Tàrmachan Cafe

In a former Highlands quarry populated by silver birches, rowan and alder that swell and ripple in the wind shelters a rectangular, black-stained wood building with the word CAFÉ spelt out on its frontage. The woodland scatters light across its planes and it responds in turn with the drifting aroma of roasting coffee. This is Tàrmachan, from the Gaelic for ptarmigan, and it’s as entwined with its surroundings, just off the A93 across the Dee from Balmoral Castle, as it looks. 

Take its much-loved venison sausage rolls, for example. Containing venison from Balmoral, as well as apple and fennel, they are one of the locally sourced products that co-founders Caitlin Donald, Tom Checkley and Ben Addy are particularly proud of. But this isn’t just another keywords ‘local produce’ type place. Tàrmachan’s menu takes these Highlands flavours and throws them together with punchy tastes from around the world – think sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches with kimchi; orzo with pesto, broccoli, and beetroot and carrot slaw; or steaming homemade soup with lashings of fresh herbs. Then there are Caitlin’s famous sourdough babkas – available in chocolate and hazelnut or with seasonal fruits. 

The café came about after Tom and Caitlin met Ben, who designed the building, while running supper clubs at a friend’s café. Ben sampled their four-course plant-based menu and quickly asked if they’d like to view the café space in the old quarry. “Caitlin being local to the area had brought us to the Cairngorms for what we thought was going to be a temporary period,” explains Tom. “Then we fell in love with the surroundings and met Ben, which is when it all fell into place.” 

Since it opened in late summer 2020, Tàrmachan has made such a name for itself across social media that it attracts people from far and wide. It’s conveniently located too, of course, but so far from ideas of layby cafés that it also draws in locals and anyone who happens to be passing on a walk or bike ride. “The café is super insulated and heated by a low-carbon ground source heat pump – although it practically heats itself through the use of the coffee machine,” says Tom. 

Coffee is the cornerstone of the business and when you take shelter inside, the pleasing earthy scent wafts into your nostrils and settles there. Tom and Caitlin discovered their love of coffee while working in Australia and now take great pride in doing justice to the organic beans supplied by their roaster Williams & Johnson in Leith. All the fresh produce on the menu is sourced locally. They work with “a wonderful grower in Hatton of Fintray” which provides organic vegetables via a so-called no-dig method to keep the soil healthy. Provenance is especially important to the team when it comes to meat. “Being very selective about the meat we eat ourselves, we wanted to ensure we had a strong connection to any meat product we served,” says Caitlin.

The trio are also using the café to give back to the landscape by incorporating native planting, extending the woodland back into the site, and directing rainwater into a pond and wetland area which is now “teeming with life”, according to Tom. In the offing is a cultivated area to provide fresh herbs and other ingredients. That can only mean one thing: even more exciting local flavours to add to Tàrmachan’s menu.

Venison Apple Fennel Sausage Rolls

Recipe by Tarmachan Cafe

Ingredients (Serves 12) 

Sausage Mixture 
1 large onion thinly sliced 
2 apples thinly sliced 
2 tbsp sugar 
1 knob of butter 
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 
10g salt 
90g breadcrumbs 
10g toasted & ground fennel seeds 
1kg venison mince

2 sheets of quality puff pastry 
1 egg whisked for egg wash 
Nigella or sesame seeds to decorate

Method 

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. Melt butter in a pan, add the onions and sugar, cook for ten minutes until soft and starting to brown. Then add in the apples and vinegar to the onion mix, cook on a medium/high for roughly another ten minutes, heat until they are soft and caramelised. Leave the mix to cool. In the meantime, combine the rest of the sausage mix ingredients giving everything a good mix with your hands. Once cooled put the apple mix into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. 

Now you’re ready to roll, first divide the meat mixture into four equal parts. Lay out your puff pastry sheets, and cut in half lengthways and place your sausage mixture lengthways down the middle of the pastry. With your egg wash or water, wet the edge of the pastry closest to you so it seals once rolled. Roll the pastry over the meat, tucking the top section under the sausage mixture to create a seal where the pastry meets. We divide into 12 equal rolls but you can cut to as many as you want. At this point if you want to freeze some you can. Egg wash and sprinkle with your choice of seeds, bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and evenly cooked. Enjoy!

To keep up to date with Tàrmachan Cafe: 

tarmachancafe.com 
Instagram: @tarmachan_cafe