Hebridean Recipes

This page is dedicated to Hebridean Recipes - whether traditional or maybe not so traditional!

I open this page up to anyone who would like to submit their favourite recipe - just send it to me via the Contacts page and you'll find it here.

Scotch Pancakes

As mentioned on Hebridean Customs, very often when you go visiting, pancakes with butter and jam are very often put out on the plate to scoff. The recipe is similar to American pancakes, but instead of huge cakes, they are quite small in comparison, very often cooked on a 'girdle'. It's a good idea to make up a huge batch ahead of time and freeze in small batches to keep on hand in case someone drops by!

8oz.(200g.) Plain Flour
2oz.(50g.) Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 Egg
pinch Salt
Milk, soya milk or water

Mix dry ingredients together. Add the egg, then add enough milk to get a creamy consistency. The more milk you add, the thinner the pancakes. If you don't want to add sugar, you can mash a couple of overripe bananas and add to the mixture when you add the milk (and you won't need as much milk). Heat a girdle on high until water droplets dropped on it 'dance'. Turn down heat to medium. With a kitchen towel dipped in oil, rub round girdle. Drop tablespoonfuls onto girdle. Turn when the middle bubbles and the sides dry out. Check one with a toothpick inserted in middle, if it comes out clean, then it's done! If freezing, allow to cool completely. Otherwise, enjoy with butter and jam...

Fruit Cake

This recipe was given to me by a lovely lady called Effie Budge, who lives in Keose, but is originally from Scalpay, Harris. She always has this in great supply everytime I have ever visited and it's a lovely, moist fruitcake and easy to make!

4 oz margarine or butter
1 cup sugar (Effie uses a teacup - it doesn't matter what size cup you use as long as it's consistent)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cups mixed dried fruit (or any dried fruit to hand, raisin, currants etc)

Put the above ingredients into a pan, boil together 15 minutes until fruit is plump, then cool for 15 minutes at least - can leave up to a day.

Remaining ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice (eg cinnamon and nutmeg or premixed spice)
2 eggs

Mix the fruit/sugar mixture and eggs into the dry ingredients. Pour into loaf tin that has been greased and floured and put into preheated oven 140 deg. C, bake for 45 minutes, check with tootpick inserted into centre of loaf - if it comes out clean, it's done.

Hebridean Oatcakes

This recipe also comes from Effie Budge and this recipe is the type of oatcakes you'll find all over the Hebrides - thick and sweeter than the east coast style oatcakes.

2 cups oatmeal (not rolled, but coarse milled)
1 cup self-raising flour
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 lb. butter or margarine, cold.

Mix the dry ingredients together.
Cut the butter or margarine into small chunks and rub into the dry ingredients. Mix with cold water - about 1 tablespoon, but not too much or the dough will be too soft. Preheat the oven to 250-300 deg F (or 120 deg C). Roll out the dough, having generously sprinkled surface with oatmeal first. Pat into a circle, tidy up edges with spatula and cut into squares. Put onto tray and bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp. Once cool, keep in airtight container.

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