Worst bloggers in the world!

Both now back from long holidays in Portugal having abandoned blogging in favour of eating Pastel Da Natas and lying in the sun. Tough choices had to be made, blogging about tearooms or relaxing and eating and drinking. No contest!!!
Back to business with a long list of tearooms signed up waiting for their reviews to appear. Well we ate the cakes didn't we!!
Starting with Cafe Review, in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire. This was recommended to us by lots of ladies who lunch and on the day we visited to review we had a great cup of tea.
Tucked away at the back of Milngavie bookshop, this is small and cosy and has the added benefit of being surrounded by books. There is a small patio out the back for nice days if the sun ever shines again.
We had tea and some of the delicious teabread (coconut, banana or gingerbread) and a freshly made scone. The scone was not the best we have ever tasted (too small and dry) but the banana loaf was moist and yummy. The gingerbread looked very good as a second choice. We didn't visit at lunch time but preparations for lunch looked very promising. Homemade soup changes daily, salads looked fresh and innovative. Feta cheese and cherry tomato, couscous with pine nuts and a selection of sandwiches and toasties all looked fresh and tasty.
Access for wheelchair users would be possible and there was a table of young mums with small children in pushchairs.
Service was outstanding and many people have mentioned this as a positive. Although it is counter service the casual and friendly atmosphere made us feel reassured that less physically able customers would be well supported. Obviously the cafe was full of regular customers but the staff were friendly and attentive to everyone.
We thought that this great little cafe had lots of bonus points because of its location in a shopping centre. The bookshop is excellent and there is a great selection of cards and unusual stationery.
This area is the gateway to the West Highland Way and would be a good place to stock up on a few calories before the walk. The shopping centre includes a small Marks and Spencers, several chemists, Mackays, loads of excellent charity shops, a seriously good handbag shop and a great old fashioned department store as well all the usual gift shops.
Verdict Great place to go for lunch and worth trying for tea and cakes but get the scones sorted out, ladies!
Address: Cafe Review, Milngavie Bookshop,37 Douglas Street, Milngavie Glasgow G62

Pottery or Porcelain?

Being really busy at work is not really conducive to being a blogger but having morning coffee with friends yesterday made me think about it again. We had excellent tea and coffee with beautiful light home made scones and jam and enjoyed it so much we even had a second round. I love this coffee shop and the gift shop beside it is full of lovely things. (My second cuppa actually was peppermint, made with whole dried mint leaves and it was delicious if you love peppermint tea and its calming effect on the digestion.)
We had so much discussion on whether we like to drink our tea and coffee from a fine china cup or a big pottery mug that we began to wonder if we were getting old...But for those of us who are really picky about taste, we decided that a fine china cup is really essential!
Lots of coffee shops are now getting involved in this blog but all are so protective of their very special businesses that pictures have to be perfect, reviews have to be on just the right day and well, I understand all that. When you put a lot of work into something really special it is only understandable to want to see it presented at its best. So watch this space. Things can only get busier.
Crystallized Violet

Doyle's Cafe and Deli

Good Monday morning so far! Nipped out for some bin bags and ended up buying lunch to go from my local cafe and deli.(Cupboards are very bare in my house, no time to shop!) Came home and immediately ate the Paradise Slice with my morning coffee sitting in the garden. There are no words.....well, plenty obviously, but it was a fine piece of cake, Cherry Tart, sorry you weren't here!. Moist and juicy and full of cherries and such like with sugar on top. The cafe is delightful and service impeccable. Exactly the kind of place Cherry Tart and I are tracking down so relentlessly. More on this to come but if I tell you that their lemon drizzle cake and chocolate rum cake are also divine and at Christmas time they sold the best truffles I have ever tasted....Well worth a review I think. One of my personal best in Scotland and in a gorgeous rural setting. More on this to come and watch out for pictures. Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world....

Crystallized Violet

Cherry Tart in Sagres

Still blogging from sunny shores in Portugal. Don't you just hate it? We took a local EVA bus with friends to Pousada Da Infanta and I had my favourite coffee of all-um gallao. A clifftop setting, land's end views and a long milky coffee-perfect! Let us know your favourite tea and coffee shops at home or abroad.
Off for another of those pastel da natas.....
Cherry Tart

Story from Darling Daughter

I like this story. It made a lot of sense to me.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now" said the professor as the laughter subsided "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first" he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."
"The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness, spend time with your children, spend time with your parents, visit with grandparents, take time to get medical checks, take your other half out to dinner, play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the drains. Take care of the golf balls first-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and enquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said "I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Pastel de Natas-every day!

Blogging from very sunny shores, Portugal to be exact. Scones are in very short supply out here so, strictly for business purposes, I've taken to comparing the delights of pastel de natas(custard tarts).. Sheer joy-wish you could share the taste sensation with a cup of lovely coffee.

Cafes here are full of women chatting and eating pastries and drinking cha(tea). Feels very like home but warmer of course.
Adeus
Cherry Tart

The Cocoa Tree Shop and more..

Today is the day we are finally online and people who find us can send messages, tell us all their morning coffee and afternoon tea chat, share recipes and view gorgeous china in our Cup of The Week slot. We also want ideas about new coffee shops to try. All very exciting! Our aim is to ultimately find the top 100 tea and coffee shops in Scotland and as self-styled experts in all things related to life in tea shops, Cherry Tart and I have had plenty of experience of sitting drinking tea and coffee and sorting out our lives. (You never do that over lunch or dinner do you? Why is that?) We are also very picky. A lovely cup of steaming coffee and a fabulous scone with cream and jam can be spoilt by grumpy staff or a grubby table. All coffee shops should have a Critical Friend visit once a month. What is it in Scotland that we find difficult about staff training and smiling at customers! Enough moaning... My Critical Friend, otherwise known as Darling Daughter, thinks I spend too much time chatting and not enough time reviewing so..

I chatted this morning with Sophie from The Cocoa Tree Shop in Pittenweem, a fabulous place which we hope will become one of our top 100. Anyone going for a day out to the East Neuk will not find a better place to sit and drink coffee, tea or amazing hot chocolate. The White Chocolate with cinnamon is just sensational and just the job after a long hike along the coastal path. Like so many really great coffee shops it is also quirky and interesting and full of personality. More on this later but thank you, Sophie, you gave me lots to think about.

So now to work, a day lined up visiting coffee shops with Cherry Tart and working out our review process. All fascinating stuff and makes my hassles with uploading (or is it downloading ?) pictures seem worth it. Now I can do it I can't stop doing it so as no one has sent me a special tea cup I will have to use one of my own.

Crystallized Violet