Hi!
I’m Nicola – born and bred in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland.
- I love the beach (I’m lucky enough to have a gorgeous one about 20 minutes walking distance from my house)
- I used to have a ridiculous sweet tooth, but these days I’m more of a savoury girl (although I do love dark chocolate)
- I love cooking while listening to Jazz
- I have a mild obsession with vintage fashion (if I had time to write another blog, this would definitely be the subject)
- I am constantly thinking about food. When I’m eating breakfast, I’m already thinking about what I’m going to make for dinner.
I’ve been interested in cooking and baking since I was very little, but I didn’t really do very much of it (and what I did attempt, it wasn’t all that successful!) until 2002 when very sadly, my first child was born sleeping.
I developed a brief but overwhelming phobia of leaving the house (which thankfully I got over with counselling/support from family) and desperate for something to keep my mind occupied, I baked my way through How to be a domestic goddess by Nigella Lawson.
I made jars of vanilla sugar, a Malibu rum-spiked coconut cake, buttery Viennese whirls, a zesty lemon syrup cake, loaves of bread and chocolate cake…LOTS of chocolate cakes. I made biscuits for my son’s first Birthday. I found baking in particular incredibly therapeutic and I loved seeing my family and friends enjoy my baking.
I won The Highland Bake Off (a local version of GBBO) in 2015 which was an exhausting but fun experience! I made this soft white sandwich bread, a chocolate raspberry cake with Chambord-soaked sponges sandwiched together with rich chocolate ganache and white chocolate and freeze-dried raspberry cookies with salted popcorn (sounds mad, but they are delicious, I promise).
Lots of people said I should consider selling my baking for a living. I did for a little while and supplied a cafe in my local town which kept me busy! I even had the honour of making a few wedding cakes for family and friends.
When my third son was born in 2016, I decided to give it up because baking on a supply-and-demand basis while looking after a newborn was too much. I was also quite ill at the time with an autoimmune disease, so something had to give.
My youngest son was diagnosed with severe non-verbal autism in March 2023, although I had known since he was 2 years old. Raising a child with autism can be hard, rewarding, fun, eye-opening and overwhelming. It has taught me that I have more patience than I ever realised, to take each day as it comes, celebrate even the tiniest milestones and not waste time worrying about things I can’t change.
Why am I sharing this? Because I appreciate now more than ever, the importance of having simple, quick and reliable recipes that you can turn to. Life is busy and hard for all of us in different ways. We can all be struck by “decision fatigue” when wondering what to make for dinner. After all, it’s something we have to do every single day!
My goal is to provide recipes that:
- are easy to make
- don’t require umteen pots and pans
- don’t call for obscure ingredients you’ll buy once and never use again (my pet hate)
So what kind of recipes will you find?
- Simple, Family-friendly meals that won’t break the bank
- Breakfast ideas
- Lots of yummy, easy home baking
- CAKE!
- Air fryer recipes
- Slow cooker recipes
You can keep up with what I’m making on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
want to get in touch?
Got a question about any of the recipes or this site?
My email address is [email protected]