A tasty snack beside an old watermill

Aug 22 2008 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

ONLY two weeks till I’m off on my happy hols.

Much like Sir Bob Geldof (or at least so I’m led to believe in yesterday’s Daily Mail), Other Half and I have taken a house in Mallorca and invited a motley crew of family and friends to join us.

However, unlike Sir Bob’s brood, our daughter has shown no signs of eloping to Las Vegas...one can but hope!

So with two weeks of uninterrupted hedonism beckoning, I thought I had better stock up on some poolside reading material.

I’ve been wanting to read Alan Clarke’s Diaries for absolutely yonks, plus a friend recommended Cherie Blair’s autobiography for good measure.

When it comes to books, I usually logon to Amazon or take a whirl round Waterstones, but I’ve been hearing some great things about The Watermill in Aberfeldy and decided to take The Daughter out for a spot of coffee and culture.

Aberfeldy was buzzing thanks to an Iron Man event, so we had to negotiate the X5 past a number of rather gorgeous, sweaty athlete types till we eventually found a parking spot at the far end of town.

“If these chaps can run a triathlon, you can manage a few hundred metres in your Manolos!” I told a somewhat unenthusiastic daughter.

However, once inside The Watermill, she was instantly mollified by the wonderful smell of coffee filtering upwards from the basement coffee shop and into the bijou bookshop and art gallery above.

Deciding to grab a bite before book-hunting in earnest we nabbed one of the comfy sofas overlooking the terrace and perused the tiny, but tempting menu.

If you are looking for a slap-up meal then you’ll be disappointed, but light lunch lovers will be in their element with the small but enticing range of locally sourced soups, bread and cakes.

This is complimented by an impressive range of speciality coffees, teas and smoothies.

The daughter and I both ordered the butternut squash and sweet potato soup (absolutely delicious), served with crusty bread and butter. We then washed down two slices of carrot cake (small portions, but deliciously studded with pecan nuts) with ice cold frappe lattes.

Sticklers for prompt service will find the drill for ordering somewhat idiosyncratic.

Although there is waitress service, customers must place their orders at the counter and pay at the same time.

And to slightly confuse matters, you are expected to plate up your own cake from the small, adjoining, buffet table – a practice easily open to abuse when your cakes taste as good as these ones!

However minor niggles aside, it’s a wonderful place to while away a few hours reading the papers and watching the world go bye.

Venue: The Watermill, Mill Street, Aberfeldy.

Food: Small menu of light snacks and cakes, plus speciality coffees, teas and smoothies.

Decor: All the original features of the old watermill have been retained to create a wonderfully quirky space.

Service: Idiosyncratic and laidback, but helpful and friendly.

Price: £12.10 (for two).