Cup Tea Salon, Aberdeen, Scotland

Searching the Internet before we headed to Scotland led us to this Tea Salon in Aberdeen. Cup Tea Salon is a busy little tearoom tucked on 9 Little Belmont Street. This cozy little spot, with an Alice in Wonderland theme, had people popping in all the while we were there. They have a lovely display case with tray bakes and items for take away. We were able to make online reservations before we left the States.

The decor was certainly fun and festive.

There were six of us at this tearoom, our bell ringer was at practice, and Cedar was on a fly-fishing expedition with another bell ringers' husband. Our older sister, Carrie was with us on this vacation, and seated beside her is Cedar's girlfriend, Mallory.

We each ordered something different and depending upon what you ordered determined the type of teapot they used. Our green tea drinkers got the tetsubin pots, a Japanese cast iron kettle/teapot. Those who ordered a black tea were offered a teacup with the little pitcher tucked in the cup for ease of serving purposes. It was presented this way at most of the cafes we visited.

Three of the four sisters. The fourth stayed home and enjoyed reading our agenda from the comfort of her home.

You could order off the menu, and they certainly have a great variety of options, however, we were there specifically for the Afternoon Tea option. A cup of Cream of Cauliflower Soup was served first followed by the tiered trays which are prepared for two people to share. The sandwiches were varied and served on a nice sized roll. There was Egg Mayonnaise with Arugula, Sliced Brie with Jelly, Sliced Cheese and Tomato and a Chicken Salad. There was one large Cream Scone served with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jelly. And the dessert tier held an assortment of little desserts including Chocolate cake with Chocolate Frosting, White Cake with a White Frosting, Rocky Road Bar, Lemon Tea Cake Triangle, and Shortbread with Caramel. A small bag of gummy candy was on the tier for each guest also to carry out the whimsical Alice in Wonderland theme.

Cream Scone with Toppings

This little touch of fun was in the hallway to the restroom. And the Alice theme was well represented at the checkout counter. They had a lot of fun putting their theme together.

Scottish Breakfast and beyond

Every morning started with a Scottish breakfast buffet laden with scrambled eggs, baked beans, roasted tomato, black sausage, haggis, sausage links, bacon, potato cakes, fresh fruit, cheeses, and assorted breads, rolls, and toast. There was no reason to go hungry! Any type of coffee, tea, and juices were also available.

The rolled pastry is pain au chocolate; a puff pastry delicacy filled with chocolate pieces and baked until golden. Some of them had a creamy filling in addition to the chocolate pieces throughout the pastry. The thin flat triangle is a Scottish Potato Scone, also known as tattie scones. They are a thin, flatbread made with mashed potatoes, flour and salt and baked on a hot griddle and typically served with a full Scottish breakfast. They were, well, different.

Any museum, public garden, tourist stop, or castle would have a cafe where you could simply order tea and be served a hearty black Scottish tea with cream and milk. Of course there was usually a display case laden with Scottish pastries, tarts, tray bakes, and cookies to enjoy after having visited the destination. We shared some treats after walking through the glass houses at Duthie Park Winter Gardens in Aberdeen.

Later in the week, we stopped at a cafe in Aberdeen that offered a palate cleanser to enjoy after finishing your tea. The little glass jar held a flavored water to freshen your mouth after having enjoyed the tea. They also served it if you ordered coffee.

We enjoyed a pot of tea at every opportunity. Isn't the little creamer adorable.

And dessert options, Sticky Toffee Pudding was the dessert of choice for many of the catered dinners we attended. Delicious, all of them, with slight variations. Some of the cakes were more like a soft gingerbread while others were a bit denser with a crispier outer crunch but always served with the warm toffee sauce and a dip of vanilla ice cream, and always a real treat.

Banoffee Pie a classic English dessert, think banana and toffee, atop a pastry crust and served alongside a slice of caramelized banana. It was a treat, one we only ordered once, but I'm sure there are other delicious variations to discover.

And the younger generation in our group found their happiness on a totally different menu.

Flower Festival: Scottish & Sustainable

We happened to be in Aberdeen, Scotland when a Flower Festival was being held in St. Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen. St. Machar's Cathedral is a welcoming church, with history dating back to around 600. The present-day church dates from the early fifteenth century and provides church services on Sunday along with weddings, baptisms, and funerals.

We visited during the Flower Festival where all the flowers were Scottish and the arrangements were made using sustainable materials, without using single use plastic or foam.

The event was organized by Flowers Grown in Scotland, a group of Scottish flower growers who have a vision to showcase Scottish grown flowers. Arrangements were placed throughout the Cathedral and were on display for the two-day event in August 2026. As a family activity, 'floral magic with jam jars' was scheduled where guests were able to select some blossoms and greens and create their own mini floral arrangement in a jam jar to take home.

A flower arranging workshop was also scheduled for those adults interested, while Royal Florist Shane Connolly was scheduled to present a floral demo and talk. Although we weren't able to attend any of the special events scheduled, we delighted in being able to see the flower show expertly placed around the cathedral.

It is a beautiful and majestic Cathedral, and walking through the cathedral was a step back in time. The flower show was an enjoyable bonus as we spent time exploring Aberdeen while the Praise Ringers of the First United Methodist Church passed their hours rehearsing with 600+ hand bell ringers in preparation for their concert at the International Hand Bell Symposium, August 2026.

The Unicorn of Scotland

Inverness

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. You will find it everywhere you go, from palace gates, to crowns, to carved stone. This mythical animal represents a wild creature from legend that could never be caught or tamed. A beast that would rather run free. Perhaps a self-portrait of the spirit of the Scottish people. Strong, proud, brave, perhaps wild, coupled with just a bit of whimsy.

Lion and Unicorn Staircase, University of Glasgow

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

The Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh

The Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh

Millionaire Shortbread - a recipe

Google Millionaire Shortbread and you're sure to find a lovely variety of recipes to make. Upon our return from vacation, we had one of our Gardener Nights where volunteers help us control the overgrowth of plants (weeds) at this time of year. Since we had just returned from Scotland, and I haven't made Millionaire Shortbread in a while, I decided to offer that as our dessert since we provide dinner as their 'payment' for volunteering in the gardens. It was a fun treat and a sweet remembrance of our cafe visits with tea and millionaire shortbread.

Millionaire Shortbread
For the Shortbread:
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, and butter until crumbly. Press into a greased 8" square pan. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.

For the Caramel Layer:
1/2 c. butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 - 14 oz. can Sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While the shortbread crust cools, prepare the caramel layer. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add the corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 12 - 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce turns a medium caramel color. Be careful to not let the mixture burn. Reduce heat if necessary. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour evenly over the crust. Cool.

For the Chocolate Layer:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate chips (on the stove, or gently in the microwave). Stir until melted and spread over the caramel layer. Cool until set. You can chill in the fridge for a while, but they are easier to cut at room temperature.

Enjoy! 

Sampling Millionaire Shortbread in Scotland

We recently enjoyed Millionaire Shortbread while vacationing in Scotland. This delicious buttery shortbread kicked up a notch layered with creamy caramel and topped with decadent chocolate is a staple in any respectable cafe, bakery, or tearoom. We sampled a lovely variety of this traybake at various cafes. 

This bakery case labeled it as a caramel traybake, and I was eager to try it, along with a few other sweet treats as noted in the picture above. The first tasting was in Aberdeen at the cafe at the Duthie Park Winter Gardens where we explored the grounds, and the impressive tropical and arid greenhouses.

This collection of sweets included millionaire shortbread discovered at the Stirling Highland Games where they had a row of specialty vendors. The line for these treats was quite long!

This was a quick grocery store run in Nairn as we were on a bus tour with limited time for lunch. We grabbed sandwiches, drinks, and I spotted the bakery counter where I ordered the Snowballs and two round millionaire shortbread cookies. Just know that I wish I had ordered four of the shortbread and skipped the snowballs since the kids opted for the shortbread leaving the snowballs to the adults who really wanted the shortbread, too! Angelica sums up Millionaire Shortbread with one word, 'delicious'. We'll share a recipe with our next post.