seaside village – Two Black Dogs

Wordless Wednesday: Pink sky of Scotland

July 20, 2016July 19, 2016Two Black Dogs12 Comments

Gardenstown sunset, Scotland — Pink sunset over Gardenstown Harbour, Scotland

Gardenstown2016-6769 — Glorious pink sky for our last night in Gardenstown

Wordless Wednesday: Delights of Pittenweem, Scotland

July 13, 2016July 12, 2016Two Black Dogs7 Comments

Local tavern

This way to the Cocoa Tree

Inside Cocoa Tree cafe

St Fillan’s Cave, Pittenweem

Pittenweem gull and harbour

Seaside village of Pittenweem

Eating in Scotland

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016Two Black DogsLeave a comment

Gardenstown-5857 — Seatown houses, Gardenstown Banffshire Coast

Some might think that it is difficult to eat well in Scotland, but I’ve got the ‘now too tight pants’ to prove otherwise. Not to mention the numerous photos that I am sharing with you. The availability of good wines from all over the world didn’t help with maintaining a balanced, healthy diet nor did the clotted cream fudge or the divine chocolates from the Cocoa Tree in Pittenweem and Iain Burnett, Highland Chocolatier in St Andrews.

In Fife we stayed at Dairsie Castle and enjoyed gourmet evening meals provided by Christopher Trotter, a local chef and Fife ambassador. Meals were prepared using local, seasonal ingredients including nettle, wild garlic, seafood and lamb. Scottish cheeses such as Crowdie and Clava were served with oatcakes and fresh fruit, the wines chosen by individuals at the Cupar Tescoe. Day trips to seaside villages such as Crail, Pittenweem and St Monans gave us the opportunity to try more local specialities in spectacular settings. Surprisingly, I did manage to get some painting and sketching done in between all the tasty food stops, there is only so much one person can eat 😉

Gardenstown is a fishing village in the highlands, located on the Banffshire Coast not far from Macduff and Fraserburgh. There is no supermarket in the town apart from a small convenience store and only three choices of places to eat: Teapot One, a nice little cafe serving homemade soups and cakes; The Garden Arms Hotel, a cozy little pub open for dinner a few nights a week; and the Harbour View Restaurant, for fine dining near the pier. We ate regularly at the Garden Arms, the atmosphere was cozy and congenial and the owners looked after us well. The Teapot One was the perfect spot for grabbing fresh fruit scones as a snack or an afternoon pick-me up hot chocolate, and the Harbour View Restaurant was a nice change and they served a most delicious sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice-cream. On one wet and misty day we ventured into Macduff to wander around the woodlands near Duff House, it was the perfect weather for sitting down to a bowl of delicious Cullen Skink, a soup of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions. The smell reminded me of the smoked fish my family in New Zealand served up, one of the few fish dishes I ate as a child.

When staying in Edinburgh I ate at the Cafe Rouge and at the restaurant in The Place Hotel, I couldn’t resist the charcuterie platter or the duck or the mussels or the snails so I tried a bit of everything. There are plenty of great places to eat and drink in Edinburgh, so why a French restaurant? After a couple of weeks of enjoying traditional Scottish fare and ingredients I was looking for something a little different and I’ve always been a sucker for french food. It wasn’t only the food I enjoyed but the coffee, it was relatively easy to find a decent macchiato or espresso although the service was a little hit and miss in some places, much like here in Australia.

Enjoy!

Sticky toffee pudding and vanilla ice cream, Harbour View Restaurant, Gardenstown

Snails in herb and garlic butter, tempura mussels and confit duck with cherry sauce, Cafe Rouge Edinburgh

Cullen Skink, a soup of smoke haddock, potatoes and leeks. Duff House Cafe.

Baileys and Chocolate cheesecake, Garden Arms Hotel Gardenstown

Smoked Salmon Pate and Oatcakes, Garden Arms Hotel Gardenstown

Gourmet chocolates at Iain Burnett, The Highland Chocolatier, St Andrews

Pooh Bear Honeycomb ice cream at Luvians, St Andrews

Lobster and chips at the East Pier Smokehouse, St Monans

Hot chocolate and warm ginger cake, the Cocoa Tree Pittenweem

The Cocoa Tree, Pittenweem

Crab and crisps at Crail

Salmon cooked in pastry, served with potato and greens

Clava – a locally produced brie style cheese

Full Scottish breakfast

Confit duck with fondant potato

Macaroni Cheese and Garlic Bread, Pitlochry

Lemon Sole with vegetables, Harbour View Restaurant Gardenstown

Charcuterie platter, Cafe Rouge Edinburgh

Prawns in Sweet Chilli Sauce, Harbourview Restaurant

St Monans by the sea

May 14, 2016Two Black DogsLeave a comment

St Monans is one of many small, picturesque villages on Scotland’s east coast. Popular with painters and lovers of seafood, it was the perfect location for our small group. 17th and 18th century coloured houses, a historic church, fishing boats, coastal views, and the ruins of Newark Castle provide plenty of fodder for this snap happy traveller. The East Pier Smokehouse came highly recommended for a lobster lunch and it did not disappoint. A glass of white wine to wash it all done and then it was time to explore the village and find a spot suitable for sketching. To be honest, I spent the majority of my time taking photos (procrastinating) and only managed to get one small sketch done before hopping back on the bus.