Inverness Botanic Garden’s café has created a special poppy cupcake to raise money for Poppyscotland.
Ahead of Remembrance Sunday this weekend, cook and baker Tori Bieuz Kane came up with the idea.
The 24-year-old said: “I was trying to think of new ideas for the café and I wanted to do themed ones for particular occasions.
“Coming from Canada, a commonwealth country, we’d have massive parades during remembrance and with the pandemic, that’s just something we can’t do at the moment, so I thought it would be nice to do cupcakes in our café.
“Originally it was just a cupcake to mark remembrance, but I was told the proceeds would be going to Poppyscotland and that was really nice to hear.”
The cake is lemon and poppy seed flavour with a lemon curd centre. The decoration is red butter cream icing for the petals with a black icing centre with sprinkles to suggest seeds.
The first batch of cupcakes went to High Life Highland Chief Executive Steve Walsh during a meeting, and since November 1 they have been flying from the counters at Café Aqua at Inverness Leisure Centre and Café Botanics.
As an ex-military officer, High Life Highland Chief Executive Steve Walsh particularly understands the importance of Remembrance Day for many people around the country.
He said: “I’m delighted that we can do something for Poppyscotland, and I’d like to thank Tori for coming up for a such a great fundraiser – and a delicious one at that – which will help serving and former members of the Armed Forces and their families.”
Poppy Scotland runs the Scottish Poppy Appeal every November, distributing poppies to raise funds to help the Armed Forces community in Scotland.
North of Scotland Regional Fundraiser at Poppyscotland, Frances Beveridge said: “On behalf of Poppyscotland I want to say a huge thank you to the Inverness Botanic Gardens Café for supporting the Scottish Poppy Appeal.
“I can safely say the Poppy cupcakes are delicious and I’d encourage anyone in the nearby area to come along and have a taste themselves.
“Our work relies on fundraisers like them to help us raise the vital funds needed to support Scotland’s Armed Forces community.”
High Life Highland’s young musicians will also be playing their part this year with the Lochaber High School Senior Wind Band accompanying the Remembrance Service at the Commando Memorial.
HLH music instructor Mark Reynolds said: “There’s been a long relationship between the Commando Association and Lochaber High School due to the geographical location of the Achnacarry training base used by the Commandos in the second world war.
“The High school wind bands and pipe band have entertained the association members for many years on the Friday before Remembrance Sunday with a concert in the High School, but due to the pandemic it has had to have been cancelled.
“In true Commando Spirit, the wind band, despite everything that has recently happened, will play at the iconic site of the memorial on Remembrance Sunday.”