As a child I used to draw and paint happily and unselfconsciously – I imagine my mum still has loads of my old scribbles stored away in the loft. I recently found one picture of a fairground that I can remember drawing – looking at it I am immediately back as the 6-year-old me, sat … More The perfect gluten free ginger cake? – and doing some ‘art’ again
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 