Honesty Box Delights

I’ve recently discovered that there’s a couple who have set up a website mapping all the honesty boxes of Scotland! Such a cool thing to do. And they’ve visited lots of them! Locations, produce listings and reviews. Love it.

https://honestybox.scot

On a more local note I thought it was a while since I’d updated you all on progress with our little honesty box. With baking bread for ourselves and the local Community Stores a few times each week, it’s been tough to find the time to bake for the honesty box too. I’m generally reserving a morning each Monday or Tuesday to bake for the box.

One of the things that I make on a regular basis (as I make it for ourselves too) is granola. I made a big batch of nutty granola on Monday - enough to fill four large oven trays - and most of that was weighed and bagged up for the honesty box.

It’s a simple recipe made with organic coconut oil, maple syrup, whatever nuts you have - in my case it was pecans and almonds - oats, orange zest, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and golden flax seeds.

It’s all mixed thoroughly together and spread out across greaseproof paper-lined oven trays to bake in a hot oven for about twenty to thirty minutes, turning a few times to ensure even toasting .

This batch made four 350g bags for the honesty box plus a large and a small jar for home.

We had some for breakfast this morning with yoghurt, fresh strawberries and peaches. It’s such a nutritious and useful standby breakfast to have in the kitchen.

I’ve also recently been baking scones for the box as they’re relatively quick to make. Cheese, spring onion and yoghurt scones usually go the fastest, followed by fruit scones.

I made what were probably my ugliest-ever looking bakes today, rather slumped- looking sweet scones made with wild local raspberries. I really dithered about whether to try and sell them as they absolutely weren’t pretty, but they tasted good so I decided to go for it at a reduced price. We need to get that charity donation!

I managed to source some nice fresh apricots the other day so I also baked an apricot and pistachio cake for a bit of a change. I love how apricot flavour actually improves and intensifies once it’s in the oven.

There are rumblings of a need for bread locally again so I’ll be back on the focaccia and baguettes very soon.

In the meantime, happy baking, gardening, harvesting, reading or making! Life is for filling up to the brim with as many things that you love as possible.