Our Scone Spy finds a haven at Teapot 1 in Gardenstown, near Banff

TEAPOT 1 in the pretty coastal community of Gardenstown has been charged with serving great scones.

This little eatery takes its name from the call sign for the Metropolitan Police mobile catering unit, so I decide to go undercover and investigate it for myself.

It turns out it has a pretty arresting selection of bakes, made fresh on the premises.

We arrive on a busy Saturday to find the place buzzing, with hardly a seat to spare.

I should have booked in advance but me and my chum for the day decide to make the best of it and take our food outside.

The café has a picturesque hillside location – overlooking the spectacular Moray Firth – but seems to pose no challenge for customers.

Some have disabilities. Others are visiting with babies in buggies. All are enjoying the view – and it looks like they are enjoying their food, too.

I get my hopes up for a scone sensation.

After much “umming” and “ahh-ing” we go for paninis – cheese and onion and a separate halloumi choice – followed by scones.

There’s quite an amazing line-up of scones to choose from.

That includes the usual suspects of plain or cheese. But there are also peanut butter, goat’s cheese & red onion, mango & ginger, Malteser, cranberry & orange and fig & apricot.

We choose a small selection and decide on a return visit to sample the others at a later date.

But we are cautioned the scone menu could change at any time, with new recipes being dreamed up by the day.

My kind of place. Showing a bit of dedication to the scone world.

Our paninis are delicious. But the scones are to die for.

As seagulls swoop overhead we dip into our goodies and choose a peanut butter option, rich and nutty and melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

The unusual goat’s cheese and red onion variety has the taste buds tingling with savoury memories of a holiday in Majorca. That’s another story for another day, though.

I suggest to my companion that we come up with a hit list for a return visit.

It includes the Malteser scone and the fig and apricot version. We can’t wait.

Teapot 1 is a pretty little café and a haven from the cold on blustery days, and a sunny delight in warmer times.

The service is first-class, with the friendly husband and wife team providing a warm welcome.

There is also a charming garden for al fresco dining in summer which is particularly handy when you have kids and pets in tow.

Our informants told us this place was great.

And we have to say, that’s a fair cop!