ayrshire adventures

The Shepherds have a large connection with the county of Ayrshire in the Scotland lowlands - Dave's parents both grew up here, as did his grandparents.  His Gran, Claire Carroll, lives in Auchinleck, once a thriving mining town, and now a quiet country town which maintains a strong village feel but sadly lacks a dominant industry which has resulted in several generations of unemployment in the area.  We did notice however that the locals are endeavouring to heighten the profile of the area with the Auchinleck "alive and kicking" festival coming up in late August.  It was wonderful to meet Gran and to see the brightness in her eyes when she saw Dave walk through the door after not seeing him in nearly five years - one of her first comments to him was "oh you're still gorgeous".

We stayed for two nights in the neighbouring village of Sorn, in none other than the Sorn Inn. We were the only guests at this lovely B and B and were warmly welcomed by the owners during our stay and cooked some superb food by their son, the resident chef.  The restaurant itself has been the recipient of many awards and accolades and the dinner we enjoyed on Sunday night definitely lived up to expectations.  Dave and his dad shared a 600g chargrilled rib eye, with homemade thrice cooked chips, which was the subject of rave reviews.  My more delicate meal of poached guinea fowl with black pudding quinnelles, pea and pancetta risotto and mint foam also greatly impressed.  Gran particularly enjoyed the selection of homemade icecreams and we also indulged in a treacle tart with bee pollen icecream.  It was a wonderful meal with honest food, local flavours and great family company.

Bill and Jean (Dave's parents) showed us around the sights of Auchinleck on Monday, including Dumfries House and the Barony A-frame.  Dumfries House, a palatial establishment, is about five minutes walk from Dave's Gran's house. It was once home to a local Baron and Baronness, but had been left derelict for years until Prince Charles put in an eleventh hour rescue bid to save the antique furniture and fittings which had been marked for sale for an auction house.  It is now exceptionally well maintained by the National Trust and is one of the tourist drawcards in the Auchinleck area.  The Barony A-frame marked the sight of what was previously an underground coal mine, the dominant industry of the area for several decades, and where Dave's grandfather worked in the mine rescue team for many years. 

We travelled to a nearby village, Gatehead for a traditional Scottish pub dinner at the Cochrane Inn on Monday night.  Dave enlived his inner Scot and enjoyed Cullen Skink for entree and Haggis Neeps and Tatties for main.  In laymans' terms: smoked fish, potato and leek soup followed by spiced mince, turnips and mashed potato.

Breakfast on Tuesday at the Sorn Inn treated us to another tastebud sensation - a full Scottish breakfast for Dave including black pudding, bacon, eggs, cumberland sausages, fried bread and wild mushrooms.  I opted for the porridge with Drambuie glaze which came presented with almost a creme brulee type crust, and while it was almost too decadent for a morning meal, I didn't seem to have any trouble demolishing every mouthful!

Saying farewell to Gran wasn't easy by any stretch.  She looks strong and bright for age 88 but the distance between Brisbane and Auchinleck does mean the time between visits is not short. That said, phone contact will be somewhat easier now as Dave helpfully updated her speed dial telephone so we, and Dave's parents, are just a click away.

With a warm belly and a tear in the eye, we hit the road to head up to the Scottish highlands to meet up with Dave's family in Ballater. The beauty of the Burgh of Ballater will feature in the next update.

xxx