Scone Spy finds a real treasure at Sinclairs jewellery bistro

SCONE SPY is always on the hunt for a gem, so it’s apt we should stumble on this bistro during a visit to an Aberdeenshire jewellery store.

Sinclairs has been in business since 1975 and its café is well-used by visitors to the charming market town of Inverurie.

I am in need of a little cheer after shelling out a respectable sum on a precious purchase.

I have just found myself a seat in the smart bistro, with its pared-back interior design in olive green and black, when the waitress suddenly appears at my shoulder.

She is clearly amused by my surprise at her high-speed arrival and beams: “We don’t hang about here, you know!”

It is 11.30am and lunch is about to be served. The choices are ample and include cottage pie with a side of cauliflower cheese, scampi or haddock with chips, curry and a choice of soups. There are sandwiches, paninis, baked potatoes and all reasonably priced.

But I am here for one thing – the perfect scone with a pot of the finest tea.

“Then you’ve come to the right place,” my ever-enthusiastic waitress states and lays down that day’s options.

“I can offer you plain, fruit, cheese or an apple and cinnamon. All baked daily on the premises,” she adds with a proud smile.

Then follows the low-down on the tea – English breakfast, Earl Grey, Assam, Darjeeling, Lung Ching (Chinese green tea) or peppermint – all loose leaf and served in a pot with a diffuser.

“So what can I get you?” she smiles, pen poised.

I go for an apple and cinnamon scone with cream and jam, and a pot of Assam. It’s noted in seconds and she’s off, happily humming away, returning in no time flat with the goodies.

This girl is a diamond.

I cut through the scone’s slightly crisp exterior to reveal a light, fluffy bake. It is melt-in-the-mouth scrumptious and I’m tempted to slap the table in a When Harry Met Sally moment.

The tea is flavoursome and strong – just how I like it, having requested an extra scoop.

And the buzz is cracking. There is a gaggle of farmers’ wives debating the weather and whether their men will be crabbit at the end of the day. A group of pensioners are planning an outing to Aberdeen and a couple of mums with toddlers in tow are catching up on the playgroup gossip.

Everyone here seems to have time for a smile and a nod for the lone – but unknown – Scone Spy sitting in the corner.

And that’s what makes Sinclairs, like the gems it sells, a real treasure.