Scone Spy: Our undercover café critic visits La’Telve in Edinburgh’s Morningside

Few words illicit such joy in my heart as “patisserie” – delicate, fussy little cakes, covered in shiny chocolate. Just delightful.

So, when I was walking through Morningside, a very well-heeled area of Edinburgh, a few weeks ago, and spotted a window filled to the brim with such fancy treats, well, I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.

The eatery in question, La’Telve, has two shops side-by-side, one for the aforementioned French fancies, the other a delightful café, boasting a menu brimming with homemade flatbreads, filled baked potatoes, fresh sandwiches and so much more.

It was lunchtime and I was accompanied by a good friend’s bubbly four-year-old, so three things were required. The first, of course, was coffee. The second, a hearty meal that would prevent any mid-afternoon melodramatic cries of, “But I’m starving!”. And thirdly, enough sweet treats to cement my title as Favourite Auntie. Luckily, this lovely bistro had all of the above in spades.

The wee one was, naturally, more interested in the selection of cakes, pastries, macarons and scones (of which there was an incredible range available, including chocolate and orange, apple and cinnamon, cheese, and ubiquitous plain). So we compromised by ordering a toasted wrap with fries to share, and a baked treat for afters. Although it was hard to choose, as the vast and varied menu offered up so many options, with something for everyone – including vegan and gluten-free options.

Once our savoury selection was devoured (I don’t use the word lightly, everything was delicious), we started on a simple yet sensational plain scone.

It was, quite simply, delicious – perfectly baked, just the right amount of crumb, and served alongside a good portion of butter and jam. Just the thing to fortify us for an afternoon of adventures.

Our first visit may have been by chance, but after such great service, coffee and food – not to mention the scrumptious scone – I know I’ll visit this lovely family-run cafe again soon.

Scone score

Hand baked and super-scrumptious

★★★★