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Our cafés and tearooms
If you are a foodie, our cafés and eateries across the Trust have everything from award-winning scones to homemade soups using produce straight from the garden. Our passionate employees and volunteers across the Trust make, bake, taste and grow the items on our menus, so there really is something to satisfy all types of taste buds! Find your future favourite, and explore what’s on offer across the Trust.
For some foodie inspiration and to start your adventure, we’ve selected five of our favourite cafés across our places in Scotland. Each one is in a unique location, with a great view and a menu full of fresh produce and special treats.
Looking for more? Scroll to the bottom of the page to find our map, with a pinned location for every Trust café.
Home Farm Kitchen, Culzean
Whether you’re after a sumptuous feast, intimate dinner or casual dining experience to fuel your day at Culzean, you’ll enjoy outstanding service and creative menus bursting with fresh, local and seasonal Scottish ingredients, some of which are sourced from Culzean’s own gardens.
Home Farm Kitchen serves a selection of delicious freshly prepared hot and cold food, including a range of baking and ice cream for those warmer days. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating as well as family-friendly facilities, Home Farm Kitchen is an ideal stop on your visit to Culzean.
Located at the Swan Pond, the Swan Pond Café and the Aviary Ice Cream Parlour are perfect pit stops offering a selection of hot and cold snacks.
Some highlight cafés for the season
Terrace Café, Threave
The Terrace Café champions fresh local produce, using specifically grown items from the walled garden on their menu daily to create mouth-watering quiches, soups, salads, and scones. Their unrivalled tradition for home baking continues, with new cakes and sweet treats on the menu daily like this red gooseberry scone! There are ample tables indoors, as well as outdoor seating from which to enjoy the views over the garden, estate and the Galloway hills.
During the summer season, you can also pick up a light bite or refreshment at the Stables Café. Set in a pretty spot at the centre of the garden, the courtyard itself is a real sun trap, and is also one of the best places in the garden to spot birds and squirrels enjoying the feeders put out by the garden team.
Bessie’s Café, Culross
The gardens team at Culross are always busy growing fruit and vegetables in the organic palace garden for the kitchen team to use in a variety of soups, quiches and scones on their menus at Bessie’s Café. You can also buy freshly grown seasonal herbs, fruit and vegetables to take your for your own kitchen creations, such as British Colleen potatoes, Thorle Pippin Apples and Nun’s Belly Button Beans!
Plus, the cheese scones at Bessie’s Café were voted 10 out of 10 by Scone Spy at The Sunday Post in April 2023: ’Scone score - Light, soft, creamy with a wholemeal hint. Perfect. 10/10’. Read the full review!
Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Newly refurbished!
The newly refurbished café at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is the place to go in the Ayrshire region. Start your morning right with a tasty bacon roll and a steaming cup of coffee, served until noon. For those with a sweet tooth, the freshly baked signature scones and home-baked treats are a must-try, always featuring gluten-free options.
Looking for a hearty meal? From 12–3pm, enjoy our hot food, with special dishes served from 12–2pm. The daily menu often includes a tempting haggis dish! Plus, our snacks and soups are available all day long, perfect for everyone, including the little ones. We take pride in using the best Ayrshire produce from our local suppliers, ensuring top-notch quality in every bite.
When the sun is shining, you can take your meal outside and relax in our beautiful garden. Your furry friends are welcome too – dogs on leads can join you for a coffee break or a tea and treat after your walk around the gardens.
Stables Café, Newhailes
After enjoying all that Newhailes House and Estate has to offer, you can treat yourself to a delicious lunch in the Stables Café. The team use items from their market garden (run by volunteers) for the soups and salads. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available, and with an early opening time of 9am, you can enjoy a hearty Scottish breakfast roll – the perfect way to get your day off to an amazing start!
Newhailes have also turned the old dairy into an ice cream parlour and traditional sweet shop. Situated just opposite the entrance to Weehailes Playpark, pop in to choose from the wide range of flavours made by Mackie’s.
The Hill House Café
The café is a warm and welcoming space in the Hill House Box, offering a range of delicious sweet and savoury products seven days a week. The café has indoor seating which reflects the interior of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s domestic masterpiece, with dark, oak-stained wood and atmospheric lighting, and on the second floor we have an amazing sheltered roof terrace with stunning views across the Firth of Clyde to Arran. Furry friends are welcome on the roof terrace, and the Box has lift access to both areas of the café so everyone can enjoy what we have to offer.
Every morning we serve freshly baked scones served with butter, jam and clotted cream. If you’re looking for something extra special, why not try our bespoke Mackintosh-style Empire biscuits – the most photographed biscuits in the west of Scotland!
Mackintosh at the Willow
New to the Trust!
Step into the whimsical world of the Willow Tea Rooms, opened by Miss Cranston in 1903 and brilliantly designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald.
Today known as Mackintosh at the Willow, this A-listed treasure invites you to explore three charming floors, each brimming with unique designs. On the ground floor, the Front and Back Saloons dazzle with a canopy, skylights and linen wall panels. The mezzanine Gallery offers a cosy tea spot.
For an extra-special treat, book a tour of the famous Salon de Luxe. Enjoy learning all about the history from one of our passionate guides, followed by an indulgent afternoon tea for two in a truly magical setting.
From delightful breakfasts and lunches to irresistible afternoon teas and pastries, there’s something for everyone. Be sure to book your table in advance to secure your spot.
Try the new Trust coffee blend
Our official Trust coffee blend is launching very soon! Our blend’s name is ’Nàdar’, which means nature is Scottish Gaelic, and has been developed in collaboration with our tea and coffee supplier Matthew Algie, based in Glasgow. It is Fairtrade certified and sourced from farming co-operatives in Brazil, Honduras, and India.
The recipe has been carefully designed to capture the essence of the Trust, and its profile can be described as roasted, earthy, sweet and pinewood. The personality of our coffee can be summed up as cosy: think roasting marshmallows on a bonfire, long walks in the country, or a pine wood on a windy day.
Our coffee blend will be available to take home from our cafes and gift shops very soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
Wally Dug café, The Tenement House
Take a moment to unwind with a cup of coffee and enjoy various sweet treats, snacks, and cold and hot drinks. We’re also proud to offer a range of gluten-free options. Whilst you relax, you can look through our new Archive Boxes, filled with hidden gems from our collection.
We have established strong connections with local suppliers – don’t miss the opportunity to try our new Nàdar coffee blend.
You can easily find us on the ground floor; there’s no need to book. Whether you prefer to take your order to go or enjoy it in our cosy café, all proceeds support the National Trust for Scotland.
Try our new Trust coffee blend
Our blend’s name is Nàdar, which means ’nature’ in Scottish Gaelic, and it has been developed in collaboration with our tea and coffee supplier Matthew Algie, based in Glasgow. It is Fairtrade-certified and sourced from farming co-operatives in Brazil, Honduras and India.
The recipe has been carefully designed to capture the essence of the Trust; its profile can be described as roasted, earthy, sweet and pinewood. The personality of our coffee can be summed up as cosy: think long walks in the countryside, or a pinewood on a windy day.
You can enjoy our special blend in many of the Trust’s cafés and you can also buy Nàdar coffee beans, so you can savour a taste of the National Trust for Scotland from the comfort of home.
Meet our Suppliers
Here at the Trust, we are delighted to work with the best suppliers across Scotland. Find out a little more in the stories below:
Meet the Supplier: Brigston & Co
Meet the Supplier: Mackie’s Ice Cream
Tastes of the Trust
Enjoy re-creating some of your favourite Trust treats with these recipes from our tearooms.
Recipe: Irene’s clootie dumpling from Castle Fraser
This old-school Scottish dessert is packed with warming spices and juicy fruits. Steam it, slice it, and smother it in custard!
Recipe: Ivor’s brownie traybake from Newhailes
Indulge in rich, fudgy brownies from Head Chef Ivor Clark at Newhailes. Dark, milk and white chocolate blend perfectly to create a gooey centre.
Recipe: Jasmine’s shortbread from Mackintosh at the Willow
Create buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread with this simple recipe by Jasmine Spears, head pastry chef at Mackintosh at the Willow.
Recipe: Scott’s haggis sausage rolls from Culzean
Try our delicious hearty sausage rolls with a twist, created by Scott Murdoch, Head Chef at Culzean Castle & Country Park.
Recipe: Elizabeth’s lemon drizzle cake from Drum Castle
Simple to make and delicious to eat, try out this recipe at home from Elizabeth Hirst at Drum Castle.
Recipe: Joyce’s apple muffins from Haddo House
Joyce at Haddo House shares her apple muffin recipe in time for apple season. Try them at home this autumn.