So far, being 50 has been lots of fun….. I can highly recommend it. This weekend I had two treats. My lovely friend Wendy had a arranged a surprise trip to the brilliant Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on Saturday lunchtime for ‘A Play, a Pie and a Pint’. What a great idea – a decent … More Apple and date cake – and birthday treats #50in50
I haven’t posted for a while – Mr McGregor and I have been doing some decorating and re-organisation and there has been no time to think up new cakes. I have spent a few happy, if dusty hours sorting ‘things’ I had stored in the eaves of our house. Much of it was, of course, … More Lemon and almond cake – and ‘my first jumper’ #50in50
Well, winter has returned with a vengeance! We haven’t seen snow like this for years and as usual, everyone is totally unprepared and the country has shut down…. Although the garden looks very pretty, the Scottish weather may finally have got the better of our little olive tree The sprouts still look OK though…. One … More Pistachio and almond cake – and knitting my first jumper #50in50
Lately, I’ve been putting spelt flour into my home-made bread. Much as I would love to have the time to make my bread by hand – and to live in a house which is warm enough for it to rise consistently – I have a breadmaker which is quick and very reliable. Spelt (Triticum spelta; … More Spelt, apple and cinnamon cake
The first musical instrument I learnt to play was the recorder. I think a group of us used to play recorders to accompany hymns in our primary school assembly. Listening to a group of small girls tooting and squeaking away must have been particularly delightful for our fellow pupils. Having said this, I heard a … More Apricot and almond cake – and Irish jigs #50in50
And so, we find ourselves in 2018 – I am not quite sure where 2017 went – or 2016 if I’m honest – but another Christmas and New Year have come and gone. Mr McGregor and I spent a peaceful Christmas on the Northumberland coast, where we had (mostly) good weather and managed lots of walking, … More Raspberry and almond cake – and #50in50
My University job is fairly sedentary – I am mostly hunched over my computer with the odd break to get up and fill the kettle or to go to a meeting. I try to manage at least 10,000 steps per day (I wear a Fitbit which bullies me somewhat) – to do this I often … More Cherry loaf cake – and another exercise study
Autumn is undoubtedly my favourite season. I love the colours, the cold clear days, lighting the fire, layering up with jumpers and yes, the thoughts of getting ready for the festive season….. We’ve had some absolutely lovely days this week – pale blue skies, frosty mornings, still clear air, arrows of geese flying overhead. Most … More Carrot and orange loaf – and autumn in the garden
While we were in Nottingham the other week I took the opportunity to visit the little town of Southwell. While it has some nice shops, which of course I had to check out, it also has a lovely Minster church. As a child I went there for specific school or Girl Guide events, but I … More Gluten free apple and almond cake – and the original Bramley apple
We’ve had a busy, but lovely few weeks visiting friends and family – and indulging in far too much food and a (small) amount of beer. We begin by visiting some friends who live in Lancashire who took us to the ‘Alternative Oktoberfest’ in the town of Clitheroe. This was held in Holmes Mill, a … More Pear upside-down cake…… and Oktoberfest
Jam is such a wonderful thing – especially when home made. We have a good stock of my rhubarb and vanilla jam and this lovely plum jam on our shelf which should see us through this winter. It appears that people have been making jams for a long time – the first jam recipes appear … More Plum jam
It seemed like a good day to harvest our cooking apples today – there are high winds forecast for early next week and I didn’t want to end up gathering them up from the ground once they are bashed and bruised. We haven’t got as many as usual this year, but instead they are all … More Easy apple cake
Yep, it’s definitely autumn. The leaves are turning red, orange, yellow and gold, and there’s quite definitely a chill in the air in the mornings. We are so lucky here with day length in the summer, when we barely see any darkness, but the nights are now drawing in quite quickly. The garden is a … More Blackberry, lime and elderflower cake
Last weekend I was at a conference in Würzburg, a city in northern Bavaria, Germany. The author, poet and artist Herman Hesse apparently said ‘If I could choose my place of birth, I would consider Würzburg’ and I think it is a lovely city. It is well known for its lavish baroque and rococo architecture, including the 18th-century … More Chocolate and beetroot cake
I’m not a particular fan of eating oranges. I can never really be bothered with all that peeling and all that pith. And all the juiciness and stickiness play havoc with the keyboard…. But they do taste absolutely amazing at half time during a game of sport when pre-sliced (by someone else, obviously). For some … More Orange and apple cake – and half time oranges
I was really shocked to read that according to Public Health England, over 6.3 million adults in England aged 40 to 60 don’t achieve 10 minutes of continuous brisk walking over the course of a month. That’s four in 10 people, or 41% of the adult population who don’t manage that in a month. The fact … More Blackberry galette – and we need to talk about walking…
We live near a lovely park, where every year I’m involved in organising and helping with a fun afternoon. I thought I could bake four cakes to be sold on the home baking stall this year – baking the evening before and the morning of the event. This turned out to be more difficult than I … More Chocolate and lime cake – gluten free
It’s been the Edinburgh Fringe Festival over the last few weeks and the city is a bit crazy. It’s a joyous place to be unless you want to get anywhere in a hurry, when your route will be blocked by jugglers, fire eaters, mime artists and drummers….. and by visitors from all over the world … More Blueberry and lemon cake – and The Wind in the Willows
I really love the idea of wild swimming. A while ago I signed up to get regular emails from the Outdoor Swimming Society and their site is full of pictures of people swimming outdoors and appearing to have a lot of fun. Inspired by this, last weekend Mr McGregor and I went down to the Lake … More Plum and almond cake – and wild swimming
Having looked at exercise in children I thought I’d have a look at how much exercise women are doing. The NHS Choices website suggests that to stay healthy, adults (men and women) aged 19-64 should try to be active daily and should do: at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or fast walking every week, and strength … More Women and exercise – how much should we do and how can we do more?
Our blueberries are doing very well this year so I made a Blueberry Tart. The recipe is a wee bit more involved than some of the others – it needs pastry and custard, but I enjoy making it and I do think it looks quite impressive, if you don’t look too hard. We had a … More Blueberry Tart
Wearing my rose tinted spectacles, I remember that when I was young, we used to play outside all the time. We spent the days and evenings playing with the kids who lived nearby either out in the street (it was a very quiet street) or in back gardens. I don’t remember spending lots of time … More Do our children get enough exercise?
Mr McGregor and I went to a birthday party last weekend in the beautiful countryside in Fife. This area of Scotland, between the River Forth and the River Tay, is known as the Kingdom of Fife as it was one of the major Pictish Kingdoms (known as Fib). The historic and pretty town of St Andrews is on the East … More Banana and chocolate cake – and the Highland Midge
There has been a lot about mental health in the news lately, so I was interested to see this new study suggesting there might be a link between higher sugar intake and depression, at least in men. UK adults consume approximately double the recommended level of added sugar, with sweet foods and drinks contributing ~3/4 of … More Sugar intake and mental health
It’s nearing the end of the rhubarb season for us apparently. After the end of July the plants need to put their energy into the roots to ensure we have a crop for next year. I thought I’d try another cake while I’m still allowed to pick some. My wonderful sister-in-law loves my rhubarb and … More Rhubarb and custard cake with cardamom
A new study suggests that the children of women who have a high intake of ‘free sugars’ during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing allergies or allergic asthma, independent of sugar intake in early childhood. The study analysed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) which recruited more than 14,500 pregnant women … More Sugar intake during pregnancy and childhood asthma
It’s pouring with rain today so it’s been a good day to do some baking. I also found myself looking through my photos from our visit to Orkney. Mr McGregor and I had originally discussed going somewhere warm for our holiday – France? Italy? but somehow we ended up going north by some distance. Although this … More Raspberry and polenta cake (gluten free) – and Orkney Beremeal
I came across an article this week published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood entitled ‘Screen time is associated with adiposity and insulin resistance in children’. In it the researchers studied more than 4000 children aged 9-10 years who had participated in the Child Heart and Health Study in the UK which ran between 2004-2007. … More Screen time, obesity and diabetes risk
As I write this it looks like there will be an article on sweetenoughbakes in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to reading it – hopefully it will be accompanied by some good pictures of my cakes! Mr McGregor and I recently visited Howick Hall Gardens in Northumberland. There is something to see … More Earl Grey muffins – and tea
One of my many bad habits is studying the contents of other people’s shopping trolleys in the supermarket. I’m always intrigued by what other people eat. I don’t know if anyone else does this – perhaps it’s just me and everyone else has better things to do with their time? At this time of year … More Rhubarb and almond cake – and a garden update
We have just returned from a wonderful week on Orkney. It’s an amazing place to visit – there is so much to see and do. Wherever we go, Mr McGregor likes to check out what people are growing in their gardens.He was particularly impressed with the amount of rhubarb which grows on Orkney. It … More Rhubarb and vanilla jam
The lovely summer weather continues and I think this calls for a summery cake. This light and fresh orange loaf fits the bill nicely and is perfect for a picnic. There is one small piece left in the cake tin. Mr McGregor is going to be busy for some time planting out his leeks and … More Orange loaf
What a fantastic weekend it has been! Sunny, very hot and full of good cheer. This was mainly because we visited the Tynedale Beer Festival in Corbridge. One of my dearest friends had a special birthday this year and to celebrate, a large group of us gathered at the rugby club in the beautiful town of … More Strawberry cake, beer and cider
I can’t believe quite how quickly this year is passing – it’s already 11th June. The weather seems to think it is April with lots of heavy showers although it’s a bit warmer I guess. At least the rain is good for the garden, this weekend we’ve managed to get some of the plants I’ve … More Chocolate brownies – and why reduce the sugar?
Mr McGregor and I have had a great weekend catching up with family and very good friends. As usual when doing this we ate far too much, including some foods that remind us of our East Midlands origins. These treats included a Melton Mowbray pork pie, brawn and haslet. For those who are not familiar with … More Cardamom cake
This week we have had the excitement of eating the first of this year’s veg from the garden – beetroot leaves and lettuce, in a big salad with chicken and bacon, served with Jersey Royals. There’s been quite a lot going on in the garden: the bamboo wigwams have been erected for the beans and … More Jumbled crumble
I was invited to Rotterdam this week to give a talk. I didn’t get much time to see the city but managed a couple of pictures: After the talk, my hosts took me to the Restaurant La Vilette for a great meal. Their menu features seasonal produce, and we ate quite a bit of white asparagus. I love … More Sticky ginger cake
What’s not to like? … More Chocolate cake – and gin
I like my sleep and think I need at least 8 hours if I’m not to be too grumpy the next day. I was therefore interested to see this headline on the BBC this week: ‘Why reducing sleep makes you hungry’. I certainly remember that when working as a junior doctor with lots of on call … More Sleep, appetite and weight gain
We have had a bird box on one of our trees for quite a few years now – and over the last few seasons it has been used by blue tits. It’s been a great pleasure to see the parents going in and out of the box with nest materials, then start to hear the chicks … More Making a bee box
sweet enough bakes 