Soup of the Day
We were at the Salty Dog Cafe in Lochgilphead the other day for lunch and we had the dogs with us.
The Salty Dog allows dogs. Located on Lochnell St, this cosy café was set up by Eilidh in 2018 and offers home baking, comforting and wholesome cooked food, good coffee and takeaways. We asked what was the soup of the day? The reply was – Leek and Potato. We ordered the soup and it was great.
This then reminded us of a previous touring holiday in the Scottish Highland’s around Pitlochry with John’s sister and her husband. Throughout our week’s visit every lunch-stop we made leek and potato soup was the ‘soupe de jour’. Eventually, it became a running joke to interrupt the waitress or waiter before they had a chance to answer our question of; “What’s the soup of the day?” By getting in quickly with; “Is it leek and potato?” Don’t get me wrong. I love leek and potato soup.
Great bowls of soup can be had in a number of eateries around and about us.
Not far from here and heading south is Quarry View. The Quarry View cafe, located on the A83, over looks Loch Fyne and takes its name from the now abandoned quarry across the road. It is near to Crarae Gardens.
Cararae Gardens, a National Trust for Scotland property, also has a cafe and its woodland gardens of Himalayn plants and tumbling waterfalls is a wonderful location for a walk.
Then heading south to Lochgilphead another cafe worth stopping by is The Smiddy Bistro on Smithy Lane. It offers offers a selection of British and Scottish cuisine and makes a great cullen skink.
Eight miles north of Lochgilphead, the Kilmartin Glen is a treasure trove of ancient history with ancient monuments and artefacts. Kilmartin House Museum built in 1789 and since 1994 home to its Trust’s aim of preserving and displaying artefacts from the local archaeology and natural heritage to inspire, educate and enrich peoples’ lives; it is an ideal base to explore the area.
And while you plan your route pop into its café. This café has a seriously great reputation. It prides itself on producing locally-sourced delicious food with a variety of daily specials from soups, mains, snacks and homemade cakes to wilt over. Vegetarians and vegans are also catered.
If you are travelling north from Powdermills Bed and Breakfast to Inverarary there are an abundance of coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. Three miles from Furnace is Auchindrain, the Scottish Highland farm township. Its coffee shop will set you up for stepping back in time to experience the challenging lives of those who lived within a small farming community.
On reaching Inveraray there is The George Hotel. Built in 1744, as two private houses as part of the planned development of Inveraray, this award winning hotel has an award winning chef who makes a great bowl of soup – it just happened to be leek and potato the day we were in and it was GOOD.
Also, in Inveraray there is Brambles cafe and bristo. Part of Brambles guest house this cafe is very popular and offers a variety of locally produced fayre throughout the day. And don’t get me started on how I love their apple strudel – with cream, with ice cream, with custard – or with a bit of everything!
So, the message is don’t pass up on getting out and about in mid-Argyll, as you can be assured that there is always somewhere to stop for one of Scotland’s great bowls of soup.
https://www.thegeorgehotel.co.uk/
https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/crarae-garden