This is the first in a new blog series exploring the food and associated culture of North East Scotland. The area is rich in unique food products and recipes that make best use of them. From sweets such as Aberdeenshire Parkin, to meaty favourites including Aberdeen Angus Pie, North East Scotland has flavours to suit every palette. I will try to find the best local sellers of these delicacies to bring them to the attention of visitors. I also intend to try cooking the same dishes to give the reader my honest opinion on their taste, share recipes, and make clear the difficulties involved in reproducing them, should you wish to do it at home.
From top left: Huntly Castle, Dean's of Huntly Exterior, Dean's of Huntly Cafe, all day breakfast, chicken goujons with potato wedges, waffle with scrambled egg and bacon
In the autumn of 2024 my family and I travelled to the town of Huntly, about fifteen miles North-West of Lickleyhead Castle along the A96. The town has had a few names down the centuries, including 'Strathbogie', and it has a strong association with sweet biscuits (cookies to American readers). Our primary purpose was to visit Dean's of Huntly, a biscuit, shortbread and cheese bite bakery that has been producing such treats since the 1970's. The site has a coffee shop, a gift shop and a cafe open to the public. Before starting on the biscuits we elected as a group to sit down for a meal in the cafe. The staff were very kind and allowed us to order food from both the breakfast and lunch menus. The hot food can be seen above. It was of good quality and there was a good selection including numerous specials on the board.
From left: Christmas tree shaped cinnamon bun shortbread, outside of box, chocolate chip shortbread dipped in tea
We then had a look around the shop. I specifically hoped to find a kind of biscuit that bears the town's former name 'Strathbogie biscuits', but sadly they didn't sell exactly what I was after. Instead they were selling a variety of Christmas biscuits whose ingredients roughly matched the recipe I had for Strathbogie Biscuits. I bought a box of these in addition to about six packs of shortbread and biscuits in various flavours. I wanted to make sure I had a good appreciation of Dean's as a bakery. Plus, my kids and I really like biscuits! I can report that Dean's makes excellent biscuits with a good crunch, subtle flavouring and a rich buttery aftertaste. I would definitely recommend a visit to Dean's bakery and cafe for anyone passing through or to those who enjoy eating good biscuits as much as I do.
Huntly Castle
After our lunch we went to Huntly Castle, a few minutes drive away from the bakery. We've been before but our youngest enjoys playing at the playground just outside the front. The castle is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland and it's very impressive inside; well worth a visit. I won't go into too much detail here but it's a must if you are visiting the town for the first time. There's also a very nice tea room and garden on the other side of the castle as memory serves, though we didn't go there on this occasion.
Strathbogie Biscuits and the process of making them
Back to the Strathbogie Biscuits-
For my first recipe I am starting with something fairly easy, a recipe I chose to do first as honestly I already had all the ingredients in the cupboard! This is good news as it means that most people will be able to make them without buying expensive ingredients. With the cutter I used it made 15 biscuits (plus a little leftover that I rolled into a ball and cooked anyway). I used the following recipe-
Ingredients-
250g of flour, 120g of sugar (I used caster sugar), 120g of butter, 2 teaspoons of mixed spice, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 egg.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk. Add the egg and give another blast with the whisk. Mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough. Turn the dough out onto a well floured chopping board. Roll with a pin until approximately 15mm thick. Cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter or similar. Put grease proof paper on a baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
The biscuits I made weren't quite as good as the ones from Deans. They rose a bit too much and consequently didn't have enough crunch. If I were to make them again I would reduce or cut out the egg altogether and also roll them thinner. Otherwise they tasted very similar. These biscuits are very easy to make, suitable as a home cooking project for all ages.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Strathbogie Biscuits. Next time I will be making an Aberdeen Angus Steak Pie!
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