A former Aberdeen accountant is using his father’s secret tablet recipe to entice a new generation to Scotland’s favourite traditional treat.
Johnathan Laing is the owner of Tabrifics, a Rosemount-based tablet maker that recreates his dad’s deliciously creamy tablet formula.
Tabrifics only launched in November, but Johnathan’s gold-foil-wrapped tablet squares – made using just four ingredients – are already finding their way into the north-east’s cafes and coffee shops.
And Johnathan wants to go further.
Keen to banish tablet’s outdated reputation as the preserve of community hall coffee mornings and visits to granny, he’s on a mission to modernise the Scottish staple.
“Tablet is traditionally seen as the stuff your granny makes,” he says. “The packaging, for example, has tartan on it and a Scottish flag and is lapped up by the tourists.
“But the treat itself is far too good not to be consumed by the general public.”
This is where Johnathan’s father comes in.
A family favourite on the Isle of Skye, where Johnathan is from, his dad’s tablet was lighter and creamier than other recipes.
To Johnathan, this made it perfect for attracting new converts to the slightly fusty world of traditional Scottish baking.
So, after reducing the sugar content to take the edge off tablet’s eye-watering calorie count, he rolled his sleeves up in the kitchen and got to work
“It’s very easy to consume, and it’s very light and creamy,” he says of his dad’s tablet. “It’s not so brittle and hard like traditional tablets. It’s very much a modern take on traditional Scottish tablet.”
Why tablet-maker Johnathan started Tabrifics in Aberdeen
Despite that recipe in his back pocket, Johnathan might never have started Tabrifics if his first job after university had worked out.
The 24-year-old completed a first in accountancy at Heriot-Watt in 2020.
But when he moved to Aberdeen to work at a local accountancy firm, he discovered the profession didn’t suit him.
So when his professional exams started, he quickly sought an exit.
“I was looking at the partner everyday going, I don’t want to be here,” he says. “I just knew I didn’t want to commit another three-and-a-half years to this.”
With Tabrifics now up and running, Johnathan is working hard to get his tablet into more shops and cafes.
He says coffee shops love stocking the treat, which retails for about £3 per 72g bar, because it’s a little bit different to the usual home bakes and cakes.
“It is absolutely spot on with a cup of coffee or a cup of tea,” he says.
Meanwhile, he’s working on new recipes to expand the Tabrifics range.
Next up; a mint-flavoured tablet, and perhaps even a coffee-flavoured one.
“I’d like to link up with a local coffee supplier and maybe that could be a wee partnership,” Johnathan says.
Tabrifics is on sale in cafes and coffee shops including Fat Batch and Ride in Banchory. Check out Tabrifics on Instagram here for more details.
