So I’ve been back to the Highlands of Scotland for a lovely break. Not only to escape the day-to-day but as a nice relief from the humidity and sheer heat of home.
We treated ourselves to a trip on the overnight Caledonian Sleeper, which saved an overnight booking each end of the holiday and maximising touring time. We stopped two nights in Edinburgh, and made my mandatory trek to see Bobby and the Greyfriars Cemetary as well as a trip down to the South Bridge Vaults.
We trekked around Culross and Queensferry, taking in all three of the Forth Bridges – the original rail bridge still being the most striking of all.
After a quick stop down to the Borders town of Melrose for a bit of reminiscence, we popped over to the west coast, visiting Oban and Fort William.
During these couple of days we took a first class ride on the Jacobean steam train to Mallaig (these days known as the ‘Harry Potter’ train!). Absolutely wonderful journey, a real highlight.
We completed our circuit back in Edinburgh, nipping off to purchase treats for the family before the sleeper back home. All in all, a whistle-stop tour somewhat, leaving us both tired and yet happy – a reboot for the soul.
During our trip away we had many meals out. From a cake and coffee, to Thai, pizza, and a full three courses at the Edinburgh Ivy, we didn’t experience any disappointment.
Scotland offers many treats for all tastes. In holiday-mode all thoughts of sensible eating goes somewhat out of the window. So, I thought today to finish the holiday transition to real life, I decided to treat you all to some Scottish Tablet….. well OK, a recipe to make your own!
5oz butter
1¼lb sugar
3 dessertspoons syrup
1 large tin condensed milk
8 tablespoons warm water
Pinch of salt
In a large pan melt the butter slowly. Pour in the sugar and stir until covered with the butter, add the syrup, salt and water. Then remove the pan from the heat to add the milk. Stir well before returning, and increase the heat. Stir constantly until brought to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn into a pre-prepared greased baking tray and cool completely before cutting into squares.
This is just one of the recipes in my book ‘From The Scottish Farmhouse Kitchen; 30 Traditional Family Recipes’ available on Amazon.com ($4.17) and Amazon.co.uk (£2.99).
Hope you enjoy,
Love Maggie x
