An Edible Voyage

October 2020 I was so excited to come across this peaceful and cosy cafe with it's roaring fire and dappled light pooling on tables by windows.  Hidden down some stone steps within the unassuming Temple Guiting Pantry, discovering it felt like my own little secret. There's a good mix of staples as well as inventive offerings, alongside coffee, tea and freshly squeezed juice.  Eggs Royale with brown butter Hollandaise or corn and kale fritters with black bean and pomegranate salsa, aji verde and chipotle... there are some hard choices to make here!  This is a place to linger, to absorb the tranquility. Find the cafe inside Temple Guiting Pantry, on the square of the village of the same name.  They can provide a leaflet suggesting a 1.5 hour walk through the beautiful Gloucestershire Cotswolds for a pre or post breakfast/ brunch/ lunch stroll, and the shop itself is well worth a browse.

November 2020 A cheese pantry was not what I expected to find down a track off the road between Inverness airport and the city, but a welcome find it was indeed.  Entering a small cafe and delicatessen selling all manner of crackers, oat cakes and chutneys, as well as cheese toasties, cakes and coffee, I had a fantastic view of the cheese production through the glass wall.  Then it got better - hidden in the corner of the deli is a door, through which I found myself in the most incredible cheese 'cave'.  Walls and walls of cheese, both locally made and from further afield, a real cheese lover's delight!  Some of the cheeses are made on the farm, such as the 12-15 month matured Connage Cheddar, and the Connage Gouda - a deliciously rich and creamy cheese with a flavour profile unlike Dutch Gouda due to differences in the grazing land.  Connage Farm also have a smokery.  Having never heard of a smoked brie before, I had to try it.  Firmer than traditiona...