Sharon studies Spring

Sharon took a trip down to a garden centre just off the M6 across the border in England today and was keen to work out whether Spring was any more advanced there than in southwest Scotland.

In fact, Wigtown is south of a good part of England, and so the daffs are probably doing better here than elsewhere. But Spring is taking its time to get going.

Back in Wigtown after the outing, the buds of an ancient horse chestnut tree are bursting into life in the grounds of Hillcrest House, the award-winning gourmet hotel in Wigtown run by Sharon's sister Deborah and husband Andrew.

Sharon's nephews are keen on this tree as it produces plenty of conkers for the ancient kids' (and adults') game. The nuts are strung onto strings and hit against each other with competitions becoming quite exciting.

Although it is a staple of the British landscape, the horse chestnut is actually native to the Balkans and surrounding areas.

“I just want to see all the dafffs come out that are right on the verge of flowering,” said Sharon. “There are great clumps about and they are trying their very best to burst forth. Let's hope there is a lot more yellow around soon.”

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What shall I make for dinner?

This illustration comes from a 1950s cookbook and shows the neat hair and lipstick that all cooks should wear in the kitchen when trying to think of a recipe.

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Love it or loathe it

Fifty per cent of our household loves blue cheese and the other fifty per cent can't stand it.

But if you are with the half that thinks a fragrant and rich cheese speckled and shot through with veins of blue is a delight then keep an eye out for a fine Scottish cheese made at Tain, in Ross-shire by Ruraidh Stone of Highland Fine Cheeses.

Strathdon Blue is a wonderfully rich cheese, made with the milk of Friesian and Ayrshire cattle, with a taste that is all its own and which is less sharp than Stilton and Roquefort. Our smelly cheese enthusiast bought his slice of Strathdon in Morrisons supermarket.

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Keep yourself warm and the kids happy

With the awful weather of the past few days there is no incentive at all to move onto the lighter food of spring and summer. Good old-fashioned fare is needed to keep the cold out.

Here's a recipe for Beef Steak Pudding from an 1847 cookbook.

“Make into a very firm smooth paste, one pound of flour, six ounces of beef-suet finely minced, half a teaspoonful of salt, and half a pint of cold water; line with this a basin which holds a pint and a half; season one pound of tender steak, free from bone and skin, with half an ounce of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper, well mixed together; lay it in the crust, pour in a quarter of a pint of water, roll out the cover, close the pudding carefully, tie a floured cloth over, and boil it for three hours and a half.”

That should keep the cold out.

If the kids have the trots, you could try Dr Baillie's Mixture for Children, from the same book.

“The following was a favourite remedy of Dr Baillie in protracted case of diarrhoea in children:- diluted nitric acid, six drops; syrup of cloves, four drachms; laudanum, six drops. Mix. One or two teaspoonfuls to be given in barley water.”

Laudanum is opium. So that should keep the little ones happy.

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Time for traditiion

A staple of Scottish food for generations has been the ever-popular potato scone. Here is one traditional recipe.

One pound of potatoes
Two level teaspoons of salt
Four ounces of flour
Two ounces of butter
Some flour for rolling out

Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes then drain and mash well. Add the butter and salt, then work in a little flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured board and roll until about half an inch thick. Then cut into three-inch rounds and fry in a lightly-greased pan for five minutes each side. Serve well-buttered when still warm.

Modern health experts would probably look askance at the recipe, as reducing salt in the Scottish diet is a major target today. Excessive salt can also to high blood pressure and other problems. It's probably best not to think about the two ounces of butter in the scones and the lashings of butter that have to go on top before eating.

Meanwhile, Sharon was asking her mother for a recipe for Toad In The Hole. Liddy is a Yorkshire girl born and bred but, like many people who have made things for decades, is a bit vague about the details. “You just mix up eggs, flour, salt and a bit of milk,” said mum. “A bit like a pancake mix. Lightly fry the sausages first and put then in an oven dish. Make sure the oven is hot. Then pour over the mix and cook until brown.” Hmnnnnnn...maybe it is that simple.

An attempt to bake another favourite from Sharon's childhood days, Sad Cake, “very easy”, ended in a quick trip from the oven to the bin.

Talking of easy simple dishes reminded Liddy of Sausage Pie which she used to make when the family was living in Kenya in the 1950s and 60s. Liddy worked at the Donovan Maule Theatre in Nairobi and the pie was a favourite at social functions there. Actors arriving late in the evening after long flights from the UK devoured it on arrival at the theatre.

“Roll out some ready-made shortcrust pastry and put it into an oven dish. Lay chippolatas or other thin sausages on the pastry. Sprinkle sweet corn over the sausages. Beat up two eggs and pour over everything. Put in a hot oven until cooked. Eat warm, or allow to cool and then cut into squares before putting them on a plate and serving.

“We also used to always serve these at our parties at home,” said mum. “My friend Delia would come along and get everyone into the swing of things. She would dress up, grab a sweeping brush and start singing.”

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Not dead yet

Sharon likes to sleep with a night light in the room. Since her stroke darkness frightens her. “I need a bit of light so that I know I am not dead,” she explains. When she hovered in the half world between life and death while battling to survive her brain haemorrhage she became terrified of the dark.

On March 31, gales blew and brought down power lines. Trees fell and damaged other parts of the electrical supply system. The power failed in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, March 31. Sharon noticed when she woke up and found she was in the dark as the night light was not glowing. However, we had a good supply of candles and had even remembered to buy matches to light them. These were only bought a few weeks earlier “just in case.” Sharon was reassured that she was still alive. Out came the little emergency battery-powered radio, although there was no news about the power cut on the news bulletins until much, much later, and even then it was just a quick mention, the glamorous Highlands receiving all the coverage of the storms. But for the 20,000 or more people affected in Galloway it was very big news indeed.

The Spanish owned company that supplies the electricity, Scottish Power, quickly had its teams out in the terrible weather working on getting things going again and we are all grateful to the men and women who worked so hard. A phone call to the hospital at Newton Stewart produced the news that they had power supplied by their emergency generator, so Sharon went to her rehabilitation clinic as normal on Wednesdays, taking a CD for the music and winning a bottle of fragrant shower gel in the bingo. Life goes on. The physiotherapist was proud of her efforts as she walked with her new “quad pod” four-footed stick. Of course, the power cut was the major topic of conversation. One lady, Daisy, who was to celebrate her 90th birthday the next day, was born in1920, the daughter of a shepherd and the family lived near a loch in the hills with electricity not even thought of.

No-one knew when the power would come back on again, including Scottish Power as their staff worked flat out in the cold wind and rain. One rumour had it that things would be repaired by 4pm, then 7.30pm. Later in the day it was said that 10pm was hoped for then early the following morning. That's the problem with a crisis, no-one knows what is going to happen – if they did it wouldn't be a crisis. The mobile phone system also failed. Petrol stations were unable to operate as their pumps needed electricity. Shops were closed as their electric tills wouldn't work.

After rehab had finished, we went to Hillcrest House Guest House where Sharon sat with her mother, well wrapped up and with a tiny camping gas fire providing the heat. A little before 8pm, there were flickers and then the light returned. What a relief. We went home and so to bed – with the night light.

The Friday local newspaper reported a lot of anger about the power cut, which lasted 17 hours. In particular, the lack of information about what was happening and when power would be restored annoyed many people. More than 8,000 properties were said to have been affected.

The power did return and we were all reminded of how fragile are the systems that underpin modern life. We are only a big blow away from the darkness.

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A proper cup of tea

When Sharon wants a cup of tea when out and about she wants a proper cup of tea. And a proper cup of tea is what she certainly got when she visited Stranraer a few days ago.

The Star Restaurant in the centre of town gave her a cup “the size of a boat.” And there were two cups worth of tea in the pot that came with it. The Star is obviously very popular with locals and it is a fish and chip shop with extras. Cheerful waiters and waitresses provide table service and there is a great Scottish menu to choose from.

As you would expect, there is fish and chips, haddock or cod, which are delicious and served with enough chips for a Scot or three or four normal people. The scones are served nice and warm and are enormous, with a choice of plain, fruit or treacle versions. Sharon decided on a fruit scone. It was enormous and served warm with butter and jam.

For the gourmets in search of truly local food, haggis, black pudding and chips is a popular dish and when we visited mince and tatties was the daily special. Of course Scotch Pie and Chips is on the menu. For puddings, how about, chocolate lumpy bumpy or toffee crunch? There is a good children's menu, including pizzas. There is an afternoon cream tea set.

The Star Restaurant is in the very centre of Stranraer, almost opposite the Tesco. Look for the distinctive blue awnings. Things are disabled friendly, with a wheelchair ramp at the entrance and a disabled toilet. If you fancy a flutter there is a Ladbrokes on the opposite corner to the restaurant and a Coral across the street. If you go to W.H. Smith, nearby, in a wheelchair or on sticks don't be put off by the step at the main entrance, go up the side to the other door and ring the bell for the disabled. Someone will let you in with a smile and without any steps.

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