The contemporary and welcoming Scottish Highland cafes that serve snowsport fans
The white stuff can stimulate an appetite
Skiing and snowboarding can burn from 300 to 600 calories per hour.
Let’s just say that you’re definitely not going to enjoy an entire morning of snowsports after having a measly single Weetabix for your breakfast.
Thankfully, Scotland’s ski centres and mountain resorts have the fuel to get you through. They’re used to catering for starving guests, who just want to carb load and warm up.
There is no need to take a packed lunch.
“Modern skiers are very different from in the old days when they would be queuing at the first lift with a sandwich in their pocket, “ says Andy Meldrum, head of Ski Scotland and managing director of Glencoe Mountain Resort. “Nowadays they will arrive, enjoy a bacon buttie in the cafe, a macaroni pie at lunch and stop in the cafe on the way down the mountain for a drink before heading home.”
All of the five mountain resorts serve hearty, filling and, most importantly, hot, dishes that will keep you going on the slopes. And then there’s the essential sugary drink.
As Meldrum says, at Glencoe Mountain Resort, “Our best seller in the winter is our hot chocolate, with marshmallows and cream. Last winter more than 18,000 were sold.”
We perused the five Scottish resorts’ cafe offerings to see what else is on the menu.
Cairngorm Mountain Resort
This resort’s Ptarmigan Restaurant and Bar is the highest in the UK, at 1000 feet above sea level. We’re not sure if the altitude is appetite-promoting or not, but we love the journey up there by Mountain Railway and the views of Glenmore and Strathspey from the viewing platform are heavenly. Its menu is crowd-pleasing and wholesome, with fill-your-ski-boots options including Highland venison chilli, soups, sandwiches and Speyside beef curry, as well as separate options for kids, vegetarians and vegans. Next door, you’ll find their three-year-old Cairngorm Gin Bar, which serves the small batch Cairngorm Mountain Strength Edition Gin and other boozy options. If you want to keep your feet firmly on the ground, at the base of the mountain, you’ll find the simpler Cairngorm Cafe, for humble and hot breakfast rolls, Cullen skink and pizza, among other options.
Glenshee Ski Centre
They are spoiling us at this destination, where you’ll find a total of three cafes to cater for all the snowsport enthusiasts. There’s the casual Meall Odhar Cafe, which they describe as having ‘a real chalet feel’. It’s situated in the Sunnyside/middle valley area and serves goodies including hot dogs and chips. At the top of the Cairnwell Access Chair, the Cairnwell Cafe serves casual light bites, like rolls, sandwiches and soup. However, the smartest of the trio is the biggest Tea@TheShee, which is a base level honeypot for skiers, but also cyclists, dog-walkers, and tourists. Apparently, when it comes to this place, one of the draws is the fact that they're serviced by Tower Bakery in Perth, which does a good range of sticky fudge doughnuts, empire biscuits and yum yums. We’ve also heard good things about the toasties.
Nevis Range Mountain Experience
At this resort’s base station, you’ll find The Trails End Cafe Bar, which is an all-day affair that’s open from 8am until 10pm daily. For breakfast and lunch, this venue offers light bites and drinks, including an intriguing Chevron Hot Chocolate, which is available in four flavours - Milk or Dark Truffle, Highland Toffee, or Dark Raspberry. At dinner, things get a bit more substantial at this venue, thanks to cockle-warming dishes including a Highlanders venison and Glenspean Ale pie or Snowgoose crafted lager battered haddock and chips. For those who want lunch with a view, the resort also offers The Snowgoose Cafe, which involves a gondola ride 650 metres up Aonach Mor and an essential appointment with the sugariest traybake of your dreams.
The Lecht 2090
This might be the wee-est of the ski centres, but it’s not going to send you off feeling hungry. There’s a self-service restaurant on the ground floor, open daily from 9:30am until 4:30pm, and where treats might include their banana and pineapple hummingbird cake, paninis, bacon rolls, baked potatoes and quiche, as well as a first floor cafe bar that’s open during weekends and holidays. Both have great views of the nursery slopes.
Glencoe Mountain Resort
At this destination’s smaller Plateau Cafe, everyone raves about the Argyll Bakery macaroni pies. “My personal favourite food on the mountain,” says Meldrum. We can’t think of any better carb to fuel a cold day on the slopes. It might be worth getting one for each pocket of your salopettes. There’s also the newer base station White Corries Cafe, which seats 150 and opened back in 2021. This light and bright open-plan building, which was designed by award-winning architecture firm Anderson Bell + Christie is open seven days a week, from 8am until 8pm.
“It was designed to maximize the stunning views in every direction thanks to large panoramic windows. With a modern kitchen, great staff and, through the use of mainly local ingredients, it’s built a great reputation for breakfasts, the Glencoe Burger - a venison burger with a layer of haggis - amazing cakes from Keemac Bakery and Glen Spean Brewery wares,” says Meldrum. Oh, and you should definitely get yourself a hot chocolate and bring their sales of this popular winter drink up to 18,0001.
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