How to make an SGCT (seriously good cheese toastie)

What I love most about Scottish food is the staunch reliance on quality ingredients and the intense pride taken in the numerous food staples for which Scotland is known. Things like heather honey, seafood, haggis, oats, and various fruits and vegetables like raspberries, kale and leeks. Then there are dairy products like cream, ice cream and of course, cheese. You can get some truly remarkable cheeses in Scotland, and you are missing out if you don’t enjoy an after-dinner Scottish cheese board at least once.

Just off of Princes Street, Edinburgh’s Christmas markets are in full swing. Along with the ever popular German market, the Highland Village market is once again bursting with offers, including the return of the Aberdeen Angus burger.

However there is a market newcomer about which I am over the moon. Welcome to the world of the SGCT, also known as the “Seriously Good Cheese Toastie.” A cheese toastie may seem like a simple thing and in many ways it is, but it is the approach to the toastie making that makes this so…seriously good. And seriously Scottish.

The sign says it all. Simple, but goooood. Take high quality ingredients, combine them in a way that makes them compliment each other, and you’ve got something that is, for lack of a better term, pure dead brilliant.

To add to the flavour sensation of sourdough, cheddar and leeks, the toastie folks (say hello to SGCT co-founder Moray and toastie sidekick Debbie) have piping hot mulled Moniack Mead available as well. Mmmm…sips of honey and cinnamon and warmth and goodness in-between bites of toastie excellence…

I admit I am slightly addicted to the SGCT. As such, I have tasked myself with trying to recreate them at home. After all, the Christmas markets will end on Christmas Eve and I don’t want to be in danger of sudden and lasting withdrawal symptoms.

So I bought myself some good sough dough bread and some Mull of Kintyre cheddar. Then I threw my leek/onion/garlic combo in the food processor to chop it really fine. Combine and grill!

Before:

After:

My first attempt was good but not as good as the original SGCT. I shall have to try again, and next time I may substitute green onion for the red onion, lower the overall amount of onion and increase the amount of leeks. I also need to get my hands on some Isle of Mull cheese as there is just something about that flavour that I prefer. Oh dear, I think I am turning into a cheese toastie snob.

Do you have a secret to making your own SGCT? Let me know. And if anyone is heading through Edinburgh and would rather not eat their holiday toastie all alone, I am a more than reliable toastie date.

Shifting light in Glen Etive

Past the desolate beauty of Rannoch Moor, a monstrous peak rises up and signals the entrance to Glen Coe.

Buachaille Etive Mòr is one of the most photographed peaks in Scotland and so dominates the landscape that it is easy to miss the single track road that winds away to the south of the mountain.

Known also as “the great herdsman of Etive,” Buachaille Etive Mòr is a silent indicator to slow down and take the drive through 14 miles of peaks and valleys, forests and stone, until you reach the gaping shore of Loch Etive itself.

The afternoon we visited Glen Etive was one of the first clear days that followed more than a fortnight of raging, stormy weather. The air was cold and held a freshness that is left after heavy rains. Next to the river the rocks emitted a sweet, almost metallic scent and the dried grasses at the sides of the road added the sugary aroma of earth and their own dying. Once in awhile the wind would deliver the hint of snow from the mountaintops, swirling it into the mix like invisible ribbons.

The road through Glen Etive ends where the sea loch starts, so there is no need to rush or worry about getting sidetracked. We saw few other cars but did spot the red Royal Mail truck as well as some brave kayakers in the river and a couple of fellow photographers marching along with their tripods on their shoulders.

Over and over JP stopped the car so I could clamour around and take photos. Winter afternoon in the mountains makes the light shift dramatically. At times I felt like I was inside a pop-up book that was being closed, the lengthening shadows spelling the end of the tale.

There we were beneath the blue sky, the almost-solstice sun blazing low on the horizon and down a deep valley, at the end of which two snow-capped mountains rose up like giant salt shakers. How could it get any better?

Well...

At the end of the road the loch stretched out like a melted crystal ball, and if it weren’t for the presiding cold, the wide fields that surrounded the last surges of river could have been African plains in the dry season.

Then it was time to turn the car around and head back through the deepening light, which brought out the amber tones of the mountains. All around us the cold was settling into the glen like a blanket. I found it hard to imagine that this place just keeps going through the night, all of its intricacies hidden by the darkness. I hope we can go back here when the days are longer so we have time to hike and maybe have a picnic beside the loch.

The next time you visit Glen Coe, don’t forget there is host of other magic places surrounding you. You just have to look for the signs and be ready to turn.

Thunder in the streets

Amidst the bustle of shoppers and tourists, some members from the tribal band Clann An Drumma recently set up in the centre of Glasgow and played a few wild sets.

Clann An Drumma have been around for some time and have produced several albums. The members have changed over the years and I wasn’t able to find out the names of the musicians I saw that day. Two of them in particular caught my eye. This woman who had a mysterious beauty about her:

And this man, who because of his sheer size and the ferocity of his playing, held an almost terrible presence among the crowd. People (myself included) just could not stop staring at him.

The Clann An Drumma Web site seems to be down but Google searches reveal several amateur videos of the group. Unfortunately none that I found featured the two players above, but the curious can try this link.

Mystery box winner!

After a long, long day at work, it is nice to come home and pick a name from the hat of treats. Actually, I didn’t really pick a name. Requiring something a little more dramatic, I closed my eyes and tossed all the bits of paper in the air, clutching around me as they fell.

Zee winner of the first ever sensual Scottish box of mystery is Nancy at Patchwork Penguin. Nancy please email me your address so I can send you this special parcel of goodness.

Hopefully Nancy will be able to post a photo of her winnings when they arrive in Pennsylvania. But just in case she is immediately overcome with glee upon seeing the package and tears everything open at once, here is a sample of what is taking up space in the mystery box:

It may not be Walker’s (Nancy's reported favourite) but it will have travelled all the way from Aberdeenshire.

I loved reading people’s stories of their favourite sensual experiences from Scotland. Here a few of my favourites:

-Being utterly alone among the snow-capped mountains of Glencoe
-The aroma of Arbroath smokies cooked in a old whisky barrel
-The roar of the crowd at Murrayfield stadium
-Hazelnut and Blueberry Mousse Cake at Peter's Yard Bakery in Edinburgh
-The simple pleasure of Scotch pancakes
-Touching the old stones of a ruined kirk in Ayr
-The unmistakeable flavour of all butter shortbread
-The sound of the hammer coming down on the Gretna Green Old Smithy Marriage Anvil
-The scent of the sea and the wind at Iona
-The smooth scratchy warmth of real wool
-The first taste of whisky in an old, atmospheric pub
-good friends (sniff)

I must say, you wonderful people are full of great ideas. If I’m ever stumped for things to do, I know I can just post the question of where to go and what to see next and I’ll be sure to get some ingenious answers.

Time for this Edinburgh girl to go to bed. Thank you everyone for joining in and sharing your thoughts - I’ve so enjoyed this. Congratulations again to Nancy, who will soon be tucking into a host of little sensual gifts from Scotland.