Flybe / November 2018

16 / 116

16 / Flight Time / NOVEMBER 2018
Take-off
It was a moment of pure delight when I
pressed a button on a mysterious control in
my bedroom and a huge TV suddenly rose
up out of the end of the bed.
My modern room with its all-round
views from floor-to-ceiling windows was
quite different to what I was expecting
from traditional country retreat Meldrum
House in Inverurie. Dating back to the
13th century, it’s known for its expansive
parkland golf course, covering 24 acres
of mature estate land, while inside the
beautiful building there’s a clear pride in
the hotel’s Aberdeenshire heritage. The
house was owned by the Meldrum family
from 1236 right up until 1990, and walls are
adorned with paintings of previous lairds of
the manor. Along with the amazing views
across the golf course, my room (located
in the hotel’s modern extension) featured a
huge, super-comfy bed, top-notch tea and
coffee, welcoming fudge and fresh fruit,
luxurious toiletries, a walk-in rainfall shower,
a heated bathroom floor – oh, and back
to those views again – you could even see
them from the toilet, if you so desired!
Downstairs, joining our group in the
lounge for pre-dinner drinks, we enjoyed
whisky and marmalade cocktails, sitting on
comfy fireside sofas and looking out at the
garden where two fluffy orange Highland
cows (the owner’s pets) wandered around.
This was definitely Scotland!
F L I G H T D E TA I L S
Flybe has flights to Aberdeen from
Belfast City, Birmingham, London
Heathrow, Manchester, Newquay and
Southampton. Flybe also has flights
to Aberdeen from Paris CDG, operated
by Air France. Flybe’s franchise
partner Eastern Airways has flights
to Aberdeen from Cardiff, Durham
Tees Valley, Humberside, Newcastle,
Norwich and Wick.
A B E R D E E N
Whisky galore
FOR A TRUE TASTE OF SCOTLAND,
VISIT MELDRUM HOUSE IN
ABERDEENSHIRE, SAYS EMILY
GRAVENOR
At dinner, we were given an insight
into the kind of food that Meldrum House
serves, with the producers coming to chat
to us during dinner. Grace Noble started
her Aberdeenshire Highland Beef business
from scratch, and hearing her talk about
the pride and care she has for her cows was
very touching. And such is the quality and
provenance of her pure pedigree herd that
her customers include a certain neighbour
who lives at Balmoral!
We were also treated to seafood from
Sutherlands of Portsoy, who specialise in
Scottish salmon, Portsoy kippers, smoked
herring and scallops from the Shetlands.
At dessert came a surprise – we were
transported to the hotel’s 800-year-old
Cave Bar, where Fiona from neighbouring
whisky distillery Glen Garioch talked us
through an amazing whisky and cheese
pairing, accompanied by delicious
chutneys from Huntly Herbs. Who knew
that a 15-year-old sherry cask whisky goes
perfectly with smoky apple cheese and
marrow chutney?
With the promise of a nightcap, we were
then taken to the ‘do’orcot’, an ancient
dovecote prettily lit up inside with candles,
where Fiona talked to us about what makes
Glen Garioch so special for her, giving us
more tastings of exquisite – and very rare –
whiskies. It becomes a little hazy from here,
but I have a note on my phone that tells me
that one of them was from the 1980s.
After this, we painstakingly tiptoed down
the steps and back into the Cave Bar, where
another glorious sight was uncovered – a set
of whisky lockers, where people store their
personal whisky collections. Apparently
one of them belongs to Sir Alex Ferguson,
a chum of hotel director Bob Edwards, but
we didn’t have the key for his cage. A final
whisky hot chocolate by the fire and we
were all well and truly ready for bed.
The next morning, we found that a visit
to Meldrum House is perfectly paired with a
visit to Glen Garioch, also in Oldmeldrum,
where the Legends of Garioch Experience
is a fascinating, immersive way to learn
about the centuries of craftsmanship that
make the whisky so special, followed by an
exclusive tasting of the single cask, limited
release and archive portfolio.
Sadly, it was soon time to leave this
secluded whisky wonderland. I ate all the
shortbread I could find, packed my whisky
tablet in my bag and set off to the airport. I
may have been feeling in a bit of a whisky
mist from the evening before, but I couldn’t
help but notice just how friendly and
welcoming the team at Meldrum House
were, from Alan who drove me to and from
the airport and made me laugh, to Bob
the director who let us into his whisky locker.
Meldrum House won me over with a great
combination of quality, comfort, Scottish
friendliness – and Glen Garioch!