Today was a stunning drive through the snow capped countryside of Perthshire and onto the lovely village of Pitlochry . I was asked to judge at Hetties Tearoom for a motivational and team building exercise for the young Baking staff . I arrived to a very nervous group of young ladies ,all exhibiting pride and fear in equal measure . Hetties Tearoom's owner -Clare had organised the whole show and i just had to turn up and do my bit. The cakes were all excellent for such a young group of bakers and it was hard to pick only one winner. I evenually settled on a quite unique Chocolate and strawberry jam cake . Now i know what you are all thinking and so did i ....... but never judge a book by its cover (or its name for that matter) This was a very unusual combination and odd looking cake but it truly worked and i loved the crunchy,caramelised almost hard fired edges ,with the dense almost gingerbread type cake in the inside . You could taste the jam and it was just a great , different cake. Well if your team /business needs a bit of team building this was a great way to do it . Any enquiries for my services can be made to- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To start off the New Year i was invited  to bake Live again  on Scotlands brand New Television Channel - STV Glasgow . This is a great new show for this area with all the up to date information on all kinds of topics. Each night they have a guest Chef/Baker on to cook up a storm for the lovely two presenters- Jennifer and David. They are both just lovely genuine people and very professional. I triuly love this show . Each night they also feature talented young bands playing live in their compact and bijou studio. Last night i showcased  my very own  No Cook . No Bake Cranachan cake for the viewers and this went down a storm . Sadly most people were driving home and the 3/4 bottle of "Glayva" that went into the sponge was not a great start to our brand new Dont drink and drive laws here in Scotland. Needless to say they all took home goody bags . Look forward to working with you again STV Glasgow.

Watch this space on how you could get involved in the massive Loch Lomond Shores Food and Drink Festival in September 2015. We will be looking for experts to provide Masterclassess on Sugarcraft, Chocolate and all types of Baking and Patisserie . You will also be able to bring along on the day your best cakes,breads,biscuits,chocolates,Novelty cakes and just about any type of baking you can think of to be judged by our panel of experts, Should your cakes win - you will go away with your very own "Scottish Baking Award" If you love baking and dont know how or would like a little help in some new skills then this is the venus for you . A Traditional High tea with Award winning Homebaking will be available over this 2 x day event just to round it off.  A Fantastic local Award winning scottish band will be keeping the thousands entertained on the stunning loch shores . Why would you miss it ? Keep watching this space for all the details .........

This week marks the beginning of my Epic treck across Scotland to find the Best Afternoon Tea in Scotland's Hotels . I start with the big guns - The 5 Star Hotels of Distinction. From Ackergill House in Wick North of Scotland to The Scotsman in Edinburgh to Cringlettie House in the Borders and the West - One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow. I will be reviewing over 30 of the finest Hotels in Scotland for Afternoon Tea and will post Live reviews as and when i have them. The Hotels in most cases will not have advance notification until i arrive , no money will change hands in turn for a great review, no membership is required , no media involvement (until after the review of course ! ) I believe we need to get back to earning honest great reviews from Professional people that know what they are talking about. Too many Awards are given for just about anything these days from people and organisations you have never heard of that have no experience or  prior knowledge of the industry you are in . This is insulting in my opinion. I am no blogger , Newswpaper Food critic or fame hungry entrepenuer . I am a Professional Chef and Master Baker who has founded a very successful "  Scottish Baking Awards "  My views are my own but are also Expert. Looking forward to seeing you all !