Rothesay Rooms VIP Opening

When glamorous Gallic Caledophile Solveig asked me to be her "plus one" at the VIP opening of Prince Charles's restaurant "The Rothesay Rooms" in Ballater on the 19th of May this year I accepted immediately. I was a little embarrassed when subsequently I felt obliged to ask why she wasn't taking her boyfriend instead. Apparently, I have the superior palette. :-)

Solveig drove us from Dalwhinnie to Ballater. The first half of the route treated us to a rainbow on the road. The second half of the route was the A939 which passes though some astonishing scenery. It was the first time on this road for both Solveig and myself, and it is now our new favourite road!  The Lecht Ski Resort is on the A939 and it was still harbouring the odd snow field. The resort is even tinier than I had expected!.

the drive to Ballater

At one stage we turned a bend and found ourselves looking down on the brilliantly white Corgaff Castle, against a background of rugged Highland scenery. The sight took my breath away, and confirmed that even after many jaded years of restoring Balintore Castle, the spectacle of a magnificent building in a magnificent landscape still holds a special magic.

As I walked into the Rothesay Rooms I was handed a glass of champagne. Given that we were supposed to keep our masks on, I had no idea what to do with the champagne. Many other mask-wears, however, had clearly been carrying their full flutes for some time and were looking similarly distressed.  I engaged in some small talk with the be-fluted and be-masked. Naturally, no-one addressed the elephant in the room: "What to do with the champagne?". 

Finally, Solveig bravely asked what she should do with her non-alcoholic alternative, and a member of staff pointed her to a table in a dining room off to the side of the corridor where we were standing. The relief of being able to sit-down, de-mask and swig was palpable! 

An employee of the The Prince's Foundation, Robert Lovie, gave the invitees a good-natured speech explaining the background of the opening. Five years previously, Ballater had been hit by serious flooding. You may recall the news item about Abergeldie Castle which almost collapsed into the River Dee, as the torrents had eroded the bank of the river right up to the edge of the castle.  Almost unbelievably the historic building was saved, by massive emergency earthworks. In the same year, there was a serious fire at the Royal Train Station, where in the 19th Century Queen Victoria would disembark for her holidays at Balmoral.

Prince Charles realised that the economy of this little Highland village desperately needed help and started a pop-up restaurant called "The Rothesay Rooms" in the centre of the town in a small building leased by the Co-Op for a peppercorn rent. Such was the success of the pop-up that it became a permanent feature of the town. Last year the Co-op announced their intention to sell the building, so a new home was required for the restaurant PDQ. The obvious candidate was the restored railway station which already houses a café.  So a room inside the station was refurbished in best Baronial style, and it was the opening of this space that the event was celebrating.

No expense had been spared on the décor. The wooden panelling was painted a delicious green. Pictures of stags abounded, and the seats and some walls were upholstered in the beautiful Rothesay tartan. I admired the pleasing result a little enviously, as the budget was a different order of magnitude from mine at Balintore.  Part of my reason for attending was to show my support for the restoration and reuse of old Victorian buildings - demonstrably a cause close to my heart.

Solveig in the new restaurant

The old waiting room had been restored as a magnificent formal dining room with a single large table. Although, it looks authentically Victorian, sadly nothing is original due to the fire. The woodwork was new and the very best of class. Mr. Lovie explained that the replacement  antiques has been bought from the Georgian Antique Centre in Edinburgh. Edinburgh dealers charge full whack. I know this from friends who live in Edinburgh, so I cannot begin to imagine what the period re-furnishing of the station cost.

the old waiting room

the old waiting room

the old waiting room

the old waiting room

Mr. Lovie revealed that he was the voice of the Braemar Games, which had just been cancelled a day or two earlier. My view is that this cancellation is a mistake, but of course caution is understandable where big commercial interests are involved.  Mr. Lovie is an avid collector and wearer of historic sporrans, with an ensemble of 43 dating back to the early 19th Century. Solveig is equally knowledgeable on the manufacturers of Scottish attire, and soon there was a conversation mentioning a number of contemporary sporran manufacturers, known both to Solveig and Robert. It was one of those conversations where I could contribute precisely nothing! :-)

The chef Ross served up canapes reflecting the menu in microcosm. These were delicious, and each type of canape was a taste sensation in itself. Because of the variety, Solveig and I almost felt we had had a complete meal, though it must be admitted that we both had an evening snack after we got back to Dalwhinnie!

 

The Canapes

The drive back to Dalwhinnie was just as spectacular and I recorded a little video of us going back over a humpy-back bridge that could give a roller-coaster a run for its money.

I reflected on the lessons learned in Ballater. I had met a number of lovely and dedicated people who work for the Prince's Foundation in Edinburgh.  The organisation had done wonders for Ballater: the Rothesay Rooms is fully booked up for the foreseeable future and the profits go to the Prince's Foundation.

The Foundation personnel mentioned the work being done at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, which supplies training in traditional building skills and training in the catering industries, and I began to strongly feel that Balintore could benefit from Charles's magic wand. Prince Charles stepped-in at the last minute and saved Dumfries House and its contents (some of which had famously already gone to the auction room but were fetched back) for the British public.

Solveig and I recognised no VIP's at the opening, and I pointed out with an impeccable logic, that by a process of elimination we must be they! This was confirmed by the fact that a number of guests did recognise Solveig from her web presence, which she found gratifying. Sadly, I gained no such reassurance. :-)

Ballater Royal Station: The Café

Ballater Royal Station: The  Victorian Revival Loo

Ballater Royal Station: The Entrance