This totally vegan coconut and vanilla face and body scrub has to be one of the nicest things I’ve ever put on my face. My skin felt so soft and smooth afterwards and it smells AMAZING – that’s because it actually is good enough to eat!
The good news is that it’s the easiest thing ever to make. You only need three ingredients, plus a container – I used an old body scrub container but you can use a small plastic tupperware if you don’t have any old packaging.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or over a low heat on the hob and combine with the sugar and vanilla.
Mix it up with a little warm water, apply to face and body, massage in and rinse off!
This chewy, flavour filled vegan pumpkin and turmeric flat bread is packed with goodness and makes a delicious lunch topped with the warm garlicky pesto, juicy tomatoes and seeds that taste just like popcorn!
For the bread
Ingredients
260g plain flour
150g pumpkin puree (take the insides of a pumpkin, discard the seeds and blend to a puree in a blender)
3 tbsp plant milk
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp nutrional yeast
1 tbsp melted vegan butter
Method
Put the ingredients together in a bowl and combine till they form a dough. Knead the dough for five to ten minutes then let it rest for half an hour.
Then divide into small balls, rolling each one into an oval or rectangular shape of around 3-4mm thickness.
Bake in the oven at 175 degrees for 20-25 minutes. It’s a little harder to tell if this bread is baked as it’s already a golden colour, so from around 15 minutes check in on it till it seems ready. It will be a little puffed and lightly browned.
For the pesto
Make this ahead of the bread and topping, or while the bread and topping are in the oven.
Ingredients
100g kale
85g walnuts
75ml olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
Method
Put the ingredients together in a blender and blend till smooth.
For the topping
While the pumpkin bread is baking, make the topping.
Ingredients
100g kale
500g tomatoes
Pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin, rinsed in a sieve
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Method
Toss the kale, tomatoes and seeds in the olive oil, salt and nutritional yeast and bake in a hot oven until crispy – for about 20 minutes.
Spread the pumpkin bread with the warm pesto then top with the kale, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds and enjoy!
We spent a wonderful weekend this September camping in Ardnamurchan in the western Scottish Highlands. I’ve lived in Scotland most of my life, and consider myself to be fairly well travelled in my own country – but had never visited the Ardnamurchan peninsula until last weekend. All I really knew about it was that there was a lighthouse there, a distillery where Colin has a cask of whisky, and that it was very remote.
We set off one Friday in September to spend two nights with family at the Ardnamurchan Campsite , situated just outside the pretty, remote village of Kilchoan
From Edinburgh, right on the other side of Scotland, it took us five hours to get to the campsite. Once you get off the motorway at Stirling, the journey is just a joy, with incredible scenery as you drive through the Trossachs and the lonely moors of Glencoe within the shadow of Buchaille Etive Mor. We stopped at the Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum, where you can go to the loo and buy some fresh food in the cafe or some gifts and outdoor clothes if you feel inclined! There’s also a great cafe across the road at the Real Food Cafe – my vegan chickpea curry with chips was delicious, and you can order in advance on their website and pick the food up in the car park. Or, ten minutes on there are some incredible places to stop at Glencoe if you fancy eating your takeaway in one of the most scenic and iconic places in Scotland!
We stopped again at Ardgour for the five minute car ferry journey to Corran on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, then on to the single track winding road to the campsite. The views of mountains, lochs and beaches are breathtaking, but do pack a travel sickness pill for anyone who suffers from motion sickness as it’s a VERY winding road.
Playing pass the pigs by the camper van!
The site itself is pretty basic and no frills but has everything a camper could need. There’s a toilet and shower block – though I should warn you that if you don’t like creepy crawlies, it could be an issue as there are quite a few daddy long legs spiders who’ve made the block their home. They won’t touch you, but our kids weren’t fans. There’s also a washing up block with sinks and a washing machine.
Outside the blocks there’s a small communal area with seating and I think there’s one inside for use in non pandemic times too. There are sites for tents, motorhomes and vans with electric hook up, and the boundary of the site is a beautiful beach. There’s also free WiFi, and dogs are welcome. Campfires are allowed, and we spent evenings toasting marshmallows, listening to the sound of the sea and gazing at constellations in the clear dark sky – Jupiter and Saturn were visible, it was so clear! Waking up to the sound of the waves lapping at the shore nearby was pretty special, too.
You’re spoilt for choice with things to do in the area. On the Friday evening we headed to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse and the most westerly point of the UK mainland to see a spectacular sunset as we were buffeted by the winds coming in off the ocean. The lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the world designed in an “Egyptian’ style – it’s automatically operated now, but fully operational.
There are also a number of beautiful beaches – we spent an afternoon at Sanna Bay, which we had almost to ourselves. It’s a perfect expanse of white sand and clear blue sea, and we spent a few lovely hours kayaking, swimming, sunbathing and jumping off the sand dunes. Geologically, it’s a fascinating place to visit too, as it’s part of a concentric circle of volcanos, with plenty of wildlife to see as well.
Paddle boarding and kayaking at Sanna Bay
Another day we took the CalMac ferry from Kilchoan to Tobermory on nearby Mull. We were foot passengers, but you can also choose to take the car – though be warned that if the pandemic is still live if you take the car on the ferry, you won’t be allowed to leave your car for the 40 minute journey to enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the ferry across to the Small Isles. We spent a few hours in Tobermory doing a treasure trail that we’d downloaded in advance – a great way to see the town and learn about its history – while Colin visited the distillery.
Tobermory Bay
On our last day we climbed Ben Hiant, the highest point on the peninsula, and from where the sun rose each morning from the campsite. It’s not a particularly challenging hill at 528m, and the views at the top are breathtaking – across to the inner Hebridean islands and the mainland. It took us just under 3 hours to get to the top and back down.
Our view from Ben Hiant
You can book your pitch at the campsite here – they do get busy throughout the season, so make sure you book well in advance. Do go and explore this remote, unspoilt corner of Scotland – it’s been on our to visit list for years, and I only wish we hadn’t waited so long!
