Events

Teapot Dram Afternoon Tea

Cannonball Restaurant and Bar, v169

14:30 (ends 23 August, not Saturdays)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars)

Well, it was a splendid afternoon tea: but having been drawn to book this event by the prospect of drinking a dram or two of one of my most favourite single malts – the Teapot Dram from the Glengoyne distillery – I was rather disappointed to discover that we were given a genteel sniff in a glass rather than a generous dram [or two] of malt.

The tea itself was very good, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Starting off with the savouries – a small glass of utterly delectable creamy green pea soup and a small, breadcrumbed ball of excellent haggis were followed by finger sandwiches [ham with mustard and leaves; egg; and cucumber and cream cheese; the first two on white and the third on brown bread, sadly just common sliced bread rather than something to match the quality of the fillings]. I then moved on to the thickly sliced, delectable smoked salmon, complemented by tiny, very cheddary scones: then it was on to the sweet stuff…

Two very crumbly fruit scones were paired with a rather light and fluffy vanilla cream and homemade blackcurrant jam. I would have preferred plain scones, but found that the scones’ sweetness was softened when eaten with just the cream – adding the jam was a step too far for me. And then, hardship oh hardship, there was the small plate of sweet treats… I declined to try the very pink macaron or the wee shortbread biscuits sandwiched together with jam [why??] but thoroughly enjoyed the marzipan ball [slightly dry, with a little crust] and the meltingly luxurious dark chocolate ball held together with a thin coating of white chocolate. I had a go at the lemon syllabub, which was exceedingly lemony and creamy, but had to give up part way through because I was simply TOO FULL.

Throughout the afternoon, pots of Breakfast tea came, were emptied, and were replaced: the dram was treasured, sipped through the afternoon, and was a delightful final touch to a very pleasant afternoon – made the more pleasant by being joined part-way through by a charming woman just up from Devon who was also on her own. The tea is a lovely treat to have on one’s own, but the pleasure is greatly enhanced by sharing it with congenial company.

Mary Woodward