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The Fettykil Fox (Glenrothes)
by jeffjen
The Fettykil Fox is a pub/restaurant situated just off Leslie Roundabout and set back from the road in Glenrothes, Scotland.
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THE FETTYKIL FOX
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I first visited here when staying overnight at the Express by Holiday Inn, which is a minute's walk away. I have been back a few ... times since on my way to Dundee, as it is a lovely, friendly pub which serves good food. It is part of the Vintage Inn's chain, which have a good reputation.
It does seem to be quite a popular place to stop off, and also for the guests staying at the Express by Holiday Inn.
Ample car parking is available.
The pub's unusual name derives from 'fetekil' meaning old village green.
On entering the pub, it has a dark and cosy feel to it, with its mahoghany furniture and wooden beams. On my visits it has been spotlessly clean and tables are cleared and cleaned very promptly.
It is quite large inside with plenty of tables and an open fire. Candles are placed on the tables to add to the cosy atmosphere.
At the rear of the pub is a small beer garden and also a smoking shelter. The garden is a lovely place to sit with a drink when the weather permits. On one of my visits, it was a lovely hot summer's day and myself and partner sat outside well into the evening!
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DRINKS
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A wide range of drinks are available here, including a selection of beers and real ales, such as Timothy Taylors, Caledonian and Deuchars.
Wines are available by the bottle, glass or on draught from the cellar range.
I can recommend the Italian Merlot Rose cellar wine, which tastes similar to White Zinfandel and on my last visit recently cost £2.30 a glass. Bottles of wine from their extensive wine list are reasonably priced starting at £7.95.
Shorts are priced at £2.75, and a range of soft drinks are available, including summer refreshers priced at £1.00 which include the lovely Pomegranate Fizz, which is a mix of pomegranate and raspberry cordial, mixed with lemonade.
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FOOD
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I can highly recommend the food served here, as have visited several times and on each occasion it has been delicious.
The menu is quite large, with also daily added blackboard specials. Starters, mains and desserts are available as well as lighter lunchtime meals.
Starters range from Soup of the day priced at £2.95 - King Prawn Cocktail priced at £4.25, and also include Grilled chicken and chorizo skewers, pate's and breaded mushrooms.
The only starter I have had here is the soup which was tasty, hot and served with a warmed bread roll and butter. My partner loves the prawn cocktail, again served with bread.
There is so much to choose from the main course menu. Very difficult for an indecisive person like myself to decide what to have!
Their signature dishes include twice roasted duck and apricots, and seafood cobb salad, but a range of favourites such as gammon and eggs, steaks, pies, lasagne, burgers, fish and chips and salads are available.
A range of vegetarian options are also served, including mushroom and spinach lasagne.
Side dishes to compliment your main meal are priced at around £2.00 including roasted Mediterranean vegetables, cheesy garlic bread, onion rings and sweet potato.
I love the chicken open pie which consists of chicken breast, ham and leeks in a cheddar sauce. It came served with homemade chips and peas, and priced at £7.50 this comes highly recommended by me! I have also enjoyed both steak and gammon here, and also an Aberdeen angus burger which was very tasty.
Most of the mains are priced at around £6.95 - £7.50, but obviously some are more expensive such as the previously mentioned duck at £11.95, steaks priced from £8.95 for rump - £14.95 for fillet, and fish dishes such as Thai salmon - £10.95, and Tuna Steak Nicoise - £9.95.
Sunday lunches are also available priced at £6.95.
Desserts (if you have any room ) are wrote on a blackboard which your waiter/waitress brings to the table when you are finished your main meal. These include ice creams, chocolate brownie, cheesecakes and eve's pudding, or my favourite - profiteroles served with fudge sauce and whipped cream - yum!
All are priced around £2.95 - £3.95.
There is a great offer available at lunchtime. The lunchtime menu is available Mon- Sat, 12pm-5pm. The offer consists of a one course lunch for £5.95, 2 course lunch for £7.95, or 3 course lunch for £9.95. There are 3 starters, 7 main meals and 4 desserts to choose from in this offer so there's bound to be something you like. Alternatively, a range of salads or hot and cold sandwiches are available served with chips or salad.
I can recommend the chicken and bacon sandwich, or the bacon and brie melt at £4.45.
Overall the prices are quite reasonable here and on my last visit recently one evening when staying overnight at the adjacent hotel, I ordered 2 main meals, for myself and partner, and 4 alcoholic drinks. The bill came to £24.75, which isn't bad at all.
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SERVICE & SUMMARY
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Service has always been first class at the Fettkil Fox in my experience. You are always greeted with a friendly welcome and are thanked when you leave.
I have never waited long for meals and they are always well presented and delivered to your table by friendly and efficient staff.
Nothing seems to be any trouble, and you are asked if you would like any more drinks brought to your table, or coffee's etc.
The staff have always been pleasant and chatty on my visits, asking where you are from and how long you are there for etc. On our last visit the waitress was keen to ask us about Newcastle, as she was thinking of visiting, and in return told us quite a lot about Glenrothes and the surrounding area which was interesting.
There is no need to book a table at the Fettykil Fox and meals are served all day every day from 12pm until 10pm (9.30pm on Sunday).
I hope I have got your taste buds watering! If you are ever in Glenrothes, then pay a vist to The Fettkil Fox, you won't be disappointed!
The Fettykil Fox
Leslie Roundabout
Leslie
Glenrothes
KY6 3EP
Tel 01592 749613
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Wetherspoons (The Sand Piper, Glasgow Airport)
by Machair1
I love Glasgow Airport, and was quite happy with all the facilities they had prior to the massive revamping that has been going on now, since the dreadful bombing incident which occurred there in June 2007.
I was actually lucky because we should have been in the airport the day it happened, and would have been sitting in Café ... Nero, where we always wait, by the International Arrivals, but had decided to drive to Scotland instead that day. That was a very close call, and so now I do welcome the increased security measures, and the new layout and rebuilding of the airport which is ongoing.
Part of this re- development has been the building of a new Wetherspoon pub called "The Sandpiper" which is land side adjacent to the check in desks. Opened in October 2008 this is a real asset to the hungry and thirsty traveller on a budget. It opens at 4am and staggers on until the last flight of the evening.
The pub was named after the Common Snipe and the Jack Snipe, which are both birds seen regularly on a local nature reserve called "Paisley Moss", which actually lies within the airport boundaries about 10 minutes from the terminals.
This is, yes, just another Wetherspoons, and to be honest I can't say I really love them, but at the airport there is often quite a wait for us as we often fly up to Glasgow from London, and then have a wait between our connecting flight to Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. I don't mind as long as where we go is quiet, in fact I often book the business lounges in London, as certainly at Gatwick in particular, the communal areas are very busy indeed. Glasgow however has some quiet nooks and Wetherspoons is certainly one to try.
The décor of the pub is old worldy, with a great little hideaway in the corner which has old books on shelves, and a cosy settee to snuggle into.
The menu is a standard Wetherspoon offering, and they have an "All day Breakfast" as well as many lunchtimes snacks, such as a good selection of baked potatoes, as well as more elaborate main courses such as "Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Spinach Curry", or "British Beef & Abbot Ale pie". It's pub food for sure and at good prices, the baked potatoes are very reasonable. We had two coffees and two baked potatoes with cheese and beans and a salad and it was only £11.
Alcoholic Drinks are sensibly priced too, and certainly affordable, and there are some scrumptious desserts.
I am always really delighted to see a selection of herbs teas to choose from there, and have enjoyed many of these including camomile and peppermint.
Each time we have visited this establishment we have been greeted with a smile and have been served promptly and kindly. The food is not special, it's basic pub grub, and a lot of it certainly emerges from the caverns of the microwave, but it is a good choice for a quiet pre check in drink, or for relaxing before going through to security if you have arrived early.
We have also eaten here if we have landed and are staying at one of the airport hotels as it is certainly much cheaper.
I am also impressed to see organic dishes and free range ingredients appearing on the menus, as well as their use of 100% Rainforest-Alliance-certified coffee.
With the redeveloped security at the airport you have to keep your wits about you though and watch the screens, because it takes a good ½ hour just to pass through security, even to flights destined for domestic routes so leave a lot of time.
I think this has been a real asset for travellers and somewhere I enjoy passing an hour, it rarely gets busy, and it allows you to sit and read, or chat, in comfortable surroundings without breaking the bank.
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