SCONE SPY HITS SKYE
Cafe Sia offers up some northern delights.
REMEMBER the classic ’80s advert for Knorr stock cubes?
“All that way – just to pick up a chicken?” asks one farmer to another, when it’s explained the wife is away to a hen night in Inverness.
Well, here I am, all the way across the Skye Bridge, just to sample the scones.
Now that really is devotion for you.
And, unlike the farmer in the ad, there is no confusion here.
Your intrepid Scone Spy has travelled all over Skye’s rugged landscape, discovering lots of fine establishments serving up delicious scones along the way, but there was one place that really stood out during the trip – and we came upon it just as we were leaving.
On the way home, in need of refuelling, we were on the lookout for a place to eat.
As we passed through Broadford, an inviting little white bungalow stood out. Rushing in and out of the rain, we were warmly welcomed into the homely Café Sia by the pleasant staff and took a seat on the plaidcushioned benches.
It was bustling without feeling overcrowded, and as we settled into our seats we were confident we’d chosen well when we saw the man at the next table tucking into a jam-laden scone.
Don’t be put off by the name, as this is much more than just a café.
Café Sia does breakfast, lunch and dinner and the open-plan kitchen was a hub of activity.
The coffee beans are roasted on site, while the tea comes in a fun vintage teapot.
Another big tick for Café Sia comes in the shape of their wood-fired pizza oven, offering a host of intriguing-sounding pizzas that come in full size or six-inch pizzettes.
When Scone Spy’s other half, who has a dairy allergy (which doesn’t prevent half my scone regularly disappearing from my plate), noticed there was vegan cheese, a full-size pizza was swiftly ordered.
The glasrach (Gaelic for vegetarian) arrived on a slate and was piled with artichokes, mushrooms, red peppers, marinated tomatoes, leeks, olives, garlic oil and a tomato and pesto base.
It was beautiful – and I just about managed to snatch a slice before it was quickly hoovered up.
The deep-fried courgette sticks weren’t quite as tasty, but there were no worries over the scone.
White chocolate and cherry sounds an interesting combination – and it works. The scone is soft and moist, while the chocolate has a subtle taste.
It was almost worth the drive just for the Café Sia experience alone – and we almost had to return when my partner left a hat behind. Ten out of ten for customer service, because one phone call later and they promised to send it in the next day’s mail.
Devotion clearly matters to Cafe Sia, too.