH41 4QU tel: 01620 810240 Tweeddale Arms Hotel

ps: our Trossachs correspondents have sent in a photo of a sconeloaf?? You know as much as we do!

Scones, history and a dollop of politics