Category Archives: Retail

Ayrshire, Delis, Food Analysis

There’s a New Cheese in Town

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I’ve often thought that if I worked in food production in any way, making cheese would be the thing for me. That or baking cakes for a teashop where presentation was low on the list of priorities.

I’ve been to cheese festivals, seen umpteen programmes about how cheese is made, eaten I have no idea how many different cheeses, and even wasted a couple of hours messing around and making a song about it (I know…I’m not sure what came over me). However I’ve never actually made any.

I have recipes for soft cheeses kicking around, and keep meaning to try them, but until I do, I’m going to content myself by supporting the industry and eating yet more cheese.

That’s why I was thrilled to come across a new local cheesemaker earlier in the year: Barwheys Dairy.

barwheys smoked cheese

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Ayrshire, Bakeries, Beverage Specialists, Butchers, Cafés, Delis, Fishmongers, Greengrocers, Shops, Sweet Shops, Takeaways

An On-Foot Food Tour of Troon

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While down south sunny days and unseasonal heatwaves have been occurring, up here we have been having a lot of rain, broken up by grey skies, strong winds and the occasional burst of hail.

Noting the potential arrival of a single sunny day, I reserved it for another food tour, and some research and a print-out later, I was in the seaside town of Troon.

I have only been to Troon a few times before, and never into the actual town. Instead I’ve gone to the harbour to Wee Hurrie, a great fish and chip shop that fries while you wait, and the neighbouring McCallum’s Oyster Bar, where I eschewed oysters in favour of some wonderful fish. I really must write about them sometime.

However though the town itself is small, it’s definitely worth a saunter round, followed by a bracing walk along the beach to burn off a few cake calories.

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Food Analysis, Markets, Scotland

Scottish Food Analysis: Macaroon Bars and Coconut Macaroons

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I am a big fan of French macarons. The stunning colours, delicate flavourings and chewy textures… the only thing I don’t like is the price. Seriously. Considering the price just one of those tiny little delights retails for, I almost expect them to be diamond-encrusted.

Of course I appreciate they are a fiddle to make. I’ve had my fair share of cracked tops, sandy textures and uneven splodges to contend with, and after watching a recent episode of one of my favourite tv programmes “The Great British Bake Off”, I can see I am not alone.

Coconut macaroons are a very different beast, and something that are strangely Scottish. I say strangely, because coconut palms don’t line the shores here, but perhaps they come from the same tropical stable as pineapple tarts.

macaroon bar

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Ayrshire, Bakeries, Beverage Specialists, Butchers, Cafés, Delis, Fishmongers, Markets, Shops, Takeaways, Tours

An On-Foot Food Tour of Ayr

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When I moved to Ayrshire, one of the things I was most looking forward to was finding new places to buy and eat delicious food.

My first port of call was Ayr, and I’ve put together a walking tour for any foodies who might be visiting the town and want to know where to go.

For this tour I’ve only focused on places around the centre of town, south of the river. There are other places outside this area that I want to look into in the future, as well as many interesting places to eat in, which I hope to get to sometime.

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