After a disappointing experience with Gusto we were determined to find somewhere that celebrated local Scottish produce and boy did we get it. We’d already decided to do a tour at The Clyde Distillery but had an hour to kill before the only one available was due to begin. It seemed natural that we’d do that in TCD’s café, especially given that this stretch of the Clyde isn’t (yet) blessed with other eateries.

The menu is simple – local produce served on platters to share if you want more than a sandwich or a soup. We were happy to pile into a platter and saving our powder for the tour decided to skip the rather tempting whisky flight with matching cheese in favour of a small glass of white each.

On the platter you get a selection of high quality Scottish munchies – salmon cured two ways, oat crackers, olives (?!), meats and the stars of the show, three local cheeses. Of these the Tain Cheddar was an absolute beauty and I want more of it soonest. It could have done with a bit of veg though. Service was excellent and the staff well-trained in explaining the origins of the food and the nature of the multitude of whiskies available alongside.

At under fifteen quid a head it was the perfect warm up for an excellent tour of the distillery with a very able guide (I know a thing or two about such things). Such things tend to stick to a fairly predictable routine but TCD, whose whisky is yet to be mature enough to serve, give it a wrinkle by giving you five classic Scotch samples paired with locally produced vegan-friendly chocolates. With spectacular views up the Clyde it was definitely a highlight of an excellent weekend in Glasgow.

8/10

To see where else I’ve eaten go to the GoogleMap …

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