'I visited the UK city famous for jam - it's changed completely'

Scotland’s fourth biggest city used to be famous for the three Js…jute, jam and journalism. But now Dundee’s J, J & J have been replaced – by the

Part of the city’s £1billion waterfront regeneration, this super-modern design museum – the first V&A outside of London – celebrates Scotland’s influence in fashion, architecture, innovation and culture. It was devised by esteemed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma – the man behind Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium – with 2,500 exterior stone panels to emulate Scotland’s rugged coastal cliffs.

The interior whips your breath away too. Its full height atrium is filled with light and texture and a wide sweeping staircase linking the ground and first floors adds to the feeling of space. When we visited it was filled with a Shylight installation, where large silk flowers bobbed up and down while opening and closing.

Upstairs houses three galleries and the Oak Room – an original two-storey tearoom by Charles Rennie Mackintosh that was discovered in pieces ready for scrap – and currently there’s a colour-filled Garden Futures: Designing with Nature ticketed exhibition focusing on our passion for gardens.

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We couldn’t leave without popping into the V&A’s Tatha restaurant where floor-to-ceiling windows provide views down the River Tay. Their Taste Of Tayside afternoon tea went down a treat, with delicious locally inspired nibbles such as a haggis and cheddar scone, a Forfar Bridie – a semi-circular mince beef pie – and a mini Dundee fruit cake.

Next door was another prime attraction: RRS Discovery, Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic exploration ship. Scott and his crew, including Ernest Shackleton, travelled further south than anyone before aboard this Royal Research Ship between 1901 and 1904, defying tempestuous seas, blizzards and -45C temperatures to carry out ­pioneering research.

Both the immaculately preserved ship and an immersive museum give you a glimpse into the crew’s incredible ingenuity and the hardship they faced. Such was the cold that ice would form on sailors’ bunks.

The officers’ saloon was used as an operating theatre when the ship’s doctor had to remove a man’s cyst. Meanwhile zoologist Edward Wilson, who reared two emperor penguins in his cabin, would defrost animal specimens in front of the stove, causing putrid smells (adult £13, child £7, ).

Dundee was once the UK hub for making jute (a fibre used for cord, cloth and sacks), employing 50,000 people in more than 120 mills and earning the city the moniker “Juteopolis”. It also became famous for another J…jam. Janet Keiller created the first ever marmalade while trying to use up bitter Seville oranges.

Her son James developed it and launched the world-renowned Keiller’s jam and marmalade brand, once Britain’s largest confectionery company. Publishers DC Thomson gave the city its third J… journalism.

Established 120 years ago, it became famous for The Beano and The Dandy as well as several newspapers. Today, Dundee is a UNESCO City Of Design, busy yet compact and packed with independent shops and cafes, fine architecture and plenty of green spaces.

On the way up there my husband Tim and I had a whale of a time on the Caledonian Sleeper, a night train that leaves London Euston most evenings. Standard tickets provide you with a reclining seat but upgrading to Club as we did gives you a twin bunk room with a sink, small en-suite with toilet and shower and comfy beds with duvets – and access to an on-board Club Car.

It costs more but saves another night in a hotel, which helps even it out. And we found a meal in the Club Car – appropriately we went for haggis, neeps and tatties served by the cheerful Natalie – plus a wee tipple from the bar helped ensure a smooth sleep.

I loved the novelty of going to bed in one place and waking up in another, although the downside came with the slightly daunting 6am arrival. Once in Dundee the Malmaison hotel proved to be a fabulous place to stay, handily located in a magnificent Victorian building steps away from the station.

Staff were friendly, breakfasts were hearty and our stylish black and burgundy room provided views out towards the Tay, while the hotel’s fabulous wrought iron spiral staircase was a city landmark in itself.

For a closer look at the Tay, we hired e-bikes from Dundee Cycle Hub and peddled east along the wide riverside cycle-and-footpath, through the docks and past grand houses built by jute tycoons and pretty fishermen’s cottages. We made it to Broughty Ferry, where we peeled off for a cuppa, a look at its 15th century castle, and a browse around stores selling crafts and local produce ( ).

Back in Dundee, we visited another historic ship, HMS Unicorn, the oldest surviving vessel in Scotland. Although built as a warship, she never saw action after her 1824 launch so wasn’t fitted out with masts and rigging.

Instead she was used as a Royal Navy training ship and had a roof installed to protect her from the weather, giving her an eye-catching charm.

Today you can wander around the cramped quarters that would have slept up to 300 crew, explore the gun deck, see the captain’s smart quarters and learn about the mammoth fundraising effort for urgent repairs and a move to a new dock (adult £9.20, child £4.60, ).

Back on dry land, I loved the city’s cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings such as Verdant Works museum, set in a refurbished jute mill, and the grand McManus museum and gallery.

Dundee’s food came up trumps too. The delightful Empire State Coffee was perfect for brunch with huge cakes and cappuccinos made with beans roasted on site.

At Daisy Tasker, tucked away in a former mill, we enjoyed succulent steaks alongside a pint of local brew.

And at the delightful Gallery 48 we picked our way through platefuls of tasty Spanish tapas, including tuna belly with olive tapenade and artichoke, aubergine baked with honey and haggis croquettes. Gallery 48’s gin menu was impressive too.

I counted 56, several from the local area, with the James Keiller (he of jam fame) Dundee Dry Gin, infused with Seville orange in a nod to marmalade.

On the way home we opted for one of LNER’s three direct services back to London King’s Cross, which took under six hours. For more options you can also change at Edinburgh.

This time we certainly didn’t want to sleep – the views were tremendous, with rolling hills and pretty coastal villages, the Firth of Forth and Newcastle’s famous bridges.

With the sleeper on the way up and the daytime service home – and Dundee “jammed” in the middle – we’d experienced the best of all worlds.

Book the holiday

• London Euston to Dundee on the Caledonian Sleeper train costs from £54 for a seat and from £340 each way for two people in a Club Twin cabin. sleeper.scot
• LNER trains between Dundee and London King’s Cross cost from £58 each way; York from £38.
• Rooms at the Malmaison hotel in Dundee start at £77 a night room-only.
• More info at