FESTIVE COOKERY

Caledonian Cream. Traditional Festive Scottish Dessert

Caledonian cream, is associated with Burns' Night suppers, wedding breakfast menus and was a favourite of Queen Victoria's Christmas fare at Balmoral...read more

Cranachan Cream Crowdie

A traditional Scottish Harvest Home Celebration dessert, mini version in a tot or shot glass. Cranachan is a celebration of Scottish produce, here however with just a hint of the Caribbean. ...read more

CHRISTMASTIDE & THE NEW YEAR

Baked Stuffed Apples à la Chantilly.

Baked Apples have long been associated with Christmas and other Winter Festivities. Here I'm presenting...read more

Victorian Christmas Frosted Baked Apples

A simple version of the notorious Apple Hedgehog, a Victorian Christmas favourite and the bane..read more

An Organic Twelfth Night Cake and How They Pinched Your Christmas

Before the invention of the printing press we had architecture to tell us the stories of our past  Victor Hugo, in his novel Notre Dame de Paris, wrote eloquently of these 'stone books' but...read more

Organic Almond Paste & Icing From Scratch

The big problem I used to have with making large celebration fruit cakes is that the cost of decorating them with the traditional covering...read more

Traditional Plum Pudding - John Bull's Own GLUTEN-FREE

A Victorian pudding recipe from 1865, which we have every year. This version was especially for my family in Scotland...read more

Traditional Plum Pudding from 1865

The roots of the plum pudding go back into the mists of time to a Celtic end-of-year celebration dish called 'plum porridge'...read more 

Old English 'Mincemeat' tart or God-cake GLUTEN-FREE

For this version left, I used a gluten-free flour, the trick with this is not to skimp on the butter otherwise...read more

Coventry God-cake or kitchel - dried fruit tart

Pudding by candlelight, a traditional gift of a rich dried fruit, spice, butter, apple and wine/spirit pastry, which was given at Candlemas but is so good eaten any time of the year....read more

HALLOWEEN

Soul Cakes for Samhain 

In going out 'Souling', the children and adults of a village would visit the houses of the wealthiest families begging for soul cakes and in return offer to pray for the souls of departed relative They carried baskets in which to collect their booty and often wore masks and disguises. As no doubt you...read more