We caught up with The Hebridean Baker, Coinneach Macleod, to talk about his new book, The Scottish Cookbook.
And he shares some of his favourite festive recipes with us including his Hogmanay Clootie Dumpling and Christmas Mess.
It’s easy to see why Coinneach Macleod is adored by his loyal followers who can’t seem to get enough of his Scottish baking.
There’s a warmth and familiarity to his cooking which feels comforting, like pulling your favourite blanket around your shoulders.
His unexpected twists on Scottish classics, melodic Hebridean accent and big knit jumpers have pulled in 150,000 followers on Instagram and made him Scotland’s bestselling cookbook author for the last three years.
When we catch up he’s just returning from a tour in America, where he was invited to visit The White House, and is getting ready to head down to London for an appearance on This Morning to launch his fourth book, The Scottish Cookbook.
Does he like being so busy these days? ‘I love working,’ he says. ‘And touring is one of my favourite things to do in the world.
‘I don’t know if it’s a Hebridean thing but when I have a day off I just sit there thinking about re-tiling the roof, or making a lasagne, or writing another book.’
His latest book is Scottish baking 101. It’s filled with hearty, nostalgic recipes, perfect for the festive season.
Credit: Susie Lowe
‘This is my favourite time of year. Everyone knows I love a cosy jumper, I can get back into those and it’s the perfect time,’ Coinneach says.
‘My recipes are intentionally cosy and wintery, I love that style of cooking.
‘If you have never done Scottish baking before and want to learn the basics – the recipes you absolutely must have in your armour – chapter one of the new book is for you.
‘You have all the classics – treacle tart, Dundee cake, shortbread, golden syrup cake, Highland oatcakes – but they still have a wee twist on them.
‘My clootie dumping for example. I have made it a Hogmanay pudding and replaced some of the mixed fruit with cranberries and vanilla, it’s much more spiced than a traditional one.
‘I have a really sweet tooth so my favourite chapters are I’ll bring cake and What’s for pudding which is very nostalgic for me.
‘A lot of my baking is nostalgic which comes from learning to bake from my aunt.
‘In the 80s and 90s having an arctic roll to take out of the freezer was the height of luxury in the Hebrides, so I tried to recreate one with my recipe for a rhubarb and custard arctic roll.
‘The book really suits this time of the year. Growing up Hogmanay was a bigger celebration than Christmas for me, but now I love Christmas.
Credit: Susie Lowe
‘As much as I enjoy the starters and the mains, I am always looking forward to pudding, I will always serve three different desserts on Christmas day.
‘A lot of people like that classic spiced Christmas cake, but not everyone, so I like to give my guests options.
‘It’s nice to have a contrasting flavour to the classic Christmas ones, like my snowball pudding, which is a triple coconut cake or my eggnog cheesecake.’
Coinneach is always finding inspiration from stories from his friends and families and the book is filled with tales of how Scottish bakes and recipes came to be.
‘I keep telling people they need two copies of the book – one beside the bed for the stories and one in the kitchen for the recipes,’ he says.
‘I love researching old recipes and the names of recipes.
‘My hope is always that people will want to try and make the recipes, but I love the idea of people going to the table with my cake and telling those they are serving the story of how it got its name or where it came from. That’s my absolute dream.’
Read some of the recipes from Coinneach Macleod’s new book, The Scottish Cookbook here.
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