An award-winning cafe in the Highlands has been forced to close permanently as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
New Zealander Kirsten Gilmour opened the Mountain Cafe in Aviemore in 2004 with the aim of bringing culture from her homeland to Scotland.
In the early days of the lockdown the head chef warned that the business’s 20 jobs had been put at risk by the crisis – warning the temporary closure could become permanent without extra support.
Now Mrs Gilmour has confirmed the Aviemore eatery, which was named the UK’s best independent cafe in 2018, will not reopen.
However, the businesswoman stressed she would continue to work on other ventures in the area.
In a social media post, she said: “Since 2004 I have given my all to my crazy wee cafe.
“It’s a success story built on passion, love and the desire to serve beautiful food in awesome surroundings.
“As with so many other businesses, Covid snuck up on us. As the crisis deepened it became clear that we would be forced into taking the devastating decision not to reopen our Aviemore site.
“Despite this, I am determined not to give up on my dreams and am working hard to forge a new adventure from the foundations that have been laid with care and commitment over so many years.
“I have made the decision to operate from my amazing hometown of Grantown and engage with the local community there.”
The cafe closure is the latest blow to hit Aviemore’s town centre following the closure of the Cairngorm funicular in September 2018 and a lack of snow in recent winters.
However, Mrs Gilmore has vowed to continue with the Bothy Bakery she has launched during the lockdown, which offers cakes and breads available for collection or delivery to her local area with the hope of expanding the range in the future.
She said: “I am incredibly grateful to all those who have helped me. I am so sorry that this horrible situation has reared its ugly head and left me with no option but to scale down the team, but I’m so proud and thankful for everyone who has helped me come this far.
“We are not defeated and this is not the end of the Mountain Cafe. We like to think of this next step as it going mobile.”
