Scone Spy: Our taste tester checks out the Burrell Collection cafe

It may not surprise you that I am the proud owner of an impressive collection of vintage teapots.

My favourite, passed down to me by my grandmother, is an art deco ceramic in the shape of Mr Pickwick. He never fails to amuse when it’s time for tea at Scone Spy Towers.

Some people scoff at geekery but without it we wouldn’t have the wonderful Burrell Collection which reopened to the public recently after a multi-million-pound makeover.

Sir William Burrell bought his first painting aged 15 with a few shillings he’d been given for a cricket bat. It sparked a lifelong passion for collecting art and antiquities which he then gifted to the people of Glasgow.

I went for a burl round the Burrell last week. His collection put my teapots in the shade, I can tell you. He amassed a staggering 9,000 objects, from Chinese art to medieval treasures and tapestries.

Immersing oneself in the exhibition is as good as meditation and I would highly recommend it.

As ever, though, I was also on the hunt for another kind of treasure and I found what I was searching for at the Burrell’s restaurant on the ground floor.

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As it was lunchtime it was very busy but we were lucky enough to swoop in on a table near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I guarded our seats while my friend attempted the queue. It wasn’t the fastest service but as it was the first week of opening, the staff made a valiant effort in keeping things moving.

And the chefs produced a meal for two which was well presented and very tasty. The steak sandwich served on ciabatta with Swiss cheese, onion marmalade and rocket was lip-smackingly good. And my companion raved about the spicy Thai vegetable salad.

Next it was on to the main attraction. We can learn a lot from our ancestors but when it comes to scones I am the world’s No 1 expert – and I can report that the fruit scone at the Burrell was top notch.

Sweet, crumbly and moist with a pot of strawberry jam and butter. Now that’s what I call art.