Haggis, Neeps and Gnocchi in a Whisky Cream Sauce

Friday 25 January 2019
An Italian Scottish fusion to celebrate our national Bard, Robert Burns. Haggis, and Neeps combine in a creamy whisky sauce but the traditional mashed tatties are swapped out for Gnocchi - Italian Potato Dumplings. 


I can't believe we've got to Burns night and I've not yet posted a Haggis recipe. I'm disappointed in myself. I had three in planning for this year to add to my top 10 haggis recipes for Burns night, but I'm not sure I'm even going to get around to publishing the other two. (Although in my book Haggis is most definitely for life and not just for Burns Night) 

Gnocchi - pronounced N(Y)OK-ee - are one of my daughter's favourite foods but lots of people don't seem to know of them and what they are. A good description would perhaps be 'thick, small and soft dough dumplings of Italian origin made of potato and flour, cooked and eaten in much the same way as pasta'
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Stonehaven Boardwalk Sculptures

Thursday 17 January 2019
Top of your list of things to do in Stonehaven must be a visit to the whimsical collection of steel sculptures adorning the beach boardwalk. The artist is mysteriously unknown. Perhaps the 'Banksy of Sculpture'? The fanciful creations include a lighthouse, fishing trawellers and a viking longship - all crewed by fish and crustaceans. What else to do on your visit to Stonehaven? Dunnottar castle is a must, plus the outdoor swimming pool, land train, a drink at one of the harbour pubs and of course at Hogmanay the Fireballs.



We're all guilty of not always appreciating what's on our own doorsteps and sometime we need a wee bit of reminding. A BBC news story last week about Stonehaven's secret sculptor prompted me to pull together this post sharing details of a collection of fanciful metal artworks that grace the boardwalk in Stonehaven. I regularly walk past these clever creations and often share photos and videos of them on my Instagram account but have never really thought about the where, when, why and how of their existence and the fact that new ones keep appearing to enthrall and delight. 



There are now five sculptures in total on the boardwalk which runs from the Backies car pack at the harbour to Salmon Lane. The most recent one appeared late last year and it's addition seemed to spark a renewed flurry conversation as to who was behind them. They don't seem to be signed in any way and no one seems to know who the artist is. Who is Stonehaven's secret sculptor? Now being tenuously referred to in the media as the 'Scottish Banksy' or the 'Banksy of Sculpture', whomever he/she is they have a fantastic imagination, amazing skill and are making a lot of people happy with their creations. The common theme with the sculptures is a link to the sea but in all of them the traditional roles have been reversed with fish and crustaceans taking the place of humans and vice versa. They are all amazingly detailed and I'm sure I discover something new in each one every time I stop and look. Photo opportunities a plenty with the picturesque town of Stonehaven and the North Sea as a backdrop.
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2018 - a year of Edible Adventures in Review

Sunday 6 January 2019
Wishing a slightly belated Happy New Year to all my readers! I hope that 2019 will be good for you and yours and would like to take this opportunity to wish you health and happiness for the months to come. Lang may yer lum reek!

We had a fantastic fun filled festive season and for the first time in 14 years I wasn't hosting Christmas - which felt a wee bit strange. Instead we headed north to my sister's where we enjoyed fantastic Highland hospitality and great fun, food and drink. Twixmas was spent in Edinburgh then back to the North East for New Year at Stonehaven fireballs. After all that gallivanting I'm now looking forward to getting back into a routine and weaning myself off chocolate, cheese and alcohol. With the start of a new year it's time to reflect upon the year gone past and take a look at some of my edible adventure highlights and favourite posts and events from 2018...

Christmas 2018
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