My favourite bakery in Scotland. J.G. Ross of Inverurie

A rum truffle and caramel shortcake from J.G. Ross bakery

Cycling requires a vast amount of energy. Bakeries are my favourite place to go for replacement calories. I should probably be telling you that I only ever eat goji berries and kale on my cycling trips, but the truth is that for an instant energy rush I love to go into a bakery. In the same way that every French town has a boulangerie you will find that towns in Scotland always have a bakery offering a delicious array of goodies. I have visited many as I make my way around Scotland, but I have found a favourite- J.G.Ross of Inverurie.

J.G. Ross logo. From J.G. Ross website

It didn't happen right away. The first time I went into a J.G. Ross bakery I loved their rum truffle and caramel shortcake, but I didn't think to myself that this was the best bakery I hade ever experienced. I didn't even remember the name of the bakery. Luckily I had taken a note in my journal, for reference at a later date.

​A pattern gradually formed where I was getting things out of certain bakeries on cycle trips and enjoying them so much that the experience was impossible to forget. I soon realised that it was always a J.G. Ross bakery that was providing these wonderful memories.

J.G. Ross bakery in Banff

J.G. Ross is based in the North East of Scotland with its headquarters in Inverurie. There are shops all over the region with the largest concentration in Aberdeen. Stonehaven is their southernmost shop and Elgin the westernmost. The website lists all of the locations of the current shops.

It was the Insch shop where my first purchase took place. I wrote about it and took a photo of my treats.

What makes it so great?

• Superior taste. To describe the taste lets take the example of the caramel shortcake. You can see from the photo at the top of this page that the chocolate is very thick and chunky. Most caramel shortcake that I have had elsewhere tends to have a thin chocolate topping. The thickness of the J.G. Ross topping creates a satisfying chocolate explosion in your mouth. The caramel section is also very thick and has the right gooey consistency. Inferior caramel shortcakes have a bland and dry caramel.
• Size. You can also see from the photo that you get a decent sized slice. They are not shy on their portions, so it means you are not left with that feeling that the eating did not last long and you wished that you had bought more than one piece.
• Variety. It is always exciting to peruse the display in a J.G. Ross bakery. There is always lots of choice and things that you might never have tried before. For example, I came across this cake that is called "The Bible". I have no idea why it has that name. The outside is yellow icing and inside there is a sponge with cream in the middle.

"The Bible", a cake from J.G. Ross bakery

I have concentrated on the sweet side of the bakery, but they also do bread, pies and sandwiches. I have tried the sandwiches and they are very good; better than a supermarket sandwich. They also have a range of ready meals and gluten-free products.

I hope that J.G. Ross expand to other parts of Scotland, so that wherever I go there will be a branch nearby. In the meantime whenever I am in the North East on my bike I know that I can count on J.G. Ross to be there with delicious sweet delights.