On wet, windy and gloomy afternoons, the best place to be is in the kitchen. It is the warmest part of the house and there is something very comforting about the mingling aromas of dried fruit and spices. I no longer make Christmas puddings or cakes, but I still delight in making jars of candied
Home Baking
12 Days of Christmas
Day 6: The Staff of Life According to the traditional song, the sixth day should involve geese. At this time of year there can be anywhere between 6 and 150 or so Greylag Geese loafing around on the croft. We have plenty of grass, so I’m quite happy sharing as they do their share of
Relish with Ravel or Scones with Schubert
Baking with Bach, Beethoven or Brubeck is the perfect way to spend a bleak January afternoon. The croft kitchen is a refuge from a raw westerly wind and I’m wrapped in warmth, light and music, drenched by the aroma of spices, dark molasses sugar and ginger. However, let us not get carried away by too
A Sunday for Reflection and a Cake for Christmas
Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them Marcel Proust This morning I watched the rain run down the window as the wind drove sheets of rain across waves of grass and beyond out over a turbulent grey sea. A metaphor for the poignant memories which turn my thoughts
Opening the spice cupboard and lighting the Advent candles
I love this time of year: the vibrant cocktail of Hebridean weather, woolly socks and snuggly snoods, candles and a glowing stove on dark afternoons, the gutsy flavours of Northern European peasant food, the indulgent aromas of spices and intense sweetness of dried fruit. I particularly enjoy Advent, I like the concept of looking forwards,