The Highlanders Bakehouse — Restaurant in Scotland

Go! don't wait, if your in the area just do it!

I was riding through the Cairngorms with some friends and after finding our route blocked by a closed road we found ourselves passing the Highlanders Bakehouse. Leading this section of the run I quickly swung the group round to investigate in the hopes of it being another diamond in the rough location, We weren't disappointed!

Having started the day in Ullapool and only having stopped for a morning coffee and cake, it being mid afternoon on arrival a warm late lunch was required. We pilled in, motorcycle gear and all and took over a large table and a spare for all the helmets, it was no qualm, and they quickly saw to us ordering and paying one after the other.

The space is unique, outdoors meets indoors, the seating space is protected from the main elements whilst still being sort of outside, the advantage of this is that you could walk in dripping and not worry about flooding the place or damaging anything. The downside being if it's cold you will still need your layers, but they have thought through this, with either a blanket or sheepskin on every chair. They even have some hot water bottles available if needed! Little touches like this really make a difference and add to the vibe of a place.

The food is fantastic, all freshly prepared on site with wherever possible locally sourced ingredients, the pastries are fabulous! I not to hungry went with a cinnamon swirl that came served warm (definitely the way to go) and with cream, which was delicious, this is with a well made cappuccino to warm me up, saw me right. Others in my party had soup, bacon and egg baps or hot dogs amongst other things, which were mouth watering and all went down very well with big grins all round. The servings are a good size and the quality is top notch.

However whilst all these things will always make a great cafe location, what really made the Highlanders Bakehouse was the atmosphere. This, from my experience, comes directly from the lovely couple that run it, whilst I only had the pleasure of meeting one half of the duo, it is clear they have a passion and love for what they are doing. It shows in every aspect of the quirky, down to earth and artisan location and this naturally flows into your experience there. It is hard not to smile whilst there.

After having a wonderful late lunch and speaking further with the gentleman there (so sorry not to have caught his name) about the bakehouse and its origins whilst I took some photos, we wandered out to the bikes to get ready for the final leg down to Perth. It was with this that a final parting moment that he came out after us and presented us with a bag of 'Butteries' as a gift with a smile for further along our journey.

For me I am lucky enough to spend more time than most in places like this, but this one stands out amongst so many. I will no doubt be back, in fact I can see a trip being planned with this being the intended destination at some point a location like this is easily worth a 1000...

How unfortunate. Last year we went here for lunch and my wife had a toasted sandwich and I had a foot long hot dog. The food was served with trimmings, and the hot dog was a delight to look at as well as to taste.

When we visited it was winter time and there were blankets for customers and staff brought out hot water bottles. The whole experience made us feel welcomed and pampered, and the food, although not the cheapest, was great quality and an experience in itself. This was the place we would bring our visiting guests in the future for lunch.

After this visit, we have passed several times and stopped and picked up some buns (very fresh and moist) with a blackcurrant or raspberry coulis filling.

Today's visit we had chicken, pesto, and salad sandwiches, the bread was quite dry, but the pesto didn't work with it and my wife had a bone in her chicken.

We also had some buns, I had a cinnamon bun, which was stale with a dollop of sickly white stuff on top, which was just unpleasant. My wife had a stale raspberry and almond bun, which she couldn't finish as it was so dry.

As for the premises, the counters and displays have moved into the seating arra and so there is less inside seating and it now appears very crowded and a bit of a squeeze,it feels like the cozy feel has been lost.

It's such a shame that something has changed with the Highlanders Bakehouse, but I hope they can work it out and get it back to how it used to be. And on a personal note, I hope they bring back...

Honest food.

On the Crathie stretch of road heading towards Balmoral Castle there are two roadside cafes within a mile of each other.

There is this one, the Highlanders Bakehouse, and the Tarmachan Cafe. We have visited both over the past few years and of the two we have settled on the Highland Bakehouse as our go-to place. Why is this you ask?

Well, there is a level of honest to goodness genuineness at the Highlanders Bakehouse. Here you can experience the work in progress fruits of the labour of a couple who have thrown all they have into making it work. And it shows. There is nothing pretentious in this place, from the upcycled furniture to the DIY cafe area. The food is honest too; nothing too fancy but my goodness is it good, with a great selection of hot food, pastries and cakes.

In comparison, Tarmachan feels like a living art experiment, a side project, by some Scandinavian with deep pockets; accordingly it has an architectural studio next door, trendy decor, hipster serving staff and a modern menu. Problem is, it is too trendy for its own good: we once had to wait 30 mins for toast for our kids. By then, all our patience had run out despite having a plate of perfectly grilled home-made bread with a perfectly crafted salad on the side.

Not so at the Highlanders Bakehouse. Food is great, service is snappy, atmosphere is...fine. I'd much rather give my money to an extremely hard working and dedicated couple than fund a side...