An award-winning marmalade-maker has put his home near Aboyne up for sale and potentially paved the way for a new restaurant on Royal Deeside.
John Inches wants to retire after he finds a buyer for White Cottage, between Aboyne and Kincardine O’Neil. He ran a restaurant there until a few years ago and still operates a coffee shop and fish & chip takeaway, trading as John’s Kitchen & Country Shop, at weekends.
Aberdeen & Northern Estates (ANE), part of farmers’ co-operative ANM Group is marketing the four-bedroom cottage and about five acres of land around it at offers over £500,000.
The “appealing amenity land” is described as having tourism development or equestrian use potential. An old mission hall of around 430sq ft and additional land totalling nearly two acres are being marketed separately at offers over £120,000.
Mr Inches said it would be up to any buyer whether or not they wanted to continue operating the coffee shop, or reopen a full restaurant.
But the property has a separate kitchen well-equipped for the purpose, he added.
The 67-year-old hospitality industry veteran bought White Cottage about 20 years ago.
His restaurant comprised three rooms, seating up to 50 diners, but the coffee shop uses only one.
“The business is very low key but I still get people coming to me for food,” he said, adding: “It could be a cracking restaurant for somebody. Aboyne is screaming out for somewhere new to eat.”
Historic property
According to ANE, the cottage dates back to at least 1866 but has been “significantly altered and extended to provide generous accommodation in the last 35 years or so”.
Andrew Beedie, a chartered surveyor with the rural property specialist, said: “White Cottage is a charming, detached, four bedroom country cottage and restaurant with extensive gardens and around five acres of land, situated in the heart of Royal Deeside.
“We are thrilled to offer such a unique and attractive property to the market.
“It presents a range of opportunities for buyers, whether that be to continue on as a restaurant, coffee and country shop, or to return to a large family home with land suitable for smallholding or equestrian purposes”
“White Cottage presents a fantastic opportunity for developing it into a tourism hub which would undoubtedly thrive, given the idyllic location in an area steeped with history and popular with visitors from far and wide”.
The commercial kitchen equipment is not included in the sale but available to purchase by separate negotiation.
Mr Inches’ hospitality career includes spells working in and running north-east hotels including Maryculter House, Faradays and the Lairhillock Inn.
He is now renowned for his homemade preserves. His Seville orange recipe won him gold, silver and merit honours at the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards in Cumbria earlier this year. Jars of it are on sale in his shop at White Cottage, along with jams, chutneys and ice-creams.
