NTS Mairi Sawyer Chocolate Cake

Originally published in the National Trust for Scotland Spring Magazine

www.nts.org.uk

Perhaps one of the best known of Mairi Sawyer’s recipes: many visitors to Inverewe Gardens tell of having tea with her 40-50 years ago, and they always speak of Chocolate Cake with a light in their eyes.  Cherry with it’s fruit and nut flavour is a natural partner for chocolate providing a winning combination that has stood the test of time.

Inverewe Gardens in the far north west of Scotland is one of the jewels in the crown of the National Trust for Scotland. I'm a long time member of the National Trust and my Mum who is now in her 70's had a summer job in the cafe at Inverewe Gardens in the early 1960's! As a highlander, Inverewe is somewhere I've visited a number of times most recently with my own children when we stayed in Gairloch for a family holiday. As such I was delighted to be approached by NTS to recreate three historical Inverewe recipes for the modern day cook. The recipes were devised by Mhairi Sawyer, and collected in two books. One being Highland Fayre (from 1992) and another a folder of recipes which look to have been typed by Mairi herself.

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Where to eat at Aberdeen Indoor Market

Where in Aberdeen can you eat at an avocado cafe alongside authentic Thai food, ramen and sushi? Aberdeen Market is admittedly not the most glamorous of dining locations in the city but it is home to a handful of hidden gems namely The Sushi Box, Madame Mew's and AVO. Nuart has given Aberdeen Indoor Market a new lease of life on the outside and the food offerings are doing the same inside with an increasing selection of Aberdeen Market Restaurants.

Unless you are in the know, I suspect that Aberdeen Indoor Market is not somewhere that many would tend to venture into in search of food. Once a thriving shopping hub in the city centre it has become increasingly tired over recent years, even moreso with the closure of British Home Stores. Sushi Box and Madame Mew's Thai cafe have been longstanding favourites of mine serving up authentic cuisine with a warm welcome and offering great value. The new kid on the block is AVO. Aberdeen's very own avocado cafe. 

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Sizzling SPAM® Fajitas

AD - Post in collaboration with SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham

Sizzling SPAM® fajitas are the perfect showcase for the iconic meat in a tin. Chopped Pork and Ham brings Sizzle Pork And Mmm™ to any meal. In addition to Mexican fajitas I've got SPAM® recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Think Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Hawaiian Style Pizza, Fries and SPAMBLED™ eggs.

It's that time of year again. SPAM® Appreciation Week. No, not the annoying stuff clogging up your inbox, but the iconic meat in a tin. SPAM® Chopped Pork and Ham. Running from 4th to 11th March 2019, the appreciation week is now in its 16th year. This is the fourth year I've worked on the campaign and the theme for 2019 is Sizzle Pork And Mmm™. No longer seen as just a cupboard staple, SPAM® products can be sliced, diced and sizzled in a pan or wok, to create quick and easy SPAMTASTIC™ meals and snacks for all the family.

Discover more SPAM® recipes on Foodie Quine

SPAM® Mac ‘n’ Cheese

SPAM® Hawaiian Style Pizza

SPAM® Fries

SPAMBLED™ eggs

What does SPAM® mean to you? Monty Python? School Dinners? Guilty Pleasure?! Over the years it has been maligned, celebrated and musicalised. SPAM® Fritters were one of my absolute favourite school dinners back in the 80's accompanied by the obligatory ice cream scoops of mash and spaghetti in tomato sauce. 

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