
I hope your 2025 is going to plan. Are your resolutions still on track? Is your barn/ shed/greenhouse roof still intact? I do hope so. We thankfully got off lightly bar a couple of loose slates and a fallen log stack although it has been a time to hunker down and catch up on comms and stats whilst sea spray lashed the windows.
Over the festive period, Scottish Food Guide browsers increased, the Seasonal Offers, Newsletter and Cheese Trail pages still popular landing pages from where readers explore the website. The recipe stats made entertaining reading with 683 browsers finding my cloutie dumpling; 320 considering the New Year steak pie and 212 clicking on my sticky toffee pudding. I wonder how they got on?

Was their dumpling demolished, did their pastry flake nicely and their cake rise? We shall never know for sure but my family certainly enjoy them so I hope readers gave them a go and enjoyed their culinary results! The dumpling and pie feature in our regenerative farming book, “Meadows: The Swedish Farmer & The Scottish Cook” along with many other seasonal low-food-miles recipes. This smallholders/farmers’ manual is valued and timeless – don’t take my word for it, please read the reviews.
It’s reassuring to think sufficient numbers are still participating in the joys of cooking in a world where so many buy ready meals for re-fuelling rather than value the moment to savour good food round a table, convivially. Goodfoodology gives a platform to those members encouraging readers to develop their skills or master new ones: from butchery to baking, the magical world of seaweed, cook schools, cheesemaking, gin tasting, talks and our own studio experiences. All are offered personally by members; unique and of the highest quality.
Which brings us nicely onto breadmaking and the countdown to the Scottish Bread Championship, sponsored by the Edinburgh Bakers Trust and in kind by co-founders Wendy Barrie & Andrew Whitley since 2017. It is open to any entrants following the Real Bread criteria and resident in Scotland. They can be professional bakers or individuals who enjoy breadmaking and wish to submit their loaf before our excellent team of a dozen judges. All entry info is here ENTRY DEADLINE FOR FORM APPLICATIONS is Thursday Feb 6th and Judgment day is Friday 14th February, with no public access that day. There are details for entrants’ bread drop-offs on the Friday here.
The following day, Saturday 15th the Winners will be announced at the Scottish Festival of Real Bread at Bowhouse in the East Neuk of Fife. This is the third year we have organised a Festival and the day flies by as there’s so much going on: activities for children – threshing and story-telling; screening of films; bread workshops; artisan breads from across the country to purchase whilst you meet the bakers, and mill tours. Elaine from Something Corny will be there with her corn dolly creations and among the many stallholders are Cairn O’Mohr and Scottish Food Guide where Bosse will have grains for tasting, books for signing, plus a selection of Scottish Cheese Trail cheese, artisan salt from Blackthorn, and Isle of Skye with bespoke salt bowls, specially crafted, from Harry Potter on Orkney, and everything gift-wrapped in pretty SFG boxes.
Do come by – celebrate our artisan bakers and support our Festival. There are also excellent raffle prizes to be won. Entry is free of charge however we welcome donations towards our overheads as we have received no public funding and are all volunteers – we couldn’t manage without such a terrific and dedicated team for whom I give thanks.
Last but by no means least, if you would like another opportunity to check out last year’s scores on the doors here’s the link to the Scottish Bread Championship 2024.