Maison Castanié

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Introduction

Maison Castanié opened its doors in June 2026, after Marc and Claire Castanié spent months converting a steading at Milton of Crathes into the shop Marc had been quietly planning for years. The idea is French country living translated to Royal Deeside: a deli and lifestyle store carrying cast-iron cookware, fine ceramics, soaps, pantry goods and provisions, all hand-picked, with a clothing floor upstairs stocking pieces from London and France.

The deli side rewards a visit on its own. Coffee comes from a house roast created exclusively for the shop by Haar, the Aberdeen roasters, served from a tiled counter, and the baking is by Graham Sutherland, founder of The Pastry Academy. The shop itself is a light, warm space beside the River Dee, built around craft, slow living and honest materials, with everything chosen to be used daily, made to last and returned to often.

Location

Maison Castanié is in the courtyard at Milton of Crathes, beside the River Dee on the A93 between Banchory and Aberdeen, around 30 minutes from the city and five from Banchory, with free parking on site. Buses between Aberdeen and Banchory stop nearby on the A93, and the Deeside Way offers a flat riverside walking and cycling route in from Banchory. Check current opening hours before travelling, as the shop is newly opened and the upstairs clothing floor is being phased in.

What's nearby

Crathes Castle sits directly across the road, its 16th-century turreted tower house and famous yew hedges run by the National Trust for Scotland. The courtyard around the shop holds Yolk General Store, the Milton Art Gallery with its Scottish paintings and ceramics, and TwinPeakes Fly Fishing for guided days on the Dee. The Royal Deeside Railway runs heritage trains from the platform next door, a farmers market fills the courtyard on the second Sunday of each month, and the Deeside Way passes the gate for walkers and cyclists. Banchory is five minutes west, Aberdeen half an hour east.