Neill’s Donut World Tour

(Of Scotland)

Apologies for the lack of a newsletter last week, I was away in Scotland doing a little mini tour of school visits and bookshops in Edinburgh. It was very lovely and delightful and I’d like to say a huge thank you to Hazel Norris at Stockbridge Bookfest, to Fraser and Jasmine at Scottish Booktrust, to Tess and all at Topping & Co, to the magnificent Fraser Hutchinson at David Fickling, and to everyone at all the schools I visited and everyone who came along to the event at Toppings. You are ALL THE BEST, I signed more copies of Mega Robo Bros than I would have believed existed in the world, and I headed home exhausted but comprehensively heart-warmed.

(Look, it’s me! Doing my job! Photo courtesy of Stockbridge Primary School)

Anyway, seeing as I was there, I thought I would seize the opportunity to do my own little SIDE tour of the Scottish variety of that increasingly prevalent modern phenomenom, Cool High-End Doughnut Shops. What? It’s RESEARCH. I literally draw a comic about this stuff, it is important I stay abreast of current developments in the field.

Anyway, on the basis that this is presumably exactly the content you would sign up to something called the Neill Cameron Newsletter for: I PRESENT TO YOU MY FINDINGS HERE.

ROOM & RUMOURS

A delightful little establishment of the Hipster Artisinal Coffee Shop variety situated in one of the arches overlooking Waverley Station on East Market Street, this friendly and charming place offers fine coffee (naturally), karma cola (bonus points from me, BEST COLA) and a rotating selection of filled doughnuts from classic ‘jam’ to more experimental flavours like chocolate marshmallow and lemon meringue. So basically, jam doughnuts. But the highest-spec jam doughnuts you could ever hope to encounter. Amazing, 10/10.

THE KILTED DONUT

Situated over in the New Town, near the very excellent children’s bookshop Ginger & Pickles (head along there for a whole stack of signed books by me, while stocks last!), this enticingly-named establishment was actually closed on the day of my visit. And the next day. But do you think I let that stop me? Or do you think I went all the way back over to that side of town the NEXT next day, specifically to check it out?

WELL, OBVIOUSLY I DID. I was compelled to investigate after hearing rumours that they offered a donut called the Hawaiian - pineapple glaze, topped with strips of candied spam, honestly this could not sound more like something I made up for Donut Squad if it tried - but I was saddened to discover that this must be a limited-run or seasonal offering, because it was not available on the day of my visit. I made do with a Cranachan Donut (raspberry glaze, crumbly oat topping, cream filled), and that was okay because it was AMAZING. 10/10

TANTRUM DOUGHNUTS

A Glasgow institution, of which I was first made aware by the brilliant cartoonist and fine human being Neil Slorance. Although it was only a bit of a flying visit to Glasgow, do you think I was going to let the chance to nip in and grab a quick Tantrum pass me by? Come on. On this occasion I sampled the Brown Butter and Coffee Glaze and, like pretty much every other flavour I have tried from this legend amongst doughnutteries, it was absolutely spectacular. 10/10

WOW NEILL IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU MAYBE EAT TOO MANY DOUGHNUTS?

Not at all! I told you, it’s research. Anyway, shut up! I am VERY HEALTHY AND THIN.

Do you want to see something amazing? At one of the schools I visited in Edinburgh, a young man at the back of the class had brought in a whole stack of handmade books he’d created, both fiction and non-fiction, and they were all incredible, but nothing could hold a candle to my personal favourite…

Honestly there were so many lovely moments from this tour that if I tried to describe them all here we would be here all day and also all die from a sheer overdose of ADORABLE WHOLESOMENESS. But that was a special one. It was kind of crazy to me how much love I was getting for my weird little comic about donuts that has only existed for a few weeks, but it was completely delightful. Turns out kids like donuts saying weird stuff! Who knew!

TO SUM UP: read Donut Squad, every week in the Phoenix!