A day in the country
The award-winning food and travel writer hikes the Scottish hills on her perfect day, fuelled by homemade ‘Hillside Pasties’
I live in Edinburgh’s New Town and moved here almost 10 years ago, with my husband, James, and beagle, Darwin. We relocated from a remote farming village in North Yorkshire but it didn’t feel like leaving the countryside as the city has such superb access to the outdoors.
Hillwalking is a part of my life. On an ideal day, I’d head north to Perthshire or to the Cairngorms National Park to tackle a Corbett. Corbetts are mountains between 2,500 and 2,999 feet high. Less popular than the better-known Munros, which are Scottish peaks over 3,000 feet, Corbetts are sometimes dismissed as ‘old men’s Munros’, but they are often spectacular and usually less crowded. Sadly, our dog Darwin died in 2022. Losing him has left a huge hole in our lives but we walk to remember him and all the country adventures we enjoyed for many years, as a team of three.
I’m a keen runner, so the day would start at dawn, with a quick 5K around Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park. From here you can see iconic sights such as Arthur’s Seat and the castle. Then it’s back home for several cups of coffee and a bowl of overnight oats with berries, nuts and seeds.
On the way to the Cairngorms we’ll stop at House of Bruar. It’s filled with every country clothing brand imaginable, so I will treat myself to some new gloves or walking socks.
As a keen home cook, I will have prepared what I call ‘Hillside Pasties’ for our hiking picnic. They are filled with spring greens, kale, feta and ricotta. Pasties win on the hill as the filling doesn’t fall out and you can eat them on the move if the weather is foul. There might also be a hip flask of sloe gin. I like Pickering’s Gin made at an Edinburgh distillery.
Back in Edinburgh, we’ll nip to The Cumberland pub, which features in Alexander Mccall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street books. At the bar, we’ll order a pint of well-earned ale such as Jarl from Fyne Ales Brewery, which is located on a rustic Argyll estate at the head of Loch Fyne.
Walking means a healthy appetite so I’ll rustle up something easy but nourishing for dinner. It’s likely to be a potato, chard and coconut curry from Meera Sodha’s cookbook, East, which I use almost weekly. And a glass of really good red wine.
Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Journeys by Caroline Eden (£18.99, Bloomsbury)