Latest news with #ThePuffer
Daily Record
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
The tiny hidden gem Scottish island home to 'excellent pub and café'
Nothing says 'holiday' quite like an island trip. Fortunately, you don't need to travel halfway around the world for a stunning island getaway. Scotland is home to more isles than you could possibly count. While many are uninhabited, there are a few that are worth a proper visit. One of these hidden gem Scottish islands is Easdale. The tiny isle has an area of just 62 acres and is home to a population of around only 60 people. Easdale is one of the Slate Islands in the Firth of Lorn. It is separated from the nearby island of Seil by a thin channel that can be crossed on a five-minute ferry journey from the village of Ellenabeich. The island was formerly home to major slate quarries, and was even considered a centre for Scotland's slate industry. However, following the death of commercial quarrying in the 20th century, Easdale's population began to dwindle and its future was in doubt. However, in the years since, the island has undergone a regeneration. The population has grown, and today it is one of the smallest permanently inhabited islands in Scotland. Popular music act Florence and the Machine even filmed two music videos on Easdale. The beautiful island can be seen as a backdrop in the visuals for their singles Queen of Peace and Long and Lost on the island—with local residents appearing as actors. When arriving on Easdale yourself, you will quickly realise that the best way to see the island is simply by walking around. In fact, the entire circumference can be traversed in around an hour. In terms of things to do on the island, the fascinating Easdale Folk Museum should be your first port of call. Housed in an old workers cottage, the museum will teach you about everything from the local slate industry to geology and boats. When it comes to food and drink, The Puffer is pretty much your only option. Fortunately, the family-owned pub, café, and restaurant has earned rave reviews. The Puffer's café menu includes a homemade soup of the day and sandwiches served with dressed salad and rainbow coleslaw. Among the fillings on offer are cheddar and ham, venison, halloumi, and haddock. Meanwhile, its dinner offerings include Loch Fyne Jarl battered haddock with twice-cooked chips and panko breaded halloumi sticks. You can also enjoy meat and veggie burgers, as well as various sharing platters. The Puffer has an average rating of 4.6 out of five on Google based on 89 reviews. Customers have praised it as "fabulous", "excellent", and "friendly and welcoming". Elsewhere, Easdale itself has also received positive reviews from visitors and tourists. The island has an overall score of 4.8 out of five based on 96 reviews. One traveller posted: "I absolutely loved visiting Easdale. Walking the whole circumference only takes about an hour and the views are so stunning. "There are plenty of places to take seats and contemplate nature too. Thank you to all the residents especially, your warm welcome made my trip all the better." A second echoed: "Excellent walk around old slate workings. Lunch in pub excellent as was the boat trip from the mainland." A third Google user shared: "A wonderful place. Ideal for lowering the revs and enjoying the days simply by being there."
Press and Journal
25-04-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
How Sorcha Bakery became Oban's must-visit vegan spot
A vegan bakery has opened in Oban – and thanks to a loyal legion of followers the Albany Terrace shop is selling out every day. After serving superb food at The Puffer on Easdale island for many years, Keren Cafferty decided she wanted to devote her time and energy to a new project. And so she opened the Sorcha Bakery – the Gaelic word sorcha means light and radiance – a vegan venture with a strong emphasis on local and ethically sourced ingredients. Keren said: 'I have been a vegetarian for many years, but I realised that I was making a compromise that did not sit with what I believed about food, so I became vegan. 'For many years, my husband Mike and I owned The Puffer on Easdale and during Covid we made bread and bakery items for the local community. 'It was very difficult for people in the area to get bread, because rural and remote areas were the last in the chain to get basic food items. 'So I started supplying local businesses with my products – and they were very well received.' When new owners were found for The Puffer, Keren and Mike made the decision to move off the island for a new life in Scammadale Glen. Keren was for many years one of the co-organisers of the World Stone Skimming Championships and was immersed in island life – so it was quite the change. With ideas for a new business swirling in her head, Keren says she wanted to 'do something lighter, brighter and more compassionate' with the bakery. And despite nerves over how a vegan business would be welcomed, she's been delighted by the response. As the business grew, Keren needed space to bake and created one at the back of the couple's house. 'When I made the shift from vegetarian to vegan, it happened naturally, and I was still making the same products but using plant-based products. 'A funny thing happened with our Sheese scones (Sheese is a vegan version of cheese) as one business owner didn't know they were now plant-based and wondered why I was not able to spell cheese.' During the Clipper race that visited Oban in 2024, Keren noticed that there was an ideal space in the town to open a pop-up bakery. She said: 'There is a left luggage space on the North Pier, so I asked the owner if she would let us have a pop-up, and she enthusiastically agreed. 'So we opened, and honestly we could not keep up with the demand.' Over the last few months, the bakery has gone from strength-to-strength. And people know they need to get up early if they want some of Sorcha Bakery's bread or one of its cinnamon buns. As the business grew, Keren decided that it was time to open her own shop in town. She approached the owners of the former Petals florist shop, opposite the cinema building at the top of George Street, and a permanent base took shape. Keren says 80% or more of her customers do not follow a plant-based diet, and simply love her bakes. Sorcha Bakery is open two days a week, on Friday and Saturday from 10am until 2.30pm, with coffee and waffles available until closing. Bread, including Scottish organic sourdough, granary, white loaves and rolls, along with a savoury selection of vegan haggis rolls, vegan sausage and Keren's own red onion marmalade can be found on the shelves. Doughnuts, bostocks, brownies, bakewell tarts, cinnamon buns, focaccia and pizza focaccia, are served up alongside their cardamom buns, scones and two new offerings of sandwiches and waffles. With coffee from Argyll Coffee Roasters served up with oat Mylk, people can even enjoy a hot drink with their lunch. Sorcha has sold out every day since it opened.
