Celebrating 45 years in Tyndrum 1965 – 2010
The summer is here, the trees, plants and flowers are blooming and the birdies tweeting….
Amazing really, the warm weather has continued. For once, we (the locals) are moaning about the lack of water – that in itself is something that is rare in Tyndrum (the lack of water that is!) We experienced a beautiful winter, and an amazing spring, even though we still had some late snow falls! So fingers crossed that it’s going to be a scorcher! Mind you, we still want a wee bit rain; it does help with the soup sales! The first weekend of July saw 1.6” of rain fall in Tyndrum… with it; bits of trees were flying around too! It was pretty wild, however the rainfall was welcome!
The West Highland Way has been very busy with walkers this year. There have been some ‘unusual’ sights; including a group of four walkers who had a dog, Ben with them… he was carrying his own little panniers, containing his food and blanket. He had sore paws, so had on little booties. He was too exhausted to get up, so I served his water to him! I wish I had been able to take a photograph of him when his Dad, Darren, put his panniers back on… the look Ben gave him was priceless! In addition to Ben, there was a brave Danish couple walking the WHW on a hot Saturday morning in June – also with full packs and their young daughter in a push chair! 
I met them after they had just bought some Contigo Mugs (great choice) from the Filling Station. That must be a mission and a half to do that. One of the staff said they would carry the bairn and wheel the packs – they have a point! Ben – top left; The Danish Couple showing off their new mugs are on the right.
Recycling has been a major project over the last few months and we have been making a huge effort here. As you can imagine, the amount of rubbish / packaging / waste that a business of this size goes through is scary! We have been compacting waste for a while now; however, the amount of recycled products that we have collected is fantastic. Plastic: 2,280 kg; Cardboard: 19,354kg; Metal: 2,630kg; Paper towels: 61kg. We also collect polystyrene and paper. The last collection amounted to 26,148kg being recycled! We have managed to reduce the commercial bins (the rubbish that goes into landfill) from 16 bins per week, to only 6 of them! Long may it continue! We do have other uses for card and plastic: the ‘good wrapping’ we use to post out internet orders – so if you order something, it will come in a recycled box with oddly shaped packaging to keep it safe! We try to recycle as much as we can.
Did they really say that? We do get the strangest things said to us…. As I am writing this, I got a call from Susie in Goodies & Gifts. A customer asked her, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest petrol station is please?” Now, that’s a first! Looking back through the ‘Did they really say that’ book, here’s another cracker: “How did you come up with a crappy name like The Green Welly Stop?” Nice.
Look for the apple logo for healthy eating options in the Restaurant! We do try our best to cater for all tastes and dietary requirements. Don’t hesitate to ask a member of staff if you have any special needs – vegetarian, gluten free diets, we can feed you all!
Profile time!
Bernadette Marno has been employed in the business since 1992. Prior to working with us, she worked in Faslane, ensuring there were supplies for fixing the Submarines when they docked. 
Bernadette started in the business clearing tables, moved to the sandwich bar, bakery and then onto the counter. She has since moved up through the ranks as Supervisor, Assistant Manager, Restaurant Manager and now is the business Food & Beverage Manager. Her remit includes the Restaurant, Snack Stop and all other fresh foods that are sold in the business! Half the total numbers of staff in the business are managed by Bernadette. She is a busy lady! She has three daughters; Jennifer, Lorraine and Lyndsey. They have all worked in the business from a young age and all attended university. Lorraine is now our Office Manager and Lyndsey our Assistant Restaurant Manager. Bernadette is to be found on her days off generally in Asda or Makro, wheeling trolley loads of custard and Kit Kats. She has an amazing gift for remembering ‘numbers’, which was a talent from a very early age!
Cullen Skink: The Secret is revealed – well, sort of! It’s our best selling soup by far, and we have been known to sell over 70 litres in one day. So, what’s the secret? Buy the best peat smoked haddock that you can find – remember there’s good top quality smoked haddock and smoked haddock that has been ‘coloured’. Ours is supplied by Andy Race from Mallaig. In a pot, cook onions and tatties in a fish stock. Once your tatties are just about cooked, add in your smoked haddock and cream (you can try part milk and part cream, it depends how rich/fattening you want it!). Add parsley if you want for a bit of colour… Serve with fresh chunky bread (or buy a round of our cheesy cracked black pepper bread from the Snack Stop!) That’s about it really. Cracking Scottish soup is all about keeping it simple! Oh, did I say already that you can buy the cheesy bread (and the soup) to take home??
NEW! This season – Porrelli’s ice cream – This is amazing stuff – Scottish Dairy Ice Cream with awesome flavours which include: Iron Brew (yes, that is the correct spelling for this product!), and Scottish Tablet. Don’t miss out on the Belgian Chocolate, for all the Chocolate fiends out there! It is available from the Snack Stop – in regular, waffle & teddy cones, and by the tub to take home in the Filling Station. Recommended too, and available from the Snack Stop and the Restaurant are yummy ice cream sundaes! If it’s an ‘after thought’ and you are in the Restaurant, don’t worry – go back up to the till and order one from there, it’s easy!
Are you on facebook? If so, become a fan of The Green Welly Stop. We invite you to take a picture of you / your family / your friends in and around the business and post them on our page… you might even get a prize for the most original picture… We post regular updates of what is happening in the business and even some special offers that are available online! If you have an email address, write it on one of the slips of paper that you will find in the restaurant on the wee table. We will add you to our very own, private mailing list and send you an email with our special offers and ideas for gifts! You will also have your address entered into a monthly prize draw! We won’t share your email address with anyone else, we promise.
IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists): Mobile Display Unit in Tyndrum. We try where possible to promote road safety in our area, and have the IAM here for advice over the summer weekends on how you can improve your driving. They are a friendly bunch, and might even persuade you to take the plunge into a ‘Skill for Life’. We have fantastic roads up here, and we would like you to drive / ride safely, other wise if there are accidents, the roads get closed and that is just an inconvenience for everyone. Keep the ‘shiny side up’ folks. Be safe, so everyone can enjoy their holidays, the lovely roads and the scenery!
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I have just been chatting to one of our regular customers who was looking for a gift for their 7 year old grandson. She was delighted when I took her to the Filling Station and showed her the Airplane kits, Balloon Modelling kits and the Stunt Kites. We had a laugh at that one, we got our words all muddled up. Try saying ‘stunt kites’ after a few beers!
