Scottish cafés we like part two: Lochaber Farm Shop

A welcome addition to the café scene in Fort William is the arrival of the Lochaber Farm Shop’s new café. In their new purpose built lodge, they offer the best of both worlds. You can sit down and enjoy the view of Aonach Mor whilst eating one of the best bacon and egg rolls known to man and then do what I do and pop across the hall to buy the same locally produced bacon and eggs to take home and munch your way through each morning until you run out and have to go back and buy some more. Not the healthiest, I know, but they taste so damn fine. I may end up the same size as their purpose built lodge if I’m not careful.

The shop itself has the best fruit and veg available in the area, far superior to the standard offered by Fort Williams’ big, local supermarket. If you know Fort William, you’ll know which one I’m talking about. Not long after we moved to this area, I made a lovely venison casserole with meat and veg bought from the Farm Shop and whilst eating it we couldn’t figure out why the carrots tasted so funny until it dawned on us what they actually tasted of – carrot! That may sound odd but they were the carrotiest carrots either of us had ever tasted. And they were organic and local. Far better than the bland, wobbly affairs on offer in town…

Just because I can, here’s an aerial view of the café, now that won’t be happening with every café I write about!

It’s a bit out of the way up at the Lochaber Rural Complex on the road to the Nevis Range gondolas and trying to remember on which days of the week it’s closed can be a bind (I’ve turned up many a time at the shop pre-lodge days to find it shut) but well worth the trek and perfect for fuelling up pre-skiing/boarding session.