Truly Madly Kids are delighted to introduce our first guest food blogger, Claire Macdonald.
One of the best known figures in the culinary world today, a hugely successful and critically acclaimed cookery writer for over thirty years, Claire has gained many awards and appeared regularly on TV and at cookery demonstrations all over the world. In addition to all this, for forty yeras Claire has run the award winning and internationally renowned Kinloch Lodge Hotel on the Isle of Skye.
Like the greatest cooks, Claire is self-taught – her enthusiasm and expertise reflect her own passion for good food. Claire’s recipes are easy-to-follow, straightforward, and realistic – quintessentially Scottish in flavour, but international in appeal. Claire combines a tireless advocacy of local produce with a food literacy extended by enthusiastic research through travel and experience.
Her television series, Claire Macdonald’s Seasonally Scottish, has been screened throughout the world by UK Food channel and continues to be shown today.
Mother of four, Claire is married to Lord Macdonald, Godfrey Macdonald of Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald. For four decades, the Macdonalds have run their Isle of Skye home, Kinloch Lodge, as a unique luxury hotel with blazing log fires, ancestral portraits and sofas piled high with cushions. Kinloch is equally renowned for its finefood and marvellous cellar as for its truly magical setting on theshoreline of Loch na Dal. The hotel is recognised internationally and was cited as one of the world’s top 25 small hotels in Conde Naste Traveller magazine. Kinloch holds Skye’s only Michelin Star.
To celebrate their 40 years at Kinloch, Claire has recently published her 18th book ” Lifting the Lid, a Life at Kinloch Lodge”. This is an autobiographical account of her and Godfrey’s eventful 40 years of running Kinloch. She is the energetic Patron of Scottish Food Fortnight and The Associationof Scottish Farmers’ Markets. She is also patron of Marie Curie in Scotland and fundraises tirelessly for this wonderful charity.
Claire writes weekly for the Scotsman Saturday magazine and bi-weekly for the Press and Journal. In addition to these publications, Claire is often asked to write one-off pieces for numerous other publications and we are delighted to present her first article written for Truly Madly Kids during March.
In the meantime – please enjoy this wonderful recipe – an absolute supper classic and a particular favourite of Penny and Rosie at TMK!
Bread and Butter Pudding with Nutmeg and Cream
Serves 6
12 slices of malt loaf
420 ml single cream
1 whole egg + 2 large egg yolks
50g caster sugar
a good grating of nutmeg
grated rind of 1/2 lemon
grated rind of 1/2 orange
1 rounded teaspoon Demerara sugar
50 g soft butter
Method
Butter each slice of malt loaf and cut the slices in half. Butter an ovenproof dish and arrange the buttered malt loaf slices in the dish.
In a bowl, beat the cream, egg, egg yolks, caster sugar, nutmeg and lemon and orange rinds together, pur this over the buttered malt loard and sprinkly the surface evenly with Demerara sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven, 350F, 180 C or gas mark 4 for about 20 minutes or until the nutmeg custard is just set.
Eat it and Love it!
