In St Andrews very little changes. The town’s charm is rooted in the fact that nothing is ever different. From the architecture dating back to the 1400s, to being home to Scotland’s oldest university, it seems that St Andrews has not been affected by the passage of time; hence why millions of tourists come to this little Scottish town to experience an old place in the heart of the modern world.Ā
As students, we all have our favorite go-to spots to grab a coffee or a quick lunch in-between classes, and rarely do we find a new place to try the riveting fresh flavour of an oat milk latte. However, to my surprise, upon my return St Andrews seemed to look a little bit different.Ā
Market Street has been adorned with colorful bunting and the cutest ice cream shop, āLittle Bossā, a branch of the well-beloved āBig Boss.ā At first, I was hesitant to break my loyalty to Jannettas – the only acceptable place to get ice cream on a sunny day – but I took a leap of faith, and, for the purposes of this article, I explored the new territory. It was 20 degrees outside, around 15:00, and my friends and I were the only customers. The owner greeted us with a warm welcome, tempting us with samples of flavours and friendly conversation. The ice cream itself was to die for, the flavours tasted exactly like their description or even better, it was creamy and the wafer at the top added a nice little touch. My only constructive criticism would be that I found the interior quite kitschy for St Andrews. However, when it comes to ice-cream itself, in my humble opinion, Little Boss rivals Jannettasā¦Ā
Now, if you are anything like me, returning to St Andrews means that I embark on my yearly rewatch of Gilmore Girls. The Autumnal atmosphere of the show, specifically the Yale episodes, always align with studying on our lovely campus. However, one thing Rory Gilmoreās Yale campus has, that ours lacked, was a good old coffee cart. However, do not fear, as Kinnettles has opened up a lovely coffee cart for tourists and students to enjoy. Not only is the location perfect, creating a great pit stop before long hours in the library, but also the ambience of the coffee cart and the seating outside makes it a perfect spot to buy a sweet treat like a croissant or a freshly made ham and cheese toastie and to sit down to discuss internships and grad schemes, just like Rory and Paris would. However, despite the undeniable feel and character Kinnettles garden has, I unfortunately had to drink a cow’s milk latte (oat milk for the win) and, to top it all off, the milk was burnt. I could have just saved some money, and got a latte from Taste, the well-trusted and student-favorite coffee shop.Ā
To conclude, sometimes change in St Andrews is a good thing and can stir up some friendly local competition, but other times we like to stick to the things we know bestā¦ especially when it comes to coffee.Ā