Halfway between a drink and a slush this Raspberry Cooler is a hit with children and adults alike.
In fact, you can serve it both ways at once. Spoon the sieved base into small containers as a raspberry slush for the children. Then simply dilute the rest of the slush into drinks for the adults.
This Elderflower, Apple, and Mint Fizz is the easiest of all our summertime drink recipes. No special equipment needed and only takes a couple of minutes to make. So, it’s a great standby if friends turn up unexpectedly and need a quick cooling drink.
Classic Fruity Iced Tea, the flavour of tea with a hint of citrus to cool you down. On a hot Summer afternoon there’s its hard to beat a cooling, fruity glass of iced tea for ultimate refreshment. I use standard Indian tea bags, but loose tea is fine if you prefer it. The infusion is made the day before, then allowed to chill overnight.
If you want to experiment, try a combination of fruit and standard teas in the infusion. You may find if like me you like a lighter flavour a cold infusion works well. Follow the recipe below using cold water and leave in the fridge for 8-12 hours for the flavours to slowly release into the water.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
Place the tea bags, 1 thinly, sliced lemon, sugar, and honey into a heatproof bowl or jug.
Bring the 500ml of water to the boil and then pour over the tea and fruit. Let the tea infuse for five minutes then strain. The tea bags and fruit can be discarded. Place the liquid to cool completely. Pop into the fridge if preparing the day before
Mix in the lemon juice then add the sliced orange and lemon with the picked mint leaves. Add the ice cubes and stir well.
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
This Coconut and Pineapple Cooler works in a similar way to our Creamy Mango Milkshake. The sharpness of the Pineapple and lime is offset with the richness of the coconut milk and sweetness of the syrup.
Drinking Chilled Watermelon Lemonade brings back memories of sitting back in the sun, eating chilled watermelon slices.
As with most of these cooler recipes the base can be made in advance and finished later. We are adding soda water and stock syrup to the watermelon juice to add sweetness and fizz. If that’s not to your liking try using a good quality lemonade to mix with the watermelon juice.
This Easy Creamy Mango Milkshake is a guaranteed hit with the kids, and who doesn’t like a milkshake? Make sure you have a nice ripe Mango to get the best flavour and texture.
If you don’t have limes handy, lemon will do and make sure you are using evaporated milk. Don’t get confused with condensed milk, which is much thicker and sweeter.
Getting at the flesh can be tricky, but the best way is to trip ether end first. This gives you a flat base on which to set the fruit upright and carefully cut off the skin. Once that’s done the fresh can be sliced off the stone. As we are blending the milkshake it doesn’t matter how neatly to slice off the fruit.
Finally remember to follow the golden rule of working with Mangoes. You really must suck the stone after removing the flesh. One of life’s small pleasures.
To get the best texture have the mango and limes ready waiting for your guests. Then blend the milkshake when needed. Serve directly from the blender to get the best fluffy texture in the mix.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
Peel the mango and cut into small pieces, you should have about 250g of flesh.
Pop the fruit into the jug of the blender then grate the lime rest over the top and add the juice.
Pour the stock syrup and evaporated milk into the jug. Add the crushed ice and place the lid on the blender jug. Keep you hand on top while you start the machine to avoid splashing, and blend until smooth.
Pour the mango cooler into glasses and decorate with a spring of mint.
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
This easy Lemon Barley Water is a British classic and a must for any outdoor event. This is not difficult to make but takes a little time to infuse and chill. Make it the day before to let it get as cold as possible before use. Once you have tasted the real thing, you will never go back to shop-bought cordial again.
This Easy, Family Citrus Peach Cooler takes just a few minutes to make using ingredients you may already have in the house.
Rillettes are a type of coarse French potted meat. The meats are cooked long and slow then broken down, almost like pulled pork. Don’t expect a nice smooth pateˊ this is a meat eaters paradise. Served with toasted sourdough bread and ideal taken on a summer picnic.
Don’t forget to look up our post on How to make your own pork sausages. Its easier than you think!
Rillettes were originally a method of preserving and using the fattier parts of pork. Here I have married the pork with duck, another favourite meat of mine. The meat is salted then cooked slowly with fat not all that dissimilar with Duck Confit. Rillettes, although rustic are equally at home served at a dinner party, eaten alfresco, or packed with a bottle of wine and good bread for a countryside picnic.
Traditionally this is cooked in the oven. But if you don’t want to have your oven on for so long, a slow cooker works well in tenderising the meat.
Cut the belly and shoulder pork into 2cm dice and place in a large Pyrex bowl. Sprinkle the 1tsp of salt over the meat and rub into the meat with your fingers. Rub the remaining ¼ tsp of salt into the meaty side of the duck leg and place on top of the pork. Cover the bowl and leave to stand in the fridge overnight.
Pour the pork and duck leg into a colander and rinse under running cold water to wash off any remaining salt. Drain well then tip the pork into a casserole placing the duck leg on top.
Chop the fat and add to the pan. Add the wine, water, rosemary, garlic, and bay then put the casserole over a low heat.
Using a mortar and pestle of spice mill crush the juniper, clove, and peppercorns with the ¼ tsp of salt. Sprinkle this over the meats and add to the pan.
When the fat begins to run from the meats pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours on very low heat (150˚c – 120ºfan oven) for 3-4 hours until the meat begins to break up.
Alternatively, start the process on the hob as above then transfer the mix to a slow cooker but reduce the water to 50ml.
When the meat easily falls apart when pressed with a fork, lift the meat into a bowl and strain off the fat. If there is still a lot of liquid remaining with the fat boil it off in a small pan, A little liquid in with the fat is fine.
Remove the skin from the duck leg and flake off the meat. Add that to the pork then break up the meat with a couple of forks adding some of the fat as you mix. If you are short of fat some lard can be mixed into the pan. If you have fat left over from cooking Duck Confit that’s ideal.
Once the meat is broken down with the fat you should have a moist, succulent mixture. Have a taste and add more seasoning if needed. Bear in mind that as this is eaten cold it will seem a little less seasoned when eaten than it tastes now, so don’t be shy.
Fill small ramekins or glass jars with the meat spoon over some of the remaining fat. This will seal the top and keep off the air.
Let the Rillettes cool completely and store in the fridge.
Let them come up to room temperature before serving and serve with hot toasted sourdough bread.
Yes, in fact they are better made a few days ahead as the flavour will develop. Making ahead also makes these a very convenient starter or picnic food.
No Rabbit, Goose, and Duck are all traditionally used as well. As for the fat you can buy duck and goose fat in jars in the supermarket.
The male duck leg is larger with more meat on it. They are also more commonly found in supermarkets than the female legs. Two small female legs would be fine for the recipe if you have them.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
©John Webber. 2023
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These Buttermilk Bread Rolls will really impress your dinner party guests. They go well with most starters that don’t require crispy rolls served alongside.
I don’t know if you’re like me , but every now and again a place inexplicitly moves you. For me the isle of Iona is one of those places.
If you are traveling to the west coast of Scotland don’t miss the chance of taking a trip over to the Isle of Mull. It’s the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides and easy to get to. That makes it an ideal location for a few days of exploration or just relaxation. Very few places in Britain can complete with Mull, in its combination of dramatic scenery, fantastic beaches and stunning wildlife.
There is so much to see on the Isle of Mull it’s too much for one blog so for this episode I’m taking the south westerly route down to Bunessan. This is on the Ross of Mull peninsula, a finger of land jutting out to the southwest of the island. I’m taking the car over on the ferry from Oban to Crainuire, then heading southwest.
For part two of this guide we will travel on to Fionnphort and across to the Isle of Iona.
There are three ferry routes available to the island making it convenient to get to.
The main route is from Oban to Craignure on the southwest of the island. This takes about 45 minutes and is the largest boat so best in poor weather. If you’re going over by car, I think this is the best route. You can also have the piece of mind of been able to reserve a booking on this service
The ferry from Kilchoan takes you right into Tobermory the main town of the island in 35minutes.
Kilchoan is on the Ardnamurchan, peninsula near to the Sound of Mull. This makes it an ideal route to the island if you are taking in the grandeur of Ardnamurchan or traveling down from Mallaig or Arisaig. No booking required here just turn up and wait your turn.
Our final route runs from Lochaline to Fishnish, and is the shortest crossing at about 15 minutes.
If you don’t like boats, or are traveling from Glencoe or Fort William this is well worth considering. But bear in mind you also need to take a short hop on the Corran ferry at Onich to avoid a long drive around loch Linnie. As above there is no advance booking on this route.
Its possible to travel to mull by train as a foot passenger on the Oban ferry. The train service from Glasgow takes about 3 hours and drops you off right at the pier with just a short walk to the ferry terminal. Once docked at Craignure, you can take the 495 bus to take you to Tobermory. Or the 496 service to Fionnphort. Bus timetables available HERE.
Some of the roads on the west coast can be a bit daunting at first. A lot of the roads on Mull are single track with passing places. Most of the time it’s not a problem, just follow a few simple rules.
When the passing place is on your left, pull in to allow approaching traffic to pass. Passing places are shown by a signed pole so you can see them well ahead. If the passing place is on your right let the other vehicle pull in. Don’t swing over to the right-hand side.
Be prepared to reverse if the passing place is behind you. Its amazing how many people can’t or won’t reverse.
Do let traffic pass you if you want to slow down and take in the scenery.
And finally, don’t park in the passing place and cause a traffic jam!
We’re heading to Bunessan at the western end of the island where we will spend a few days exploring the area and going over to Iona.
On leaving the ferry at Craignure take a left on to the A 849, after a short time you will see signs for Duart Castle which sits on the coastline and is well worth a visit.
Duart Castle, is the 700-year-old home of the Clan MacLean. It sits on the headland as you sail into Craignure Bay where it guarded the straights. The castle has been the site of many battles. And has even been a prison for sailors of the Spanish Armada when their ship was wrecked near Tobermory.
Make a little time before you leave the island to look around the castle and its views across to the mainland.
After about 10 miles you will come across the Three Lochs Viewpoint. It worth pausing a while here to take in the view, if it’s not raining! And see, well as you might expect, three lochs, Loch an Eilein, Loch an Ellen and Loch Airde Glais. This is also a great place to see Golden Eagles.
3 miles further down the road and you come to Stone head. This is a head shaped rock perched upright on the hillside. Look hard enough and you can almost see a face in the rock.
Shortly after stone head you come to Loch Beg with an attractive small bridge, and a turning to your right-hand side.
But for the moment we are staying on the A849 for the last 10 miles aiming for the village of Bunessan. This is a good base from which to explore this end of the island. There is plenty of accommodation in the area with shops and eateries available. From here we will travel on to Fionnphort and then take the ferry across to the beautiful Isle of Iona.
The small road on the right at Loch Beg is the B8035. A single-track road that skirts the islands west side and will eventually lead you back to Salen just north of Craignure. This small road is well worth a detour if you’re not in a hurry or making a point of exploring later in your visit to the island.
Just seven miles down the road you will find the Allt Chreaga Dubha Waterfall worth a stop with the camera if there has been a lot of rainfall.
Journey a short distance onward and you will find signs for Mackinnons cave, which is definitely worth a visit.
Steeped in myth and magic the cave is a short walk over muddy ground and a boulder strewn beach.
Turn off the B8035 at Gribun and just before Balmeanach Farm there is designated parking for the cave. Walk past some farm buildings and then through the marked gate and follow the path to the beach. Be aware that it can be treacherous with slippery rocks and not ideal if you’re not that nimble on your feet.
Take the cliff path, and it will reward you with views across to the Treshnish Isles, Staffa, and Coll if the weather permits..
The cave is thought to be one of the deepest in the Hebrides and has an aura of its own so typical of the western isles.
After loch Beg bridge stay on the A849 for three miles. Look out for the Pennyghael Community Café & Art Gallery then shortly after, take a minor road on the left which you follow down to the coast. From there its on foot to the arches. I would recommend good clothing and footwear combined with 1:2500 scale Ordinance Survey map of the area.
This sandy beach with rocky outcrops can be reached by taking the small road south from Bunessan past Newcrofts B+B. Follow the road towards Ardchiavaig but take a right turning to Ardachy house. Just past there is a car park for Ardalanish Beach.
South of Fionnphort, Knockvologan Beach boasts everything you need, white sands and blue waters. The Island of Erraid and small surrounding islands, provide added places to lose yourself.
To find the beach take the B road heading south near the Fionnphort car park. Follow the road past the village of Fidden to Knockvologan Farm where the road finishes. There is a small amount of parking near the farm but please take care not to block gates or access for the farm. I would recommend getting there early so as not to be disappointed.
From the parking walk down the track to the beach. Low tide is best as there is plenty of sandy beaches to see and the shoreline of the Isle of Erraid to explore if you fancy a hike.
Mull is a great place to see wildlife including dolphins, seabirds, otters, deer, and white-tailed eagles.
Otters dive for an average of 20 seconds, and if you want to get closer this is the time to move. It helps to wear dull clothing and stay low, so your silhouette is not seen from the otter’s point of view. Stay downwind of the otter to prevent it from noticing your smell. When the otter surfaces, freeze, and wait for the next dive before you move.
Pay particular attention to areas of seaweed and rocks, it’s around here they find their food. You may be lucky enough to spot one on rocks, eating or grooming. Check out areas of seaweed where they might be taking a rest in the sunshine.
Don’t try and get too close or you will disturb the Otter, and if then see or smell you, they will quickly disappear. Often, it’s a good idea to stay in one place and let the Otter come to you.
We often see eagles circling above the house here in Appin. Some are Golden Eagles from high in the hills. But for the most part its white-tailed Sea Eagles looking for dinner, and it’s not that far as the Eagle flies over to Mull.
Mull boasts the highest breeding density of Golden Eagles in Europe but there are difficult to spot keeping high up in the hills.
However, Mull’s population of sea eagles is focused around the coastline improving the chances of seeing one.
If you really want to see as much wildlife as possible Mull Wildlife Tours at the Ulva Ferry provide tours to help you get the best experience while on the island.
For our next episode were on to Fionnphort, and the ferry across to the Isle of Iona, an amazing place to visit. Join us to discover this beautiful island
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
This Easy Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake is one of my favourite cakes. Great for making in advance as the flavour develops over a couple of days. The cake also becomes moister as the sugar in the cake absorbs moisture from the air. I sometimes make two at once and freeze one for later use.
Home-Made Sausages are one of the most flexible foods we have available to us. Whether it’s a comforting plate of bangers and mash, fending off the cold weather. A quick buttered sausage roll as a snack or the compulsory BBQ sausage, it’s a year round go to treat.