food to glow

This post is in support of the Waitrose #AutumnWarmers campaign. Details below.

Have you ever had an idea that pesters you until you make it a reality? You go about your daily tasks, head down in work, or beetling about ferrying kids hither and yonder, but still the thought doesn’t leave you. It drifts into your mind as you fall into a deep slumber. And then you wake to it, this chirpy, invisible bird sitting on your shoulder. Such ideas are not infrequent with me. Not always good ideas, I should add (the less said about my “brilliant” idea for a gridded floor with interchangeable floor tiles the better). Unsurprisingly they are mostly concerning food and, as I am that old, experience lets me know whether they are worth pursuing.

But I really wasn’t sure about this one. I’m not indulging in false modesty either. I genuinely wasn’t sure.When Waitrose asked me to come onboard to get the word out about their latest campaign, my mind immediately began sifting through all of the ideas filed away in my brain. I also checked my phone’s memo pad, as that is where I most often jot down ideas churned up during the small hours. Most I discounted as not seasonal, but one straightforward idea – for a baked onion bhaji – tugged away at me. How to make this more Scottish?

Why Scottish, you may wonder? Well, Waitrose asked me to come up with a regional #AutumnWarmers recipe and I was having a struggle, to be honest. As much as I love the honesty of Scottish food, and I love the wholesome ingredients, trying to do a food to glow version of some of the most iconic and recognised dishes was going to be a task too far.

But then I remembered how much the cuisines of the former British colonial Indian subcontinent have contributed to the food we enjoy today in Scotland. Depending on what poll you read, “Indian food” (although mostly I suspect it is Bangladeshi and Pakistani) is the top choice for take away, eating out and having a go at oneself. What Scottish family that actually cooks doesn’t have a go-to recipe for a curry? Sure, it might get some help from a jar (despite a masala paste being one of the easiest things ever to knock up), but everyone seems to love the wide range of flavours that are represented in this deliriously delicious area of the world.

The onion bhaji is probably one of the more recognised curry house food items, appearing in various forms on almost any menu – whether as a takeaway or fine dining-style. It is an everyman recipe to go with any dish. But it is deep fried so not really a food to attempt at home without the right equipment, and not a little bravery.

As for the potato scone, like the onion bhaji it is also an everyman food here in Scotland. Here the humble mashed potato pancake (!!) is served alongside creamiest scrambled eggs and folds of pink and succulent Scottish smoked salmon at fancy hotels. It is also an omnipresent addition to the full Scottish breakfast offered by any cafe, “greasy spoon” and B&B across Scotland.  These savoury little cakes are also a plastic-wrapped staple item in the bakery section of supermarkets too, despite being very easy to make. I confess to buying them occasionally – perfect with eggs, sliced avocado and a tangle of sautéed kale.

But combining these two iconic recipes? Am I mad? Well, I may be mad, but this really does work. Combining smooth potato mash with a mulched-down dollop of spicy, buttery onion is not a bad idea at all.

And baked not fried is the way to go. I made a couple of batches fried in an iron skillet, but preferred the lightness of the baked version: verging-on-crispy outside with a pillowy centre. I enjoyed these little golden cakes most as a leftover brunch dish the next day with some ma ki dal I found in the freezer (heated of course), a runny steam-fried egg and some mango chutney. I audibly gasped when I tasted it. Truly. But these scones are perfect with any Indian meal of course, or even as appetisers with a selection of chutneys (raita, lime pickle and carrot pickle are my preference).

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This post is in support of the Waitrose #AutumnWarmers campaign, inviting everyone in the UK to make, snap and share their apple crumbles, warming soups, root vegetable gratins, sizzling seasonal stir-fries – all fall-inspired goodies really – to have a chance of winning some great prizes. Using the #AutumnWarmers hashtag and @Waitrose, UK readers of food to glow why not start thinking up some delicious dishes on the themes of Sunday Roast (it can be veggie), Comfort Food, Autumn Baking and Halloween? You may also snap and share what others have made for you, so if you can’t cook you can still have a chance of winning. The campaign is going on all of October, starting today. 

This promises to be a fabulous campaign. I should know as I was one of the lucky, random, winners of a Waitrose #TasteofSummer event. I won a demonstration afternoon and bespoke BBQ and cocktail event with multi-Michelin star super-chef, Heston Blumenthal, and his incredibly skilled and kind team (Otto is a honey). I flew with my food-mad friend, the award-winning homewares and textile designer Niki, down to Bray, and we had the most amazing day meeting other winners and enjoying superb (as you would expect) hospitality. Unforgettable. So, I can tell you it is very worth getting out your phone and start making, snapping and sharing. Do it!

Here’s some of my fellow blogger’s recipes, more information about the campaign and, crucially, where everything you hashtag #AutumnWarmers and @Waitrose will be shared.

This is my kind of #AutumnWarmers food. Now, what’s yours?