Whilst wafting along the A911 on a quiet Sunday I was delayed by a small queue of modern, sensible cars turning into Loch Leven’s Larder. My gallant charger and I followed into the packed free car park. We had stumbled across another one of those enormous, high-end farm shop emporiums beloved of active pensioners and mightily handy for P Men in their V’s. Indeed, with its combination of classy home goods, ‘country’ clothing, a deli, bakery and 2 cafés LLL proved to be an excellent place to bring any number of one’s aunts.
From the exterior onward, everything here is at a very high standard of design, construction and layout. The shelves in the huge shop are rammed with aunt-provoking consumables and a cornucopia of not-essential but nicey things to purchase on a Sunday. Or any day if you are retired.
The Greenhouse Café has a diverse range of interesting seating and plenty of décor fitted with no expense spared. There is much to savour and some outstanding interior touches such as a tiled ‘water station’, a bicycle sign with neon wheels and free-hanging bench seatbacks. The latter is a new one on me.
Surreptitiously ogling my fellow patrons, I noted retired couples, friends and families, all well-dressed and with some allocated time on their hands for a light lunch during their shopping missions. Quietly efficient staff in jaunty Breton sailor tops are quick off the mark. The food is the usual range in an upmarket café. The well-presented coffee is good if a little bit of an anonymous trade blend. Prices were in line with that sort of thing but that wouldn’t phase anyone here. There is very little to find fault with even if you are a fault-finder.
I will of course attempt to identify some.
Aside from the fact that it is not intimate, the coffee is merely very good and it is a little noisy I failed to find anything to dislike about Loch Leven’s Larder. It was rather like having coffee in a Debenhams café. No, Selfridges café. No, stay my hand, it was rather similar to being in John Lewis.
Even the loos are high-end, which is also high on the approval list of aunts.
Feel assured that you can bring yours to the Larder.
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