Creative Inspiration in the Scottish Borders | Sir Walter Scott | Papercraft | Baking

Hello everyone! I have a lovely variety of travel, history, papercraft and baking for you this week! An overnight trip to the Scottish Borders gave us the opportunity to visit Abbotsford, the former home of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, and following the visit I was inspired to do a bit of papercrafting and some baking! Time stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:15 Welcome 02:19 Driving to the Scottish Borders 04:35 Goats and bothy 08:54 About Sir Walter Scott 12:32 Abbotsford House and Gardens 17:03 Making a paper rose 24:41 Baking butteries Recipe for Butteries (Aberdeen Rowies) INGREDIENTS 500 g Strong White Flour (Bread Flour) (plus extra for dusting) 7 g Fast-Action Yeast (usually 1 sachet) 1 tbsp Soft Light Brown Sugar (Light Brown Sugar) 1 tsp Sea Salt 300 ml Warm Water (not boiling) 200 g Block Margarine or Butter 100 g Lard or Vegetable Shortening INSTRUCTIONS 1. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix until combined. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm water. Mix until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough – use your hands if needed. 2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and pliable. 3. Lightly grease a clean bowl, place the dough inside, and cover with greased cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a draught-free spot for 1–2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. 4. In a separate bowl, mix the margarine/butter and lard/shortening until combined. Set aside. Line two baking trays (with sides – not flat baking sheets) with greaseproof paper and set them aside. 5. Once the dough has doubled in size, gently knead it to release the air, then begin the lamination process: 6. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 20x50cm. 7. Spread ⅓ of the butter mixture over ⅔ of the dough (longways). 8. Fold the unbuttered third inward, then fold the other end over it (like folding a letter). 9. Rotate the dough 90°, roll it out again, and repeat with another ⅓ of the butter mixture. 10. Perform this process one more time with the remaining ⅓ of the butter mixture. Don’t worry if some butter escapes, just dust with more flour as needed. 11. Roll the dough to about 1cm thick and shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 8 pieces with a sharp knife. Pinch the edges underneath each piece to form rough, round, flat shapes, and place them on the prepared baking trays. 12. Loosely cover the butteries with greased cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave in a draught-free spot for 45 minutes, until slightly puffed up. Preheat your oven to 200°c (180°c fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 6 or 400°F). 13. Remove the covering and bake the butteries in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Don't worry about the excess fat that has melted onto the trays – this is normal but be careful not to burn yourself with it. 14. Allow the butteries to cool slightly before lifting them from the trays (being careful of the hot fat) and transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with jam spread on the underside. Tutorial for making a paper rose: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Boo... Piano, played by me: Intro and Outro: excerpt from ‘To a Wild Rose’ by MacDowell Other music: all composed by me - 'Roaming the Roads', 'By the Abbot's Ford', 'Amongst the Flowers', 'Delicate Flower', 'Spider on the Ceiling...', 'A Spring in my Step' and 'Cookery Quest'. If you would like to listen to more of my piano music, my first album is available on the Bandcamp website or app: https://helenketteridge.bandcamp.com/... If you’d like to support me you can make a small donation on my Ko-Fi account https://ko-fi.com/mousiemakespod If you’d like to get in touch with me, my email address is: [email protected] Where you can find me: Full mousiemakes podcast playlist:    • mousiemakes podcasts   Campervan Adventures playlist:    • Campervan adventures   'Gentle Words' poetry podcast playlist:    • Gentle Words   My @mousiemakespod instagram:   / mousiemakespod