The Great Scottish Bake Off

This week i've been spending some time in my home from home.

Although I was born and bred in Watford, North West London, Edinburgh has come to be my second home over the past five years. My mum and her husband moved there a while back, so I try to visit them as much as I can.

And although it's just a one hour flight away, to me, it's a totally different way of life.

I began my one man journey the same way everyone should. Ordering a yummy lunch overlooking the runway. Even as a self confessed independent coffee shop lover, I'm willing to make my excuses for a Pret salad. I went for the Chefs Italian Chicken Salad and a Yoga Bunny Detox.

Upon my arrival, I donned my best nurses uniform and immediately got to work on my patient.

My mum had surgery on her foot earlier that day and was feeling ten shades of awful. I fed her, watered her and entertained her with stories and jokes about my recent adventures to try and take her mind away from the pain. Two days in, and she was becoming, rightfully so, a tad stir crazy.

My mother is not one to sit in bed all day, especially when she has play-mates come to visit. So, when all else failed, I made a little pop-up den for her in the corner of the kitchen, set up a million and one pots, pans and appliances and we leafed our way through her most favourite cook books.

We narrowed our cravings down to three treats and I headed to the supermarket in search of ingredients. A single phone call to the insurance company later, and I was ridin' there in this bad boy.

I don't think i'll ever look at my Ford KA in the same way ever again.

Upon my return (and an embarrassing few moments where I couldn't work out how to open the boot for love nor money) I donned my favourite flowery apron and got to work in the kitchen.

Mum sat with a glass of apple juice whilst I got down and dirty. I went big with this bake off. Real big, baby. The result looked a little like this:





A big ole' batch of the incredibly filthy, lip-lickingly naughty slutty brownies, boozy rocky road fudge packed with pistachios and a hearty glug of baileys irish cream, and millionaire shortbread made with a salted caramel spread and a chunky shortbread biscuit base.

Look at that gooey rubble. It's enough to make you lick the screen, isn't it?

All three recipes were tried and tested by my super sweet-toothed step father, much to his displeasure, of course, and the grades were pretty spectacular.

 

Apparently the Slutty Brownies were just too naughty to even submit themselves to grading unfortunately, but between you and me, I think they would have topped the class.

So, that rounds off my Great Scottish Bake Off. What have you been baking this week? And more importantly, who wants the recipes?