Maw Broon's Kitchen Notebook

Following on from my recent lack of success with Macaroon bars, I now have the wise words of Maw Broon to guide me through some Scottish recipes through Maw Broon's Kitchen Notebook! I got this as a Christmas gift from my parents who must want me to remain true to my Scottish (if not culinary) roots through learning how to cook up tattie scones and shortbread, now that I'm in London.

This differs from other recipe books in that it is written in character, as though it really were a jotter compiled by Maw Broon from cuttings from the newspaper, cookery magazines and her own family recipes and tips. It also contains images from The Broons books and in character scribblings from other members of the family relating to the recipes.

More of an introduction to basic cookery than a true recipe book, it covers everything from boiling an egg, using up leftover potatoes and making soup to baking a simple cake and planning a party. While some of the main courses are a little lacklustre (pot roasted beef) and the vegetarian recipes particularly lacking in imagination (vegetable stew or casserole), this book really comes into its own when it comes to what Scotland does best - sweets and puddings!

All of the sweet recipes sound delicious and are surprisingly simple. I will definitely be dabbling in some tablet making and whipping up some easy shortbread on a rainy Sunday afternoon! For the more adventurous there are peppermint creams, carrot cake and some yummy jams to get your teeth into after some summer berry picking.

So, all in all a charming book with a good sense of humour and plenty of easy recipes, particularly if you have a sweet tooth!

3 Steps to Heaven

In preparation for my move to London in about ten days, I have been doing the rounds of my chums, from childhood to recent years, to say my farewells. One such stop this week included a trip to Glasgow to meet up with one of my longest friends, Zoe, and our old neighbour and buddy, Andrew. What better way to catch up with old friends, and have a swansong, than over some cakes and tea? So, we stopped at 3 Steps to Heaven in Glasgow's Byres Road, where we gobbled and chatted to our hearts' content.

It's really an ice cream parlour where they specialise in cold stone creations, which involves mixing your chosen ice cram, toppings and sauce on a frozen marble slab, which, apparently, is a work of art. But cake is my thing, so Zoe and I opted for the Afternoon Tea for 2, which was good value at £15.99. It came with a selection of sandwich slices (cheese and pickle, tuna and cucumber, ham and mustard), an ample tray of cakes, a cup of tea each, and a scoop of ice cream to follow! The sandwiches, all on white bread with the crusts cut off, were nothing special but hit the spot, as did the tea which was from a bag. The cakes we had were a slice of deliciously moist chocolate cake, a mini vanilla iced cupcake with edible sparkles, and a cherry scone each. It was more than enough to fill us up and well worth the price, especially as it was less than a lot of other places and included the ice cream, which is not common for afternoon tea. I let Andrew have my ice cream  as I'm not a big fan of cold produce, and I'm reliably informed that his choice of frozen strawberry yoghurt went down a treat! However, he did notice before we left that they had Irn Bru ice cream which he would have preferred. Yum!

In total, I would say this place is the perfect stop for a slow afternoon of lounging in their comfy chairs, chatting with friends and people watching out of their large windows that look out onto the busy street. The prices were good, the atmosphere pleasant, and the food tasty - what more could you want? Well, actually, they do also sell a range of treats to take away such as children's sweets and bags of marshmallows. A lovely wee place!

Eteaket

This morning I drowned my sorrows in the wake of Chris's departure - with some lovely Darjeeling tea at Eteaket!! As a belated Father's Day gift for my Dad, who was in town to see his friend's show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I took him for a spot of lunch and cream tea at Edinburgh's ever popular and delightful tea cafe in Fredrick Street. I had read mixed reviews about the service but I had never read anything to suggest that the tea and cakes were anything less than scrumptiously tasty and beautifully presented.

We went at 11.45am on Saturday because I'd heard it can get very busy in the afternoon and thought we should try and beat the crowds. It was a good idea as the traditional, with a modern twist, tea room was almost full apart from one or two tables and some rain sodden outdoor seats. The very friendly, slightly flustered, waitress immediately greeted us and seated us at a table for two near the counter. The sit in menu (they also have take away options) has four pages of black, green, fruit and herbal teas to choose from as well as coffees, juices, sandwiches, cakes and afternoon and cream teas. I choose the cream tea with Darjeeling and my Dad had a roast chicken ciabatta and Darjeeling too. The cream tea came with a plain scone and a fruit scone, both of which were very fresh and light, with some strawberry jam and delicious clotted cream. My Dad also enjoyed his sandwich which came with some dressed salad and some kettle chips. The staff were very friendly and attentive and seemed to take a genuine interest in us by asking what we had planned for the rest of the day, etc.

Tables in the cafe never remained vacant for more than a couple of minutes as a constant flow of bedraggled shoppers, curious tourists and hungry locals passed through the doorway. A constant chatter of voices added to the atmosphere of the pleasant surroundings, decorated with displays of tea leaves and vintage crockery and cake stands for sale. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys cake and a refreshing cup of tea and I will definitely try and pay another visit myself before I head to London. Excellent!

Summertime Hop

Yesterday Chris and I went to the Made in the Shade Summertime Hop event at the Roxy Arthouse in Edinburgh. It was a craft fair with vintage clothes, jewellery, cards, art, homeware etc. I got a cute retro T-ball league t-shirt and we got a free gift when we entered. It was a quirky hanging fabric ornament with lavender inside it of Frank Butcher from Eastenders - I can't wait to hang it up in our new place soon!

However, the highlight was sampling some delicious cake from Aunti M's popup Cake Lounge. Auntie M's Cake Lounge is a cute 1950s vintage coffee lounge in Glasgow and luckily for us she had brought some of her fabulous home baked delights to the Summertime Hop for us East-coasters to guzzle. I imagine that the name Cake Lounge has something to do with the indulgent experience of enjoying the cake over a relaxing cup of tea or coffee - mmmmm. I'm getting hungry writing about this! I had a large slice of the more-ish sweet potato cake, which was lovely and moist with delicious carrot cake style cream cheese icing. Chris had the chocolate cake which had a yummy buttercream topping. Other cakes on display included chocolate peanut butter cake, carrot and passion fruit, chocolate brownies, lemon drizzle cake and cup cakes. I will definitely be stopping at this place next time I'm in Glasgow. Some of the best cake I've had!