glasgow and edinburgh

glasgow and edinburgh

14 Jan 2026

My good friend Kay and her sidekick Boris live in Glasgow, so whenever I'm in the area I like to visit them. Glasgow isn't that far from Morocco so I thought getting to Glasgow would be a breeze. Unfortunately there were no direct flights to Glasgow at all in october and no daily flights to Edinburgh either. That meant spending a few extra days in Marrakech and a layover at LHR, my least favourite airport in the world, but needs must. 

Autumn in Scotland means one thing, grey skies and rain, so I made sure to pack my rain gear. Kay was on school holidays and she'd planned a full day's adventure. We started the day at the farm where her horse is stabled before a walk at Whitelee Windfarm, accompanied of course by Boris.

If you look very closely you can just see Boris.

Glasgow was so green compared to Morocco. 

After our walk it was time for lunch. We drove to the Heron Farm Shop and Kitchen where I took in the view.

The view was just as beautiful in black and white.

The Heron Kitchen is dog friendly so Boris was able to sit indoors with us while we had our lunch. 

 

We walked around the property which also houses a reception venue, The Heron Byre.

Autumn had definitely arrived in Glasgow.

The Heron Farm Shop had some pretty Christmas gifts and lovely fresh produce.

The next day I caught the train to Edinburgh, which is a 45 minute journey from Glasgow. The return trip cost me $68.00 and I almost choked on my cup of tea. The journey time is much the same as my daily trip to work, which during peak hours costs $10.80 for the round trip. How do the locals afford to travel by train???

I don't always visit Edinburgh when I'm in Scotland so I'd forgotten how crowded it can get.

It's very scenic though, all dressed up in autumnal hues.

I was on a mission though, so I couldn't tarry too long because I had places to see and things to do.

Doing some research before my trip I discovered there were swathes of Edinburgh I'd not visited.

I hoped that the 'off the beaten track' and 'little known by tourists' locations on my agenda were indeed that. They weren't.

I was on my way to the instafamous Lannan Bakery, located in Stockbridge, and walked there via the Water of Leith Walkway. The walkway was pretty busy and I kept my fingers crossed that I was the only person en route to the bakery.

I stopped at the very picturesque Dean Village.

A warning, I did take a few photos while I was there.

I was in Edinburgh in October and found many of the houses decorated for Halloween.

I walked past stone cottages with pretty details.

Not all cities read well in 'black and white'. Edinburgh does.

The colour versions.

Stockbridge is home to many cute shops and restaurants. How had I not been there before?

Could you get any more Scottish than this thistle topped gate?

I found Lannan Bakery and I joined the queue which snaked around the corner.

Was the queue long? Yes it was. Does Lannan employ queue monitors? Yes they do. 

Did I line up for more than an hour? Yes, I did. Did they run out of the pastry I wanted to buy while I waited in the queue. Yes they did.

I pivoted and selected something else. While I was in the queue, I chatted to a lady who commented that the pastries we chose would never be delicious enough to justify the one hour + wait.

I carried my goodies back with me through the back streets of Stockbridge where I found many beautiful stone buildings

and pretty gardens.

I was still on a mission though, to locate Circus Lane, dubbed one of the most beautiful streets in the UK.

I had to wait patiently to get a clear view of the lane and St Stephen's Church. Apparently the tourists staging photoshoots mid-lane drive the local residents barmy.

Circus Lane was built to house the staff working in the mansions located in The Royal Circus.

It's definitely cute.

I still like my black and white version the best.

I had a train to catch so I beetled back to the station for my train to Glasgow.

 

Don't you just love people gamely sitting outside in inclement weather pretending they're enjoying themselves.

Once back in Glasgow the incelement weather really kicked in. We dressed Boris in his rain jacket and braved the elements.

We went to the Burrell Collection but not before we took Boris on a bracing walk in the Pollok Country Park to see the Highland Coos.

We dried off before visiting the Collection then repaired home to finish off our treats from Lannan Bakery.

The next day I said my farewells to both Kay and Boris and boarded a train to London. 

See you all again next week with some images from my time in London.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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sour cherry bundt cake

sour cherry bundt cake

12 Jan 2026

Christmas in Australia heralds the start of the cherry season. I just love cherries and since their arrival in the shops, I've treated myself to a few bags. With some leftover dried sour cherries from Christmas plus fresh cherries in the fridge I wondered if there was a recipe out there which combined both cherry types in a single cake.

I found a recipe online from Signe Johansen which looked promising but when I looked closely, the quantity of butter in the recipe had been omitted. I used the recipe as my starting point and took it from there. I baked the cake in a small bundt tin but you could always bake the cake in a floured 17cm tin lined with baking paper. The cake would need to bake a bit longer, probably an hour or so.

I decided to glaze the cake and made the icing using some of reserved soaking liquid. The icing was coloured the most vibrant cherry pink hue and of course I had to top the cake with a few fresh cherries.

Here's the recipe for you which makes a small bundt cake or a 17cm cake. For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C.

Sour Cherry Bundt Cake, inspired by Signe Johansen

Cake goo
10g softened butter
10g neutral oil
10g plain flour

Ingredients
50g dried sour cherries
50g pitted and halved cherries, fresh or frozen (I used frozen sour cherries)
50 mls lemon juice or boiling water 

112g refined spelt flour (or plain flour) plus extra for dusting
¾ tsp baking powder
pinch fine sea salt
30g almond meal
100g room temperature unsalted butter 
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
60 ml buttermilk, yoghurt or sour cream

Glaze
75g icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tbs reserved cherry liquid 
6 fresh cherries (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C, conventional. To make the cake goo, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until it forms a smooth paste. Using a pastry brush, thoroughly coat the inside of a 1.2 litre bundt cake tin with the cake goo. Place the cake tin to the fridge while you prepare the batter.

Place the dried sour cherries in a bowl and cover them with lemon juice or boiling water. I used lemon juice and warmed it in the microwave on 'high' for 30 seconds. Set aside to steep for an hour or overnight.

Sift the flour, baking powder and sea salt into a separate bowl and stir through the almond meal, removing any lumps in the process.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with the caster sugar for about 5-8 minutes or until pale and fluffy, then add one of the eggs along with a spoonful of the flour mixture and beat again until the egg is fully incorporated. Repeat the process with the remaining egg and then add the remaining flour mixture. Gently fold in the flour along with the vanilla extract and buttermilk. Stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.

Drain the dried cherries (keep the liquid to use for the glaze) and in a small bowl combine them with the fresh or frozen cherries. Sprinkle a tablespoon of spelt flour over the cherries and mix gently to combine. Spoon a few tablespoons of the cake batter into the bottom of the bundt tin, then using a spatula, fold the cherries into the remaining batter. Once the cherries are folded in, spoon the batter into the prepared bundt tin and level the top. 

Place the tin on the centre rack of the preheated 180⁰C, conventional oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, the top of the cake looks golden, feels springy and a little firm to the touch, and the cake comes away slightly from the sides of the tin. 

Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Cool completely before icing.

To make the glaze, combine the icing sugar with a small quantity of the reserved liquid to make an icing which has the consistency of runny honey. 

Drizzle the icing over the cake and allow the icing to set before decorating with the fresh cherries if using. 

This was a lovely buttery cake, studded with cherries then topped with a zesty lemon flavoured cherry hued icing.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

 

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essaouira

essaouira

7 Jan 2026

I had some time over Christmas to work on my travel photos, so here's the final post from my trip to Morroco. 

Once the Intrepid tour ended I had 3 days on my own in Marrakech. Marrakech was really hectic and I was looking for a change of pace so I took a day trip to escape the crowds. I decided to visit Essaouira, a beachside town once known as Mogador. According to wikipedia, Essaouira is a UNESCO heritage listed port town known for its medina, its ramparts and its vibrant blue-and-white architecture. 

Getting to Essaouira from Marrakech takes about 3 hours so I booked a seat on a minibus which left from the post office, a 10 minute walk from the riad in which I was staying. It doesn't matter which bus company you chose, a coffee stop and a visit to an argan oil factory is included. 

Our minivan came to a screeching halt when these goats were spotted and we were asked if we'd like to take photographs.Tree climbing goats were part of the argan oil production process and in recent times the goats have become their own separate tourist attraction. It's unlikely that these goats just happened to be on the main highway from Marrakech to Essaouira. They were probably brought to the location to be photographed by tourists for a price. 

I however had not come to be photographed with goats; I had come to see the beach. As the bus drove into Essaouira we passes a beach with nary a wave, flanked by modern buildings with glass balconies and all I could think of was the Grand Parade at Brighton-le Sands in Sydney. IYKYK.

The rest of the historic town had less of a BLS vibe.

You enter the town via the Bab El Saba gate which is guarded by cannons. The cats are a non-optional extra as Essaouira is a very cat friendly town.

There were little pockets of loveliness around each corner.

and of course, more cats, this time outside Patisserie Driss.

I had come in search of the Simon Attias Synagogue located inside the Bayt Dakira Museum. 

The synagogue was a little jewel box and the Museum itself was well worth a visit.

I wandered back through the Medina on my way to the main square.

Seagulls, an everpresent reminder of the proximity of Essaouira to the ocean.

From the main square, I wandered down to the lively port.

On my way there I spotted this cat having a catnap 

and this fisherman enjoying his lunch with an ever present seagull by his side.

The port is a lively kind of place with people passing by, bicycles, motor bikes, pedestrians and of course, tourists and seagulls.

The catch of the day on display. No wonder there are so many cats in Essaouira.

You can buy fish at the market then have it cooked at a local restaurant.  

I spent some time exploring the ramparts, also known as the Skala de la Kasbah, for which Essaouira is known.

I walked back through the gate to the main square and settled for a bowl of seafood pasta for my lunch.

The restaurant was very busy so I settled into one of the blue and white wicker chairs and waited for my lunch. 

My meal was lacklustre but the Place Moulay Hassan II itself was so atmospheric it almost made up for the food. I not so secretly wished that I'd gone for the grilled fresh fish option.

After lunch I strolled through the souk looking for gifts and walked along the ramparts, one of the many historic features of this UNESCO heritage listed towns.

This cat was much photographed.

I wandered along the ramparts and spied these daredevil rock fishermen.

Another slice of souk life, a mix of the old and the new.

It was a long day and it was quite late by the time I returned to Marrakech but it was well worth it. If I'd thought about it a little more, staying overnight in Essaouira would have made more sense than a day trip. Next time, if there's a next time, I'd stay the night in Essaouira as it's a place worth exploring.

I spent my last day in Marrakech on the hunt for a teapot similar to the one used at the Riad Albatoul before I made my way to the airport for my flight (s) to Glasgow. 

I'll see you all again next week with some more travel photos from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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apricot and rosemary polenta cake

apricot and rosemary polenta cake

5 Jan 2026

I'm back with my first bake for 2026. The apricot season is notoriously short in Sydney so I made Nicola Lamb's apricot and rosemary polenta cake before the apricots disappeared for the year.

As I'd made the apricot topping before, it was just the cake batter that was new to me. I've made polenta before and I've made cornmeal cakes before, I've just not combined the 2 before in the one cake.

The original recipe makes an 8 inch cake. Sometimes when you reduce a cake recipe you have to make a few adjustments. I was supposed to use 1 and 1/2 eggs in the batter, and the half an egg thing is the bane of my existence. Usually I separate the egg and use the yolk, then freeze the egg whites but as I was short on eggs, I used one egg and some yoghurt. Otherwise the cake was very easy to put together and in no time at all, the cake was in the oven. My cake took about 10 minutes longer to cook than suggested but that's not unusual for an apricot or plum cake.

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cake. For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C.

Apricot and rosemary polenta cake - serves 6
Cake
65g full cream milk
15g polenta or medium cornmeal
50g whole egg (1 egg)

25g Greek yoghurt
75g butter, softened
75g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
95g ground almonds 
25g medium cornmeal
½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Apricot topping

25g butter
25g caster sugar
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
4 apricots, halved and stoned

To serve 
Crème fraîche or labne

The polenta
Heat the milk to a simmer and add the polenta. Whisk over a medium-low heat until thickened, then continue to whisk for a few minutes until creamy and smooth - taste it and check for hard lumps. Once it is tender, leave to cool. Once cooled, blend the polenta with the egg and yoghurt and set aside.

Apricot topping
Melt the butter, add the sugar and heat until bubbling and browning slightly. Add the rosemary and bubble for 30 seconds or so, then place the apricot halves into the pan, cut-side down. Add the rest of the large pieces of rosemary around the apricots. Cook for 5 minutes over a low heat - check and see if the apricots have coloured a little. The butter/sugar should be dark in spots like a dark caramel. If not, remove the apricots from the pan and cook the caramel for a little longer. Turn off the heat.

Cake
Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional. Line the base and sides of a 17cm cake tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until slightly lightened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs/polenta mixture slowly until well combined.

Mix the dry ingredients together - the ground almonds, cornmeal, baking powder and salt - then stir them through the butter/sugar mixture. Pour into the cake tin and smooth out. Nestle the apricots in the batter, cut-side up then pour the rosemary/butter/caramel over the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted will have a few moist crumbs hanging on. Leave to cool in the tin for 10-20 minutes before unmoulding as this is a very tender cake. Serve warm or cold with a spoonful of crème fraîche or labne. The cake will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This cake is delightful. It's tender in the middle and crunchy around the edges. The rosemary combined with the polenta and the tart apricots gives an intriguing savoury note to the cake. The plum season has just begun and I can't wait to make a plum version.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

Bye for now,

Jillian

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