velvet crab or not

crabs en masse

The son of a friend of a neighbour caught crabs in his creels….he phoned her to come and help herself…..we got a bucket full of small wiggling crabs! Dad escaped the kitchen( not keen on crabs)…so that left me and the very keen four year old.

Checked on google that they are actually edible.

they turn bright orange when they touch the water

So, boiled a pot of water…cooked them from live for about 5 minutes, plunged into cold water. All going well. Then we discovered that the only bit with anything worth the effort was the little pincer – at least each crab has two! And much bashing and scrapping with cake forks ensued. Dinner it wasn’t, but the experience was great.

It is seriously worth buying a big crab if you want eat it.

ready to eat

not even a snack (unless you're four)make it a lobster next time!

websites and networking

 

Calina's marmalade The Skye Food Company website is now up to date with Calina's Conserves available in the online shop. This year will see no less than four varieties of marmalade in production.

Spent the best part of yesterday talking ( to which Barry may say ‘whats new’).  A leaflet swap and networking event was held at Armadale castle, by SLTF. ( Skye and Lochalsh  tourism forum) and successful it was! The idea of meeting local people in the tourism industry, whether from hospitality or retail, was a great drawcard. So I talked about baking, about The Skye Gathering Hall, about Keith and Rachael Jackson and their work with Monty Halls, about Skye food and deliveries…and then some more about what the rest of Skye is up to this summer.

We came away with a competition organised on the Walk Highlands website for The Skye Food Company, a few new customers for the Isle of Skye Baking Company, a few crafters keen to trade at The Skye Gathering Hall. In return we gave out 80 bags of shortbread hearts. Not a bad days work.

Today saw me down at the hall again, on a bit of a cleaning mission. Plans are taking shape, the upstairs craft market has been organised in theory and dates are in the diary for the year ! Tonight I plan a little jewellery making combined with catching up with the world on iplayer.

Skye Gathering Hall

spring sunshine

This is my pride and joy at the moment, though I may be led to curse it at a later stage! Myself and a partner have taken on the lease of this grand old hall. It was built for the Skye Gathering Balls and today, although the balls still take place, the hall is leased to anyone willing to take it on the rest of the year.

For the last few years a craft market has been running daily in the gallery and room upstairs, and a larger craft market in the main hall monthly. Other events take place in the hall – from Mr Akram, a hall full of everything you ever needed and didn’t, to weddings and ceilidhs. The hall has a fascinating history, which I will eventually dedicated an entire website to. I will take loads of photos too. Our plan is to continue all these events with a few additions, a much improved market upstairs and a makeshift heritage lounge in the actual gallery – complete with tartan pews, a fantastic collection of old Skye postcards on show, help yourself coffee AND THE BEST VIEW IN TOWN.

The Hebridean Princess floating smugly in the bay

Other mention should go to the few daffodils that are popping up and the snowdrops whose short life is over. I have some crocuses in the garden , but the wild ones on the playing field are sadly trampled before they have chance to open. The Hebridean Princess was in the bay yesterday offloading bewildered tourists by way of a little boat , to the pier. As there is not much by way of guidance when they reach the pier, there is a bit of confusion about what to do next. The village is a ten minute walk, but not visible from the pier. Those who venture up to Wentworth street are met by the shop keepers with a mixture of relief and fear – for the tourist season is upon us!

Orbost venison

Birthday dinner…gorgeous venison from Earlybird Enterprises, Orbost, Skye. See the blog  http://keithandrachaeljackson.wordpress.com for a humourous insight into raising sheep, pigs, coos and a family on Skye.

Their excellent venison, mutton ham and pork can be purchased on www.theskyefoodcompany.co.uk 

Birthday dinner

new year

where to?

I am attempting to make this blog more easy to navigate!!!

culture shock and yet more jelly

 This is Seapoint Pavillion. A sea water public swimming pool in Cape Town. I learned to swim there and spent many pleasant summers basking in the sun watching the surf….. and the water was always icy cold!

On Sunday we went to the new Portree swimming pool – our daughter’s first time in a pool and a bit of time out for us. Culture shock – the water was warm – really warm! Swimming always implied hot summer sun and refreshingly cold pool. It was so odd going swimming when the rain was lashing down outside and the temp was about 2 degrees. Maybe that is why it was more the temperature of a public bath! That said it was great fun and having recovered from the shock we will be returning shortly!

We have been working non stop again, having sold very well at the Armadale Christmas Fair. As always I bought a few great small things including a great purple hand knitted jumper for daughter, groovy button hair clips for mum and daughter, and beautiful handmade cards from a lady called Rosebank Crafts, based in Struan. I will post some pics of all my purchases soon.

This weekend is the Brodie Castle Christmas Fair and once again I am jelly making. The bubbling cauldron is lime and coriander jelly, as are the jars – and I had to post a pretty pic of a japonica quince. Another new thing for us from the south! In the Cape quinces are large hard fruits, almost the size of a medium papaya. Japonicas, which I have acquired again for jelly are much more fragrant, but as you can see are a little smaller, and very pretty inside!

and as a final note The Portree Christmas Market this year is warming up to be fantastic. With the economic climate the way it is, it really makes sense to buy local. We now have over 40 stalls booked and the stash of prizes is growing. For those who read these pages – here is a sneak preview of the poster and a pic of some crafts!

quote

“what you will do limits what you can do.”

read this quote a few days ago…guess it says it all.

EDEN COURT

Eden court Christmas fair – how many biscuits does one bake for a fair? Especially a Christmas fair held in The Bishop’s Palace, now part of Eden Court in Inverness. Well we baked, and packed, and made hampers, and stirred tablet, and……

It was a wonderful weekend of trading, great to be off the island  and amongst crafters and producers from all over the highlands. We have returned to Skye inspired ( we had better be as we have four more Christmas fairs lined up!)

It was the first time we have taken our bakery items to a fair in the ‘big city’. Having no idea what to expect, we were surprised by how lovely all the other traders were. They were keen to exchange tips and recipes, and a story or seven. One of the companies that impressed me the most was The Chocolate Bothy. Like us, just two people and a dream! An amazing display of very decadent chocolate!…what is it about chocolatiers? Cocoa Mountain also had a stand, and we swapped chutneys for chocolates at the end of the fair. YUM! I came home with Shetland wool angels, a felt corsage, a ceramic hairclip, a pottery pendant and a jar of awesome bread & butter pickle from Nutwood preserves.  Cannot wait to trade at Brodie Castle at the end of the month!

This is Not the quiet season

Contrary to popular belief, life is not as quiet here as one may assume. Given that the tourist seasons is supposedly over, and it is chilly, and local residents apparently hibernate or do home repair jobs til May next year, I had a very eventful day

Well…I spent all of today telephoning crafters, artists and food producers to see who would like to trade at the Portree Christmas Fair. These are busy people, and I was stunned at the range of activities taking place ‘quietly’. Many Skye people with small businesses have to find alternative means to earn their lifestyle, and it seems one way is to seek business off the Island. This can be done by attending trade shows ( as we will do  from next week) or having an online businesses. Others write books. Ian Williams, an artist who has a pottery studio and gallery on Waternish, launches his first book on 13 Nov. A moment in time on Skye. If you can attend the launch…do so. Details via www.braefasachstudio.co.uk. Alternatively meet Ian at the Portree Christmas market 5 & 6 Dec. In the Gathering Hall. – signed copies available.

isle of skye

While I mention books..a nother that deserves a word or two is the Isle of Skye 40 coast and country walks. I met one of the authors today and was stunned to discover in just 18 months their fantastic website gets over 2000 hits a day…and it is fantastic – so much so that they won a Thistle award for tourism just this week!!! WELL DONE!!!  The book is a pocket sized walkers guide and not for visitors alone, every local should have one of these.  This is how we got to meet Helen Webster… One morning, in a bid for peace and quiet, hubby and I thought it a good idea to find a local walk, we heard of Black rock in Portree, but needed some directions. “try the internet, there should be something”. Indeed there was a whole website dedicated to anyone who cares to walk, but needs good, clear direction, a few pictures, advice, time span, milage etc in an easy to digest format. www.walkhighlands.co.uk   Unsurprisingly their site covers everything from an easy amble to a mega walk, you can also find accomodation info and regional info. And as I was setting up The Skye Food Company at the time, I sent the owners an email wondering if we could exchange links, and do some collaborative marketing work. Helen came to see me today, not only brought me a copy of the book, but was lovely to chat to. She gave us some inspiration and a whole lot to aspire to…thank you.

Shops are open in winter..galleries may have shorter hours, but crafters, artists and food producers do not hibernate, let alone sleep. I am writing this blog today in a bid to ask anyone reading it to consider the small businesses wherever they may live, and to support them in the winter months. And when you have bought your Christmas presents from your local producers, artists and crafters, buy yourself a little treat too.

more about jelly, and digging in the dark

The jelly stash is growing. These are the latest, ready for labelling…to be sold at our Christmas markets – Eden Court, Brodie Castle and not least Portree.

This batch is Cranberry Christmas – a cranberry apple jelly with more than a hint of cinnamon and cloves.

I was doing my shift looking after the craft gallery and book shop in the Gathering Hall today, and I must admit that the hall is cold, even with hot tea and electric fire for company. I had planned to catch up with some jewellery orders, but found a book called “The wicked wit of women”. Enjoyed reading all afternoon.

On my return to the house I discovered that my hubby had dug up an extention to the driveway….and had so much soil that he has kindly made me two raised beds. We all joined in the fun and spread mud around the garden til after dark. Two tons of gravel arrive tomorrow, so watch this space. The only problem with this little venture is that it takes the baker out of the kitchen, and we need 400 packets of biscuits to be looking beautiful for Eden Court Christmas event next weekend! Many late nights ahead , I think!