Kerrera Tea Garden, Isle of Kerrera, Argyll

Today we went for a jolly to the Isle of Kerrera, which is just a very short ferry journey away from Oban.  There's not much on this wee island, but thanks to my Monster in Law's obsession with scones, she knew there was a wee cafe at the other end of the island and so we made this our objective.

The ferry itself was, I felt, quite expensive at £4.50 each for a return journey, however, the two chaps running the show were friendly and welcoming and I really enjoyed the short trip.  It seemed busy both times, mainly packed with folk like us, aiming for the cafe.

Oban from the ferry

The journey was quite spectacular.  We had been blessed with a temperature of 22 degrees, which is rather unusual in Scotland in the month of May...or actually, any time of year.  We got a few lovely photos of the scenery.

I had been assured that the cafe was roughly two miles from the ferry.  I enjoy walking, but I do prefer to be on the flat.  Unfortunately for me, the journey seemed to be mainly uphill.  In the heat, I was struggling!  I would normally be able to walk two miles in roughly half an hour, but this took us quite a bit longer, I think it was roughly an hour, even the dog was flagging.

The tea garden itself was nicely set out with quite a few tables in the sun, surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers.  You can't actually go inside the bigger house as this seems to be a staff only area.  Luckily it was a nice day, otherwise, I'm not sure where all of the customers would sit.  The inside area, in the steading-like building, only had three small tables, all occupied.  

I ordered a lemonade and a lemon drizzle cake, both sounded refreshing - I was clearly in need to some zing!  Monster in Law ordered a scone, but unfortunately they had none left.  The friendly hap who served us explained that this was due to a walking group having ransacked the place earlier.  Alan said that he thought that some staff members and many of their customers looked 'a bit vegan', and 'as if they might wear hemp shoes'.  As terrible as this is to say, I must admit, I knew what  he meant.  

The lemon drizzle cake arrived.  It was a good sized slice and very tasty.  I was pleased that it was, as I felt it was quite expensive at £2.50, however, I can understand that not only do they have a captive audience, but also have to struggle with the logistics of getting ingredients to stock the kitchen from the mainland.  We had a wee nosey in the bothy before we left.  It was nicely set out and looked well equipped with everything you might need.  Monster in Law vowed she would stay next time she visited, although I think she'll maybe bring ingredients for scones with her as a backup plan.

I was pleased that our return journey was shorter due to it being downhill, because I could feel I had been sunburnt on our way there.  I hadn't been prepared for sun in Argyll seeing as Aberdeenshire was a cloudy 13 degrees.  Lesson learned.  

Kellockbank, near Insch, Aberdeenshire

I have now been to Kellockbank of a couple of occasions and have always enjoyed the shop, the garden centre and the coffee shop.  This place has lots on offer.

The food part of our trip, as always, was my favourite.  The menu is varied and has lots of delicious sounding combinations on offer.  There is always a menu of the day as well as the standard all-the-time menu.

The coffee shop is self service, with drinks and cakes being taken from the counter and if you order any 'real' food, it is taken to you at your table.  I like this setup as I imagine it must mean that there is a fair amount of fresh food being prepared in the kitchen, leading to less waste.

There were three different soups on offer, a couple of quiches, a few main courses and two puddings on the specials board on the day of our visit.  I opted for a soup to start, and intended to follow it up with strawberries and ice-cream, however the soup was finished!  I then opted for a steak panini - I am an avid meat eater.  If I had spotted it first, I probably wouldn't have even considered the soup!  Unfortunately, again, no steak, so no steak panini!

I felt the pressure to order quickly as the queue mounted behind me.  I ended up settling for macaroni cheese with chips and peas.  I instantly regretted my decision but felt it was too late to change it.

Alan, as usual, opted for a three course monster meal!  He had soup, fish and chips and then sticky toffee pudding.  All of which were of massive quantity.  It's not cheap there, however, they certainly don't scrimp on the portion sizes.  For all of the above, two drinks and a coffee we were roughly £37.


As it was a nice day, we asked if we might sit outside if there were tables.  The double doors were opened into the garden centre area and I had assumed that there may have been some tables to eat at outside.  The young lady at the counter said that there was only one table and pointed in the direction of it.  I found the table, however, it was for sale!  (£395 if you're interested!) I double checked with her and she assured me that it was fine to sit there.  It seemed a shame for there not be be a couple of outdoor tables, given that there seemed to be enough space for some.

My macaroni came along with Alan's soup and both were nice, not fantastic, nothing to rave about, but just good old boring nice.  My macaroni came with tinned peas - something which I really don't like to pay for.  If I had known they were going to be tinned I would have foregone them.  I can't explain my dislike for tinned veg.  The macaroni itself came in a wee dish of its own on the plate with the chips.  It was piping hot and had good flavour, but the pasta seemed to be a bit overcooked, falling to bits as I tried to get it on my fork.  The chips were nice.  I ate carefully so as not to spill on the table - I didn't want to be responsible for Kellockbank losing a sale due to cheese related damages.  Alan's fish was ginormous and looked perfectly crispy.  He must  have liked it as he finished before me, despite having the soup too.

I can't remember seeing his sticky toffee pudding, although it did arrive.  I had surely been too busy soaking up the sun (read: worrying about sunburn).

I will still come back here despite it not being quite as successful as the last few visits.  I made a poor choice in food when there were clearly so many other things I would have preferred.  Never mind...