North Berwick: Steam Punk, Westgate Gallery, JPs, beach and more

Today we took the short trip by train to North Berwick for a most pleasurable day with E's cousin, Anne.  It was a day of relaxing in cafes over coffee and cake, time at the playground, wandering around gardens, walking along the beach and catching up with family.  The sun shone on us, we shared lots of laughter, and the food was glorious.

Our first stop was at JPs for a cuppa.  JPs Deli and Cafe is the reincarnation of Bunneys that I wrote about on our last visit to Scotland in 2012.  It was taken over by John Paul McLachlan in 2013 but retains much of the look and quality of Bunneys.  (Though is now a most fetching shade of green inside and out.)  The cheese and onion scone I had was superb.  It was warm and soft and full of flavour.  I had an elderflower presse to drink that was refreshing.  We all had scones except Sylvia who had a chocolate eclair.  It was great to sit and chat.

Next was a visit to the local playground behind the lodge.  Sylvia had great fun on the flying fox and the roundabouts and the swings.  Then we walked around the lodge gardens and were serenaded by the birds in the aviary.

We decided to stop for an early lunch at Steampunk Coffee.  E had spied it up a little lane and we were all mightily impressed.  The cafe is located in an old warehouse.  It has been designed with style and a great attention to detail.  Even the basins in the toilets are a little steampunk.

Upon first entering we were concerned there was only one table.  However then we looked up and found there were many more seats upstairs.

The tables and chairs were all mismatched old tables and chairs, which despite - or possibly because of - their slightly shabby upholstery are just the sort of furniture I wish I had in my home.

I rather liked the look of the salad bar.  Then I saw the impressive savoury muffins.  They were made with sun dried tomatoes, olives, feta, cheddar and possibly something else with lots of seeds on top.  I ordered one with some thai noodle salad and rocket.  The muffins was soft and fresh and filled with flavoursome chunks of vegies and cheese.  The salad was fresh and tasty while the rocket is the pile of greens I was needing.

Everyone else had the grilled cheese sandwich.  (E had rocket with his.)  Sylvia was a bit unimpressed but E and Anne were most impressed.  In fact Anne said it was the best grilled cheese sandwich she had ever had.  She spoke to the chef and we think it was manchego cheese in it.

As well as all the indoor seating, there is plenty of outdoor tables and chairs in the forecourt with a lovely view of the ruined church and graveyard opposite.  You can also see the combie van which visits market with the Steampunk coffee that is roasted and ground at the warehouse.

Then we took at walk down Victoria Road (past Melbourne Place) to the sea.

We walked along the beach.  Sylvia collected shells and made a wee sandcastle.

As we walked we could see The Bass Rock, one of the iconic landmarks of North Berwick.

Closer to the shore are the rocks at the end of the beach where e would play as a boy on his holidays.  Sylvia loved scrambling over the rocks and E showed her the rock formation like a chair.  The tide was quite high so they couldn't run around it as E has on previous visits.

It had been a lovely sunny day but by the time we left the beach it was quite overcast.

BTW I find the houses at the edge of the beach very British because the beaches where I grew up down the Great Ocean Road usually had either cliffs or parks by them and buildings were not visible from the beach.

Then it was time to wander the shops a little.  This picture of Bass Rock was found down a wee close where there were illustrations about Robert Louis Stevenson's time in North Berwick.

One of our favourite shops is the Westgate Galleries.  It is always welcoming and cosy with such beautiful gifts and pictures. 

Today I finally had a chance to eat in the Westgate Galleries at the Orangery cafe when we stopped for afternoon tea.  I had a berry tea and a splendid slice of cranachan cake.  It was a soft sponge cake with generous amounts of raspberry jam and buttercream.  (Coincidentally on my last trip to North Berwick I had cranchan cake!)

While we were there we decided to buy a print from North Berwick.  This town holds a special place for E.  He had many holidays there as a child and continues to visit as an adult when he can.

We took one last walk to the sea on the West Beach and then we took the train home.  It was lovely to be in North Berwick and to have an opportunity to spend time with Anne.  You can read about my previous trips to North Berwick in 2012 and 2009.

JPs Cafe and Deli
96 High Street, North Berwick
01620 890245
www.jpsdeli.co.uk

Steampunk Coffee
49A Kirkports, North Berwick
01620 893030
www.steampunkcoffee.co.uk

The Orangery
Westgate Galleries
39-41 Westgate, North Berwick
01620 894976
www.westgategalleries.co.uk

Minions in Edinburgh

Minion fever ahoy!  Sylvia can't get enough of these cute little yellow guys with the big eyes.  She is loving all the minion merchandise in Edinburgh.  (Apologies to anyone who thought the title meant that the Minions were invading Edinburgh or that Gru had shrunk the castle and put it in his pocket or that the Scottish Parliament was enlisting the help of the Minions!)  And it is holidays and we might never have the opportunity again.

I can assure you that the top picture is a shop (Primark) and not our holiday flat, though Sylvia no doubt wishes it was the latter.  The rest of the pictures are purchases for the kitchen, the pantry, the bathroom and the wardrobe and her playthings.

Carry case

Umbrella

Gloves

Bowl and plate

Yearbook - story and activities

Playing cards

Crisps

Glue Sticks

Journal

Hat, top, leggings, socks

Pasta in a tin

Savoury snacks - pickled onion, salt and vinegar, cheese toastie

Spoon and fork

FRuit yoghurt in a tUBE = Frubes

Shower gel and electric toothbrush

And there is more that I haven't photographed - chocolate, pens, plasters, tic tacs etc.

Edinburgh sightseeing, Stockbridge Market, Peter's Yard, Botanic Gardens and Epic Chalk Day

It was Epic Chalk Day that inspired today's fun day in Stockbridge and surrounds.  It was a day of markets, a vegan butcher, a Swedish baker, chalking, gardens, friends and charity shops.

It started with a bus trip to Stockbridge to visit the market.  I went early because I had heard there would be a vegan butcher there.  Who could resist!  E came later with Sylvia and her cousin.  It was great to wander about the market, tasting and chatting and trying to resist temptation.

The first stall I saw made me do a double take!  Easter eggs for dogs!  Do dogs really need easter eggs?  (Does this mean I should be sending a postcard to my cat in her cattery while I am away with apologies that she doesn't get an easter egg from me?)

I really liked these pictures and was so tempted to buy one.  Perhaps if E had been there I might have but I wasn't quite sure which one to pick as I loved so many of cats and robins and Scottish streetscapes.

The market had lots of expected offerings.  Pretty cupcakes, tempting slices, large wedges of cheese and beautiful bread.

I was really there because I was fascinated upon hearing there would be a vegan butcher there.  Which was very odd.  Normally I avoid all the meat stalls but today I paid careful attention just in case they were vegan.

The vegan butcher was easy to find.  It was run by Sgaia Foods.  I enjoyed chatting to the people who ran it as they were friendly and happy to discuss the products.

I tasted some of the steak and was taken aback at just how meaty and smoky it tasted.  Pretty impressive.

Their display of meat was interesting to look at, even if slightly disturbing if you are veg*n and not missing meat.  I chose a packet of streaky bacon and am planning to fry up some for breakfast.  Will report back on it.

Shire snax, the store next door was vegan, raw and gluten free.  But I would have stopped anyway because that dragon is really cute.  They sell raw energy bars, cakes and brownies.  I bought a Jaffa (the Hutt) bar.  I really liked the chocolate orange flavour.

The I was pretty excited by some superfoods salts.  Superfoods aren't my thing but I love fancy salts.  I bought a Ghost Lava salt.  It is black salt with chilli.  I really need to sprinkle it on a soup.  The saleswoman read my information about it being lower in sodium and good for me but I regret to say I was too excited about buying black salt to take it in.

They had other interesting salt mixes, sauces and vinegars. 

The last stall where I made a purchase was the Considerit chocolate maker.  They had a great range of vegan and dairy free chocolates.  When I asked about the basket of cream eggs, I was told they had fondant in them and were for people who hadn't been able to eat Creme eggs.  I bought a chocolate with a madagascan vanilla truffle centre and one with honeycomb chips.  Delicious.

After the market, I walked down Raeburn Place to browse the shops.  This was where E caught up with me.  We could not believe how many charity shops there were and that most of them were open on Sunday.  It never would have been like that in E's granny's day.

The reason we had gone across to that side of town was the Epic Chalk Day in Inverleith Park.  We had stumbled across it while looking at what was on while in Edinburgh.  The organiser Paul Togneri is a local street artist who brought lots of chalk and encouraged everyone to draw on the footpath.  It was really busy and according to their facebook page, they ran out of chalk but everyone seemed friendly in sharing chalk.

Then Sylvia was hangry.  And we were so close to the Botanics Gardens that we went over.  It is a place that is dear to E who loved visiting as a wee boy.  The Terrace Cafe that we have visited before was closed until next weekend.  The cafe was temporarily relocated to the main building as a pop up.  It was chaotic but warmer. 

I had a lovely lentil, carrot and carraway soup with a cheese scone.  Sylvia and her cousin had the kids packs with sandwiches, babybel cheese, juices and grapes.  E shared their sandwiches and Sylvia had some of my scone.

We had planned to meet Scottish blogger, Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes, at the Epic Chalk Day but instead met her and her wee boy Cooper at the Botanics.  They went through the Glasshouses but we didn't.  We were surprised and disappointed that it now cost £5.50 for an adult to go through.  Last time we were there it was free.  Which seems right and proper in a public place like the Botanics.

However we met up with Jac and Cooper and had a relaxed time wandering around the grounds and stopped at this tree with the huge roots.  The kids had a lovely time playing there.

Then we walked back to Stockbridge along the Water of Leith.  It is interesting that this walkway was opened as recently as 1981 in such an old area of Edinburgh.  E remembers that you couldn't walk this way when he was a boy though he also said he would sometimes squeeze through a gap in the railing when he was quite small.  He was very pleased to see a dipper in the water.  Apparently it is rare to see this bird.

E was ready for a coffee and I had already checked out Peter's Yard earlier that day.  The cinnamon buns were magnificent.  So soft and fresh and flavoursome.  It was close to where we came out from the Water of Leith.  This is a Swedish bakery with a small cafe attached.  On both visits I shared a table with strangers as there isn't heaps of seating.

E tried a cardamom bun.  He was likewise smitten with it.  He also said his soy latte was one of the best he had had in Edinburgh.  Sylvia and her cousin had ice creams and they were delicious.  I had had enough sweet food and asked if I could have bread and cheese.  They were only too happy to oblige.  The bread was delicious and the cheese was rather tasty.

I really loved Peter's Yard.  They also do a cheese and bread basket and pizzas that I would love to try.  There is another Peters Yard bakery close to the Meadows near to where we are staying.  It is very tempting to go there and buy a loaf of their lovely bread and perhaps a bun or two to take home.

There were a few cafes I would have been happy to stop at for a bite in Stockbridge.  We are unlikely to get back there on this visit but were pleased to spend some time there today.

Terrace Cafe
Royal Botanic Gardens
Inverleith Row
Edinburgh
0131 552 0616
http://www.rbge.org.uk/

Peters Yard
3 Deanhaugh Street
Stockbridge, Edinburgh
0131 3222901
http://petersyard.com/