Port House Cafe
Shorehead, Portsoy
They met over a pint in a Scottish pub in Colorado and had their first date on Burns Night before embarking on a life sailing superyachts and catering for the fine tastes of discerning and demanding millionaires.
But skipper Gareth Thorpe and his chef wife Liz gave up life on the azure waters off glitzy Cannes and Monaco to drop anchor in the historic old Aberdeenshire harbour of Portsoy.
The town dates back to the 16th Century when Mary, Queen of Scots, signed the charter that established it as a burgh. And it is here, just steps from the harbour walls, in a centuries-old building once the haunt of a merchant ship owner and smuggler, that they launched the Port House Cafe.
Scone Spy sailed in on a blustery Saturday lunchtime to try out the new eatery and found the place heaving with landlubbers. Inside, the welcome was warm and the menu tempting. Your spy – with four guests – could not resist the soups and speciality sandwiches before taking the plunge with the bakes. Cue the best seafood chowder this spy has ever tasted, thick with the finest locally caught seafood including succulent prawns and served with oatcakes and butter. Begging for the recipe was futile, it’s the chef’s secret and as hard to access as Davy Jones Locker.
My guests dined on tomato with basil gremolata (slow roast tomatoes topped with crunchy breadcrumbs toasted with lemon, basil and garlic), and Liz’s Texas chilli – all scrumptious.
Then came the sandwiches, The Candy Pig (caramelised bacon, crispy and succulent); pulled pork (smothered in a tangy whisky sauce and apple coleslaw), and succulent roast beef (with Cheddar and horseradish cream and charred seasonal vegetables). Wowed by the offering, we ended with the showstopper scones – all baked locally and served by the lovely Katy Oliver.
A choice of fruit, plain or cheese, they came with lashings of cream and jam, and were melt-in-the mouth marvellous.
And, at £20 a head, you don’t need to be a millionaire to enjoy this wee treasure.