Glasgow
Today i had the privilage of re-visiting this wonderful Garden Centre and Coffee Shop in the middle of the beautiful Clyde Valley. A 10 minute drive from the motorway and you are in the most beautiful countryside in Lanarkshire. George and Mairi have run this Centre for many years now after taking over from George senior ,and its most definitely gone from strength to strength . This is a very busy Garden centre and has won many Awards for one thing or another but i was here for the baking and nothing else. The absolutely massive display of cakes as you enter is hard to miss and is the responsibility of a very good Baker - Evelyn . Its simply quite unbelievable the amount of Baking that is served here . I couldn't quite make up my mind but opted for a lovely warm Blueberry and Lemon scone , light as a feather and served with homemade raspberry jam. There was a few new ones on me today, like the Crunchie Munchie bar which has 4 corners of popular cadbury sweets made into a square block of truffle bar - very naughty . Also a Mallow Truffle which was simply like a big snowball but better . But for me today there was not just one favourite but 2 . A simple lemon sponge which was just as light as a feather and the icing tangy and lemony was absolutely devine. The border Tart which is a cinammon and fruit Tart on a sweet pastry base was excellent. It is great to see old fashioned Baking recipes alive and well in the Lanarkshire countryside. Today modernisation is great and a must for baking to evolve but for me the true old fashioned baking , baked well is hard to beat . This lady is a truly great baker and i salute you Evelyn. Long live Goulding's Garden centre and its great nod to tradition. Slainte !
My Home Bakery in Hyndland was the first port of call today and wow what a wee find . Glasgow is full of Cafes and Coffee chains and most are all generic and uninspiring where the baked goods are concerned , not this wee place. Glasgow's Hyndland street in the upmarket west end is a joy to be with its street full of town centre individual and unique shops and this Bakery surely must be a hit with the lucky locals. The Bakery is managed by the bubbly and chatty Leanne and the Latvian guys responsible for the mouthwatering baking are Kris and Ivars . Kris studied his art in London after a career change from marketing and has never looked back . Ivars proudly compliments the duo by his part in all things savoury. On entering this bright and lovely little Bakery you are immediately hit by the vast array of baking displayed beautifully on black boards on a white counter. I have to say i was really hoping that the cakes tasted as immaculate and perfect as they looked . Absolutely perfect bakewell tarts , Pear and Ginger Cakes , Scones, Seeded Biscuits , and the list goes on . I have to confess i have been bored with the humble and trendy Carrot cake of late until 11.46am today - Oh my goodness i cannot express to you the delight that this cake gave me . It was as light as air, carrot very visible , full of nuts and the most delicious cream cheese frosting . Truly i say this every time, but this is now my best Carrot cake i have ever tasted. We then move swiftly on to the brownie ( another cake seen everywhere and usually not done very well) I have to say again one of the best i have tasted. Full of excellent quality chocolate , white and dark and this is still in whole chunks baked through the brownie which you have the delight of biting into . Soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside - stunning. I dont normally ask for cakes to go when on Assessments ( Unless invariably they are given to me ) But i scoffed the lot on the way home in the car - A true Pro !!!! I suggest to keep excellent bakers in original, independent shops going ( especially in city culture) then shop local as this Bakery is better than any i have seen in a while . Not only that but the boys are genuinely lovely people . All the very best " My Home Bakery"
The Wallace tearooms in Lanark is run by the hard working and passionate Kym . This lady and her baking took the title of " Scotland's Best Tearoom" in 2014 by The Scottish Baking Awards and this year i was back to see if all was still the same standard. I had no doubts before sampling Kyms Baking but every chance for sampling great cakes and i am your man. This year i decided to have lunch at The Wallace before taking on the mammoth task of cake eating . Its important to line the stomach you know and i know all the tricks now. I can now report that the savoury side of this tearoom is just as good as the sweet side. The homemade frittata is an egg based quiche type dish and it was mouthwatering served with homemade coleslaw and salad. Anyhow i digress , back to the cakes . I tried Cranberry and vanilla scones which were very unusual in flavour and texture but delicious. I have to say the Death By Chocolate Torte was the best Chocolate slice i have eaten in a very long time. I dont usually eat all the cakes i am given at each Assessment ( In fact never) but this cake was absolutely my new all time favourite. I tried an award winning Parsnip , Lemon and walnut iced loaf which was again very different, original and brilliant. The vienesse whirls quite simply melted in my mouth with a filling of homemade jam and butter icing . This girl can not only bake but is a great innovative cake designer as well. Truly talented and its always a pleasure taking the time to sit down and talk baking with you Kym. Thankyou for your continued support and of course in all things baking . See you soon Kym at The Wallace Tearooms.
A stunning September day and my drive through the Clyde valley and south to Biggar . Biggar is a small town of approximately 2,000 people in south Lanarkshire and is a great example of a thriving small town with small individual shops bustling and busy . These thriving Artisan shops are in the minority in our town centres these days ,but Biggar obviously has a community that is used to good food and Artisan produce compared to mass produced ,industrial type food. At Biggar Flavour , Jane and Ranald drive a committed and hard working team winning Award after Award for their great homemade produce, jams , breads and Homebaking . The emphasis is on flavour ( Hence the name) and they pack a punch thats for sure. Ranald wins Awards for his Jams and preserves and they are excellent. No hidden ingredients you cant pronounce but real fruit made with love the old fashioned way. I tried Raspberry and Passion fruit and both fruits were entirely recognisable in this wonderful jam. Jane is a keen bread maker and loves experimenting with new flavours ,tastes and designs. I went away with an " Undecided loaf" . This is 4 different mini loafs baked as a whole and then you can choose which quarter to break away and devour. Very innovative and thats what i love about this couple . They continually strive to push the boundaries and give their customers new and different bakes time after time. Its all too easy to continously make the same old , same old customer favourites but not here at Biggar Flavour. I had a flash back to my grans kitchen with a wonderfully tasty bran scone baked on the griddle like a soda bread- sublime! Jane also loves her opera slices and experiments with old and new flavours to keep the customer intrigued. Needless to say i love Biggar Flavour and its continuous evolvement in breaking boundaries but staying with traditional at the same time . Great Bakers, entrepenuers and people . Cant wait to return !