The Real Food Café is kicking off 2019 with a brand new uniform and menu design. Our colourful new orange menus and staff polo shirts will brighten up even the gloomiest January day while our stag aprons give a nod to the incredible Scottish wildlife on our doorstep. We are also delighted to feature our craft Scottish beer supplier Innis & Gunn on the new uniforms, alongside National Federation of Fish Friers, Marine Stewardship Council, Coeliac UK, and VisitScotland Taste Our Best.

The results are in and Real Food Café has been voted one of the best cafés in Britain for walkers in The Great Outdoors Awards 2018! We are over the moon to be acknowledged in this prestigious list with a Silver award in the Café or Restaurant category. A huge thank you to readers of The Great Outdoors magazine and the public who voted for us.
 
The awards recognise the people, places and organisations that help walkers get the most out of their time in the hills, and this year they garnered nearly 10,000 votes across 20 categories. Comments on Real Food Cafe included: “Fabulous selection of fresh produce catering for all dietary needs. Staff very attentive. An oasis for the Highland traveller.” 
 
We are delighted to have been recognised for our menu that caters to a variety of dietary requirements and for the hard work of our team, who continue to deliver the outstanding customer service that sets Real Food Café apart from the competition. We look forward to welcoming even more walkers and outdoors enthusiasts in 2019!
 
The Great Outdoors magazine is available in WHSmith stores or you can order a copy here: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/list/publication/TGO 

We’re really pleased to have received not one, but two Gold awards at the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards which celebrate excellence in the free-from food service industry. We were named Gold winners in FreeFrom Fish and Chip Shops and the Crème de la Crème categories. Here’s what the judges had to say: 
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“There is a huge gluten free sign outside which can be seen from the road which shows the emphasis put on GF here. The staff seem very knowledgeable about what is and isn't gluten free and have cards on each table which explain how the kitchen is set up - which fryers are used for what – and to let customers know that the kitchen is not suitable for nut allergy sufferers. When we got our food they brought out the gluten free dishes, clearly marked with stickers and flags and the non-GF dishes were brought out separately afterwards.

“Their champion GF dish is their fish and chips and I can see why! One of the best fish and chips I've had and better than the non-GF fish and chips! Plus they serve homemade, gluten free tartare sauce and mushy peas with it – so good! I had a "kids" portion so I could try a bit of homemade cake and I'm so glad I did! I went for GF Victoria sponge and it was so light, fluffy and delicious!

“Definitely good value for money for the quality - you could tell the fish and chips were really fresh and it was obvious that this cafe know what they are doing when it comes to gluten free food!”

We’ve been serving gluten-free fish and chips since we opened in 2005, well before it became a mainstream trend. We’re really invested in training staff around the importance of offering gluten-free options to our diners and ensuring that we cater for a wide range of dietary requirements. 
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It’s absolutely fantastic to be recognised by the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards for our continued efforts to delight our customers with outstanding service and quality dishes that exceed their expectations. We look forward to another successful year in 2019.

​We’ve been shortlisted in the FreeFrom Eating Out Awards, sponsored by Middleton Foods, for the second year running! 

Last year we won a Gold Award in the Fish and Chip category, and we’re up for the same award this year as well as being in the Crème de la Crème category for our Gluten Free menu. 

The cafe will receive a visit in the next couple of weeks from an incognito adjudicator who will sample our Gluten Free food before making their final decision. The judge who visited in 2017 said that “the food was delicious and the portions were huge... delicious looking GF cakes… I got the feeling they take gluten-free seriously…” Since then we’ve been accredited by Coeliac UK for the fourth time so we’re sure that our undercover guest will find equal confidence in our FreeFrom food. 
We’ll let you know how we get on at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 20th November. 

#FFEOA2018 #Freefrom

We closed October with a real treat, with a visit from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. We were honoured to welcome local Station Manager Jim Differ to the café, where he presented us with a plaque in recognition of our support for the local community fire station. 

Both Colin McGeoch and Ivan Stankov are fully trained reserve fire fighters and full time members of our management team. We are incredibly proud of them and their contributions both at the café and within the fire service. The whole team support Colin and Ivan and have allowed them to create the time they need to train and attend incidents whilst the café continues to serve hundreds and thousands of visitors. 

We’re grateful to be recognised by the fire service as a business that supports and encourages its employees in making a difference with a wider contribution to the community. 

Well done everyone!