Thankfully, lockdown is slowly being lifted and we are now able to do more and go further. Mr McGregor and I have managed to do some walking and I’ve managed to swim in one of the local reservoirs and in the sea (indoor pools are still closed in Scotland). My birthday was just after the … More Pistachio and lemon cake – and zooming during lockdown
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
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
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
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
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
It’s been a beautiful weekend, not particularly warm but sunny (and no rain). The garden is starting to look good and the vegetable garden is coming on – the broad beans are looking perky and we’ve been eating rhubarb crumble for a couple of weeks now. I found some lemons languishing in the fridge (at … More Very lemony lemon drizzle cake
Banana and date loaf … More Banana and date loaf
sweet enough bakes 