A Mother’s Day lunch in Ballater

I can’t remember when I last spent Mother’s Day with my mother but it was decades ago…that is, until today. Mum is visiting and we made the most of the opportunity by going for lunch at the Rothesay Rooms in Ballater.

The Rothesay Rooms were originally established by the then Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, to encourage tourists into the area after the floods of 2015. The Prince of Wales is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland – this title now belongs to Prince William since he is now the Prince of Wales. The restaurant was run by the Prince’s Foundation until late 2022 when it was taken over by BaxterStorey.

It’s in the old Ballater train station which is no longer used as a train station but because it was used by Queen Victoria on her way to Balmoral Castle it’s something of a museum with her train carriage and waiting room on display. There’s also a shop, library, and of course the Rothesay Rooms.

Mum and Daniel beside Queen Victoria's train carriage.

This is Queen Victoria’s waiting room.

Queen Victoria's waiting room with a dining table, wood panelling, and stained glass windows.

You can even see her toilet.

A timber toilet with painted ceramic bowl and stained glass windows.

Queen Victoria's basin with stained glass windows behind.

Rachel, Elizabeth, and Mum in Queen Victoria's waiting room.

We sat in one of the train-inspired booths and it was wonderful because it had racks above our heads for baggage and coat hooks on the ends. It was comfortable and also wonderfully private.

The booth where we sat for lunch with red seats and racks above our heads for baggage.

The real highlight was the food which was excellent. The chef made me a bespoke vegan dish since they didn’t have anything on the main menu and it was delicious. The veggies were done to perfection with just the right amount of softness and the potatoes a perfect combination of crispy on the outside, soft and mashy on the inside. I had braised celery and shallots – it was full of flavour.

My lunch which has three roast potatoes and braised celery and shallots.

The kids were so stuffed after lunch they collapsed on bean bags in the library.

Daniels and Elizabeth collapsed on bean bags.

After lunch we went for a wee wander along the Dee. It was a dreich day but we always enjoy a bit of fresh air no matter what the weather is doing. The trees are draped in lichen in this area which is a sign of excellent air quality. You can see it on the branches behind the children in this next photo.