The Café

The café at Logie Steading, "Treats at Logie", is aptly named. It was taken over by Emma Swan in February 2003 and has gone from strength to strength. The reason is quite simple - the quality of the food offered is extremely high, which accounts for the loyal band of regular visitors.

Emma's philosophy has been very simple - you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear! She therefore takes very considerable trouble in sourcing her ingredients. Her primary criteria are that, wherever possible, ingredients should be grown or reared locally, should preferably be organic (where that makes sense) and should always be seasonal.

Examples include the meat used which comes from MacBeths, the widely acclaimed butcher in Forres where traceability is complete, as MacBeth's meat comes from their own farm just a few miles from Forres, reducing the travel "from gate to plate" to a minimum! Her eggs come from the farm at the top of the road. The difference is in the flavour, and should you be tempted, eggs are on sale in the Steading Farm and Garden Shop to take home with you. You won't get better or fresher!

All the cakes offered in the café are baked on the premises. An interest of Emma's is making as many of them as possible suitable for those with food intolerances. The fabulous chocolate fudge cake, gingerbread, and chocolate brownies are all gluten-free, whilst the fruitcake is both sucrose and dairy-free, making it suitable for diabetics. All other cakes are made with butter, not margarine, and you can taste the difference.

As part of her commitment to good food, Emma is a strong believer in the principals of the "Slow Food" movement. This can mean that the food takes a little longer than in some "fast food" cafes but it is always worth any wait!

So, having now read about the philosophy behind the food and its production, we sincerely hope that you feel tempted to come and give yourseves some culinary "Treats at Logie"!