The other day I noticed some amazing looking, but not vegan, pecan Danish pastries in the supermarket and was overcome by a craving to have some for breakfast. This is what I came up with – vegan Danish pecan plaits. The pecans toasted in maple syrup are to die for – enjoy!
Ingredients (makes six plaits)
375g sheet of vegan puff pastry
5 fl oz maple syrup plus 3 tbsp for frying the pecans
300g pecans
80g soft or melted vegan butter
2 tbsp warm water
1tsp cinnamon
Method
Put 250g of the pecans, butter, water and maple syrup in a blender and blend to form a smooth paste.
Roll out the pastry sheet and cut into six equal rectangles.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
On the long side of each rectangle, cut a ‘fringe’ on each side, making four cuts on each long side. Leave a central strip in the middle of each rectangle.
Take a teaspoon and spread the pecan paste over the central strip of each rectangle, then fold the side strips into the centre of the rectangle.
Bake the pecan plaits in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden.
While the plaits are baking, fry the remaining pecans on a low heat in the 3 tbsp of maple syrup, stirring often so the syrup doesn’t harden.
Top the plaits with the fried pecans, sprinkle with the cinnamon and eat! They’re also delicious cold for breakfast or a snack the next day.
We were lucky enough to have a week’s holiday in the Black Isle this July. The Black Isle isn’t actually an island – or black – but an isthmus just north of Inverness in Scotland, surrounded by water on three sides. It takes its name from the deep dark woodland that used to cover it. Before our holiday, we’d driven through it but never actually spent time there, and were keen to fit as much as possible into our week. It’s a beautiful part of Scotland, and virtually midge free, which is a huge bonus if you’ve ever spent a holiday in Scotland plagued by midges!
If you’re thinking about visiting this wonderful part of Scotland, here are some outdoor things you might like to do.
Dolphin watching at Chanonry Point. Chanonry Point, jutting out into the Moray Firth, is one of the best places in the UK to spot dolphins. When we arrived on a slightly drizzly Tuesday morning, there was a large group of people on the beach, some of whom had been waiting for hours. We decided to give ourselves an hour waiting on the beach, to see if the pod of dolphins that make a regular appearance to feed close to the shore might decide to show themselves. And we weren’t disappointed – just before our hour was up, two bottlenose dolphins swam towards the shore, and stopped only about three metres away from the shoreline. It was absolutely enchanting watching them jump and play in the water, and we felt that we’d witnessed something very special. The best time to see them is on a rising tide, which is around one hour after low tide. It’s really difficult to get parked at Chanonry Point, as the car park is very small and a LOT of people turn up there every day. If it’s possible for you to do, try to park in nearby Fortrose, or get a bus from Inverness to Fortrose – it’s one mile from Chanonry Point, and you can walk the rest of the way.
Sylvia Duckworth / Dolphins at Chanonry Point.
If dolphin watching makes you feel like a dip in the sea yourself, just along from Chanonry Point is Rosemarkie Beach, where we spent an afternoon kayaking and swimming. Facing out onto the Moray Firth, this wide sandy beach is fringed by woodland and has tennis courts, a play area and the Rosemarkie Beach Cafe (which has vegan options, including vegan ice cream) – everything you need for a perfect day at the Scottish seaside.
Kayaking off Rosemarkie Bay
Ecoventures run wildlife watching tours in the Moray Firth, including a two hour trip to see the bottlenose dolphins of the Firth. There’s no guarantee you’ll spot them, but you’ll be in safe hands as local Sarah takes you out on the Saorsa on a trip that’s designed to minimise impact on the surrounding wildlife.
Ecoventures
Poyntzfield Herb Nursery is also worth a visit. They have been growing herbs organically and biodynamically since 1976 and offer an opportunity to buy over 400 varieties of plants and seeds from a local, agro-ecological producer. Open from March to September.
Poyntzfield Herb Nursery
On the second day of our holiday, our munro loving cousin suggested an ‘easy, four mile walk’ up to the Fyrish Monument near Dingwall. Built by Sir Hector Munro in 1782 on Fyrish Hill in order to provide employment for the locals, the monument is certainly a four mile walk, but ‘easy’ was probably an exaggeration to get everyone off their feet and up a hill! Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful walk, though the upward part is steep in places and the ground isn’t the smoothest – so wear decent boots and take plenty of water. It’s worth the effort though – after emerging from the still green forest, you’re rewarded at the top with stunning views of the Moray Firth to your left and the Cairngorm mountains to your right.
Fyrish Monument
The Fairy Glen is another Black Isle highlight, and it looks just as beautiful as you’d expect from the name. A 25 minute gentle walk from Rosemarkie takes you through woodland and past burbling streams to this magical glen with its beautiful waterfalls and abundance of local wildlife – if you’re lucky, you might see a heron or buzzard at this RSPB reserve.
Loch Ness isn’t actually in the Black Isle, but a 40 minute drive away – it seemed rude not to visit the UK’s top wild swimming spot while we were in the area. After a visit to Nessieland in Drumnadrochit – and I’m still not really sure what to say about that as it was such a bizarre experience, so go and check it out for yourself – we headed to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. If you’re visiting Loch Ness, after getting your fix of history at the castle, choose your spot to take the plunge in the waters, which are icy in winter and tepid on the hot July day we were there. Fort Augustus is a popular spot to swim from -and if you’re feeling tempted to do some serious swimming, there’s a charity relay swim in Loch Ness next year to raise money for Aspire. As always with wild swimming, do take extra care – Loch Ness is hundreds of feet deep in places, and the water can get very cold.
There are plenty of campsites and B&Bs in and around Inverness. Black Isle Yurts have beautiful individually built and fully furnished yurts in private woodland with stoves, beds with duvets and pillows, and gas cookers. Fortrose Bay Campsite has stunning views over the Moray Firth, offers electric hook up and welcomes well behaved dogs, and you can eat your breakfast on the beach – you might even spot some dolphins if you’re lucky. And Loch Ness Glamping located just down the road in Glen Urquhart has tent pitches and hobbit houses where you’ll wake up to the sound of the river and birds and surrounded by bluebells, willow herb, foxgloves, daffodils, gorse, broom and any number of less well known Highland wild flowers.. There are BBQs for every hobbit house, and a children’s play area – bliss!
If you liked this, check out our guide to camping in Shieldaig in the Scottish Highlands.
We have a big patch of sage growing in our garden in Cambridge. I have never used sage much in cooking, but knew that it worked really well in pasta. This vegan lemon spaghetti with chickpeas and sage is an easy to throw together vegan lunch or dinner that really brings out the flavour of the sage. The quantities below make two large bowls.
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, reserving the chickpea juice (aquafaba) too
6 fresh sage leaves
4 tbsp aquafaba
100ml vegetable stock
Pinch salt
Tsp dried sage
Juice of 2 lemons.
250g spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
Method
Cook the spaghetti to your taste.
Heat the olive oil in a wok and add the garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the aquafaba and stock, dried sage, the sage leaves and the chickpeas. Simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the spaghetti and the lemon juice to the wok and combine with the chickpea sauce, then serve!
These vegan choc chip cookies are one of my easy go-to recipes when I feel like something baked that’s delicious and easy to make. This recipe makes 12 – 14 cookies.
Ingredients
150g vegan butter (I used Pure)
150g caster sugar
150g brown sugar
200g plain flour
Tsp salt
80g ground almonds
100g bag of Dr Oetker chocolate chunks or other dairy free chocolate chips.
Method
Pre heat the oven to 180 C.
In a bowl cream together the sugars and butter.
Add the flour, salt and almonds to make a dough, then the chocolate chips. Add a little warm water if needed to shape the dough.
Form the dough into small balls and cook on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and put on a cooling tray and leave to cool down – try to resist the temptation to eat them while warm – unless you like them extra gooey of course 🙂
There’s something about food eaten outside that just makes it taste better – especially vegan camping food! And luckily for vegans, going camping and cooking outdoors doesn’t need to mean that you’re stuck at the side of the campfire with a lettuce roll while everyone else tucks into BBQ’ed sausages and burgers. Here are three recipes for vegan camping that need only a campfire and a little prep – happy camping 🙂
Tacos
Ingredients
1 box vegan tacos
Grated cheese – we used Applewood smoked
Iceberg lettuce
180g dried lentils, soaked overnight
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 litre vegetable stock
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
Method
Chop the onion and garlic and heat some olive oil in a wok over a medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and fry til starting to brown.
Add 1/4 of the veg stock and the lentils and simmer till the stock has been absorbed. Repeat until the stock is finished and the lentils are almost cooked.
Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for another ten minutes.
Spoon the mince into the tacos with the lettuce and cheese.
Peanut butter curry
Ingredients
Tin chopped tomatoes
Tin coconut milk
Tin chickpeas
1 head broccoli, cut into small stems
4 tbsp peanut butter
Half litre vegetable stock
Handful coriander
1 chopped white onion
2 minced cloves garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
250g basmati rice
Soy yogurt to serve.
Method
Heat some vegetable oil in a wok. Fry the onion and garlic till they are beginning to brown.
At the same time, cook the basmati rice in a pot with a teaspoon of vegetable stock powder in the water.
Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock, the ginger, turmeric, cumin and paprika, the peanut butter, and the broccoli and chickpeas. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for a further five minutes.
Garnish with coriander and serve with the cooked rice and some vegan yogurt on top.
Mexican salad
This can be prepared mostly beforehand if easier – keep the avocadoes and the tortilla chips until you’re ready to eat, then chop the avocadoes, open the tortilla chips, and add them to the dressing and salad
Ingredients
2 corn on the cobs
Packet vegan tortilla chips
15 new potatoes, peeled and boiled
3 ripe avocadoes
2 limes
100g finely chopped coriander
Method
Cook the corn and allow it to cool. Slice it off the cob and into a bowl.
Cut the new potatoes into quarters once boiled and cooled, and add to the corn.
When ready to eat, open the avocadoes. Scoop out the flesh of one and add it to the juice of the two limes and half the chopped coriander to make a dressing.
Chop the other two avocadoes into cubes and add to the salad.
Add the dressing, and garnish with the rest of the coriander.
Aviemore, in the heart of the Cairngorms and the Scottish Highlands, is one of our favourite places in the world to camp. It’s easy to get to by motorway, train or even plane from Inverness, breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely full of things to do – if you’re here for a weekend, the hardest thing is creating an itinerary, as there’s so much choice! It’s also a great year-round destination with snow sports and other winter activities in the colder months. A camping weekend in Aviemore is one of my favourite things in life. If you haven’t been, we hope this guide will help you plan your holiday there.
Where To Stay
We stayed at Dalraddy Holiday Park which has grass pitches, electric hook up and pitches for camper vans, as well as chalets and caravans to rent. The pitches are really generous and the site didn’t feel crowded at all when we were there. There’s a shop and a big clean shower block, plus separate smaller WC/shower blocks around the site, as well as a children’s play area. It’s well situated outside Aviemore to be within easy reach of the town.
Dalraddy Holiday Park
Other places to stay are –
Glenmore Campsite – camping in the forest, with direct access to the beaches of Loch Morlich.
There are so many things to do in Aviemore, it’s impossible to list them all, so here’s a selection of the activities that we’ve done ourselves.
Gorge walking. We did this with G2 Outdoor. I was quite nervous beforehand as I’m not great with heights, and I knew there were some small heights in the course. I ended up absolutely loving it though! G2 provide all the kit – a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and crash helmet, plus harness and ropes. Once you’re all kitted up you’re taken off to the river for an hour long gorge walking experience. This involves walking up the river (wear your oldest trainers that you don’t mind getting wet and dirty), scrambling and using ropes to get from one level to the next, with the opportunity to slide down waterfalls and into plunge pools. It’s cold, wet and a bit scary at times but amazing fun – I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
I actually was having fun here.
Zip wire. Another activity that G2 offer, it won’t surprise you to learn that I sat this one out. However, our kids (and adults) said it was the best thing they did all weekend. For anyone who isn’t scared of heights, zipping through the beautiful pine forest on the Alvie Estate is probably hard to top. There are various options depending on how high you want to go and how independent you’re feeling – there’s even a night trek. Aimed at 8 year olds and up, our group of kids and adults did the 2km course of 14 zip wires which starts off relatively gently and builds up to a 550m finale through the trees.
Zip wire at Alvie Estate
Tree trekking. We did this at Rothiemurchus at the Treezone. The course takes about 1.5 hours to complete with a zip slide at the end and is a bit tamer than the G2 zip slide so good for younger kids – the minimum age is eight. The course starts off at five metres, with the larger Buzzard course progressing to heights of fifteen metres as the obstacles become trickier to negotiate. Treezone costs £30 for adults and £23 for under 18s.
Tree trekking
An Lochan Uaine. Also known as the Green Lochan, you can cycle or walk up to this breathtaking loch which gets its green colour from reflected light from the forest (though local legend says that it’s because pixies wash their clothes in it!) It’s absolutely possible to swim in the lochan – we’d been warned about the leeches, but fortunately didn’t come across any. You can also wild camp on the beach, though it does get busy during the day with tourists – just remember to leave no trace and leave this beautiful spot exactly as you found it.
An Lochan Uaine
Loch Morlich is a short ten minute drive from Aviemore with breathtaking views of the mountains and fringed by lush green woods. There’s a watersports centre where you can hire kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and bikes. We cycled around the loch first with our mountain bikes that we’d hired from In Your Element in Rothiemurchus, with regular stops to take in the incredible views, then took to the water for a swim and kayak. Be warned though – it gets incredibly busy on sunny days and in high season, so get there before 9am to get a spot in the car park.
Kayaking on Loch Morlich
Loch Insh OutdoorCentre. We spent an idyllic day on the loch here. Hire your wetsuits or bring your own, then enjoy the loch on kayaks, canoes, pedalos, windsurfing boards and rigs, and paddleboards, all of which you can hire at the centre. Or just go for a swim! There’s a cafe and seating by the loch where you can relax once you’ve had your fill of all the loch has to offer. If the sun’s shining, plan a day here – just a short drive from Aviemore.
Kayaking on Loch Insh
Frank Bruce Sculpture Trail. This walk really is a hidden treasure in the heart of the Caledonian forest. Frank Bruce was a dyslexic Scottish sculptor who left school at 13 to go and work in a timber mill. He created sculptures out of the natural environment, with themes of human behaviour, relationships, and Scottish culture. The trail takes you past a number of his sculptures, some of them which are nestled amongst the leaves and bracken of the forest, others standing many feet tall in the glades. ‘Two Patriots’ depicts man’s lust for war as another face carved into a tree looks on in horror. The works are decaying though, just as the artist intended, so don’t wait too long before going to see them. Once you’ve completed the trail, it’s a short walk to the banks of the river Feshie, where you can jump from the rocks into its clear rushing waters, or just watch with a picnic from the side. To get to the trail, from Aviemore drive toward Cairngorm Mountain on the B970 and turn right just before the Rothiemurchus Centre, signposted to Coylumbridge. After Feshie Bridge there’s a car park on the right, then a short walk to the sculptures.
Photo credit Forestry and Land Scotland
Hiking up Cairngorm Mountain. Cairngorm Mountain Scotland run a number of guided walks up the mountain, or you can make your own way up the various routes. We walked from the car park, a short drive from Aviemore, up to the Coire An Lochean cliffs where we were rewarded with the most incredible views. We did it in summer – and were attached by a swarm of midges, so don’t even attempt this in the summer months without some midge repellent – but it’s equally beautiful in the winter, though a little more care needs to be taken.
Where To Eat
If you’re looking to eat out while in Aviemore, and you’re vegan like us, there aren’t any vegan only places. However, you still have plenty of options.
The Old Bridge Inn and Rooms offer several vegan options, including soup, quinoa cakes, panzanella salad and sorbet. The Highland Line near the station in Aviemore also has some great vegan choices, including a T.LT (tofu, lettuce and tomato) and vegan burger. There’s a large Tesco in town which has plenty of sandwiches, salads, cakes and vegan options, as well as a Costa. And just out of town, the Rothiemurchus farm shop and deli has a wide range of delicious fresh food, including a number of fresh vegan meals, snacks and ingredients. Pizzariach does great takeaway pizzas, though unfortunately there aren’t vegan options but they do have gluten free pizzas.
It took me a while after turning vegan to figure out omelettes, and I had a few disasters on the way. The secret is using gram flour and a little kala namak salt to give that omelette-y texture and taste. This courgette and chive vegan omelette is made with courgettes in the batter, and also topped with grated courgette, lemon and chilli, adapted from one of my favourite summer pastas.
Makes one large omelette.
Ingredients
65g gram flour
1 tsp kala namak
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp chives
1 grated courgette
1 lemon
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 fl oz plant milk
Plant-based yoghurt to serve
50g rocket to serve
Method
Combine the gram flour, kala namak, nutritional yeast, chives and half the grated courgette with the plant milk. Add more plant milk if the batter needs it so it’s runny enough – you want a pourable batter.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the other half of the grated courgette in a pan with the chilli flakes for 3 minutes till slightly golden. Squeeze the lemon over the top. Set aside.
In the same pan, heat another tbsp oil and pour in the omelette batter. Fry on both sides until golden.
Top the omelette with the fried courgette, yoghurt and the rocket.
This is a great hearty meal that feels as meaty and substantial as any non-vegan cassoulet. It’s a good camping dinner as it can be premade and heated up over a camp fire, or thrown together quickly. It tastes – and smells! – as amazing as anything made with red wine and thyme should – try not to eat it all at once. Perfect served with some warm bread from the oven.
Ingredients
2 large leeks
400ml red wine
500 ml veg stock
50g fresh thyme
1 can plum or chopped tomatoes
4 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic puree
8 plant based sausages (I used Richmond’s)
400g thinly sliced potatoes
1 tin butter beans
Handful parsley to garnish
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Grill or cook the sausages according to directions.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Slice the leeks and add them to the pan, cooking over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes until golden.
Add the wine, half the stock, the thyme, nutritional yeast, garlic puree and tomatoes to another pan. Add the sliced potatoes and let them cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding the rest of the stock throughout the cooking process.
Add the leeks and the butter beans to the mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes to warm them through and let them absorb the flavour.
If you’ve never tried vada pav before, you’re in for a massive treat. The Indian version of a British chip butty, it’s a spicy ball of battered potato served with green chutney in a morning roll. I first tried one of these at Dishoom in Edinburgh, and spent a LOT of time thinking about how to make my own from that day! The asafoetida is a key ingredient but a little more difficult to find in shops – you may have to order it online or buy from your local Asian food store. It’s definitely worth it though as it gives the potato such an intense flavour.
Makes 5 vada pavs
Ingredients
1 morning roll
(For the vada pav)
600g potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed or riced.
Tsp mustard seeds
Tsp asafoetida
Tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
Tsp garlic puree
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
225g gram flour
4 fl oz warm water
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
(For the chutney)
200g coriander
Juice of one lime
Half an avocado
Tsp chilli flakes
Tsp garlic puree
Tsp salt
Method
First, make the chutney by blending the coriander, lime, avocado, chilli flakes, garlic puree and salt.
Boil the potatoes and mash or rice them once cooled.
Make the batter by adding the gram flour to the water, turmeric and salt.
Add the asafoetida, mustard seeds, garlic, chopped coriander, turmeric and salt to the potato mash.
Add 2 teaspoons rapeseed oil to a pan and let it heat up.
Spread the rolls with the green chutney.
Shape the potato mixture into balls then dip them into the batter, then into the hot frying pan, rolling the balls around so they are fried and golden on each side and heated through to the middle.
Add to the roll and enjoy with a squeeze of lemon.
This vegan stuffed avocado filled with mashed chickpea and lemon is a really simple lunch or starter that takes minutes to make and is surprisingly filling.
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
Half a can of chickpeas
Juice of half a lemon
Tsp salt
Handful black sesame seeds
Method
Cut the avocados in half, scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl. Keep the skins.
Drain the chickpeas and put half the can in the bowl (you can mash up the other half with mayo and lemon to make vegan ‘tuna’ mayo!)
Add the salt and lemon and mash the chickpeas together with the avocadoes. The skin of the chickpeas will come off as you do this so pick the skins out of the mixture.
Scoop the mixture into the avocados and top with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.
