Cringletie House Hotel
I still remember the mixture of confusion, surprise, and excitement when my best friend Lauren revealed that her then fiancé, Scott, settled on Scotland as the location of their destination wedding. To understand the level of confusion and surprise that I felt, one needs to realize that they had already begun to put down deposits for a wedding in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Then nature ushered in back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes Maria and Irma, basically leveling the USVI. Lauren is an amazing aquarist at a famed California aquarium and is practically a quintessential Californian girl down to her blonde locks, so a tropical wedding just felt right. The last we heard post-hurricanes, they were flirting with the idea of Hawaiian nuptials. That’s why when she announced Scotland as where they’d be getting married, there was a resounding ‘huh?’ amongst friends and family initially.
But you know what? It turned out to be perfection.
“Baba, what’s Scotland?”
“It’s where Uncle Scott is from*. The land of Scotts. Scotland.. it’s his land.”
*Scott is from New Hampshire.
The venue they chose was Cringletie House Hotel, located just outside of Edinburgh. When Lauren told me that Cringletie staff would accommodate all of Ava’s dietary restrictions, I was extremely skeptical. Nevertheless, I communicated with the staff what her multiple food allergies were, what food brands typically work for her, and what her meals are usually comprised of. I stayed skeptical up until our first meal at Cringletie. I had even popped into a nearby Sainbury’s to get some food for Ava beforehand.
In retrospect, I still get a little choked up when I think of the lengths the Cringletie staff went to in order to make sure Ava could eat just as well as every other guest. I recall how they placed a little platter of bread rolls and butter for her during the wedding reception. My and Mitchell’s knee jerk reaction was to express our gratitude but that Ava can’t eat it. The Cringletie staff member gently reminded us that they knew who Ava was and that the bread and butter were made just for her. You can read more about Ava’s food allergies here to really comprehend how much this blew our minds.
Food and eating is an extremely social event. One that I feel you don’t really grasp until you have to deal with multiple life threatening food allergies. Ava’s food allergies have definitely isolated her and us as a family on multiple occasions. I’ve worked hard to foster an attitude of confidence and flexibility so that when she does face adversity, she can square up her shoulders, raise her chin, and say, “So what? I can handle it regardless of my allergies.”
Lauren and Scott’s wedding was the first time Ava was able to fully enjoy the meal with us. No pre-packed meals brought from home that’s a far cry from what everyone else is eating. No frustration and scrambling for allergy medicine and topical prescription steroids afterwards to deal with the aftermath of food that had been contaminated with allergens.
She just got to sit there and eat her bread rolls and butter and it was such a treat.
Delicious Scottish breakfast, complete with haggis.
Peep Ava’s completely allergy friendly meal!
We spent an extra night at Cringletie after the wedding even though all the other wedding guests parted ways, simply because it was easier than moving to another accommodation for one night. Ava and Theo were the only children there during our entire stay and I never felt like their presence was frowned upon. Cringletie notes that children are welcome and I left feeling like they definitely are. Cringletie staff even took to referring to Ava as Princess Ava, much to her delight.
Cringletie’s restaurant, the Sutherland, describes their food as “quality, unpretentious food. Expect a relaxed and enjoyable experience with a fine dining feel, good size portions and beautifully presented dishes.” I’ve eaten at a lot of places and have become jaded to a restaurant’s promises; however, they checked every box. We came back after a long day of exploring Edinburgh only to discover that we arrived just as the Sutherland was about to close. The staff insisted they’d still be able to accommodate us and they did just that. Either I’ve gotten used to the gruff NY, no nonsense attitude or Scots are the most genial people in the world. Oh and the food? Exactly what they say it is.
Don’t forget to try the haggis!
Cringletie’s bus stop
My mom making her way to the bus stop.
Cringletie is a Borders Bus stop so it’s extremely easy to get to places like Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Airport (EDI) via public transportation. Mitchell has yet to fully navigate NYC’s subway without me and he managed to get from EDI to Cringletie without getting lost at all. My mom also took the Borders bus to get to EDI and then to London to visit my aunt.
Walking back to Cringletie after exploring Edinburgh