The sun came out in Shetland the other day. This means one thing: screens get switched off, the housework gets abandoned and we head outdoors for some proper exploring adventures. After all, it could be weeks before we see the sun again!
The youngest and I headed to one of our favourite haunts: Kergord Woods in Weisdale, a 15 minute drive from our house (or two miles as the crow flies). There are very few trees in Shetland, but Weisdale is home to several fenced in deciduous tree areas. One of them is quite often frequented by adventuring children, given the number of dens and rope swings about!
In contrast to the Canadian forests I grew up in, you don’t have to worry about bears, cougars or coyotes or even getting lost. You can just let the kids be kids, exploring every nook, cranny, stick and and fallen tree as they wish.
Near the top of the wooded area are the remains of an old stone croft house. The chimney still stands, meaning you can safely light a small fire in the old fireplace to toast your marshmallows. The dirt floor of the house is our usual picnic area; it’s lovely sitting there eating, with the tree canopy above, listening to the birds singing in the branches. Last Spring when we were here I watched a nesting goldcrest through my binoculars. I forgot my binoculars this time, but I could hear them singing in the treetops.
At the very top of the ‘forest’ there is a fantastic rope swing. Since we were there last the whole thing has been replaced (a great big massive thank you to whomever climbed that massive tree to do this!). They’ve moved the old swing from the old dead wobbly branch it was on to a more sturdy, safer location with more ropes and carabiners. I felt it was safe enough to have a go myself on it – I felt like a little kid again and my five year old gazed at me in awe and admiration as he thought I was braver than he to actually sit on the wooden seat and swing across. He was happy enough hanging onto the loop at the bottom of the rope, lifting his legs and swinging across the mini ravine that way.
Since it’s impossible to get lost in this fenced off area I let DS explore as he wished while I got down on my knees to photograph the wildflowers which were growing in abundance. There are beautiful carpets of pink purslane throughout the woods, and scattered patches of wood sorrel. I also found lesser celandine and a flowering rhododendron. Absolutely beautiful!
Now, no adventure is complete without cookies, right?
We packed a picnic lunch: peanut butter and jam sandwiches, raisins, oranges, a flask of water and a stash of these fantastic oatmeal raisin spice cookies I’d made the day before.
These cookies were a staple from my own childhood forest adventuring. They were known as Golden West Spice Cookies, back then, and I have no idea where the recipe originally came from. It came with me when I immigrated to the UK 15 years ago, written in my cookery notebook. I’ve adapted the original recipe slightly, scaled it down (it made a huge batch!) and converted it to UK measures.
I am sharing this recipe with Alphabakes, a food blogging challenge by Ros over at The More Than Occasional Baker and Caroline at Caroline Makes… where we are tasked to bake something with an ingredient or name beginning with a specified letter. This month’s letter is E, and this recipe calls for two eggs and it is also Essential Eating for Every Explorer, so I reckon it qualifies. 🙂 On the Alphabet theme, PODcast has a new weekly Alphabet Photography Challenge. This week features the letter A. A is for Adventure!
I am also linking up with Laura over at I’d Much Rather Bake Than… and her fab Biscuit Barrel challenge. This month she’s asking for our favourite biscuit recipes, and this has been a favourite of mine for over twenty years!
Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 340 grams plain flour
- 235 grams granulated sugar
- 180 grams light brown muscovado sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Shetland sea salt
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 180 grams white vegetable fat eg: Cookeen or Crisco
- 145 grams porridge oats
- 160 grams raisins or sultanas
- 2 free-range eggs beaten
- 80 ml full fat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
- Combine flour, sugars, spices, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl.
- Rub in the vegetable fat with your fingertips (kids love doing this!)
- Stir in the porridge oats and raisins.
- Beat eggs together with milk and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients.
- Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Drop by the teaspoonful (about a walnut sized ball) onto a lightly greasedbaking tray (or use a silicone baking mat).
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will keep several days in an airtight container, and they freeze well.
This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots100 May challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Whinfell Forest.
Apple & Sage Chicken Nuggets
This is so so cool i loved adventuring when i was younger brings back great childhood memories xx
Adventuring is such an important part of growing up (and being a grown up!) I think.
Fab idea! Looks like you had a great time, deffo going to have to try the cookies, thanks 🙂
Those look yummy! x
Looks like you both had fun on your day out and these cookies are perfect to fuel your day.Thanks for entering AlphaBakes.
We really did. I, personally, thoroughly enjoy every moment in those woods. Trees are so rejuvenating!
These look so scrumptious! I may even need to make them this weekend! x
beautiful pic of those cookies – sounds like a great adventure outing and a great picnic – we have a favourite playground with a large peppercorn tree in the middle – it has made me aware of how few kids playgrounds have trees as part of them – I think a playground with trees, wildlife and a historic structure (curious about that) sounds amazing
A peppercorn tree in a playground sounds fantastic! You could harvest your soup seasoning while the children play! The historic structure in our woods is quite intriguing. I will have to try and find out more information about it. I like to think there was a hermit living up there all alone in the quiet long ago 🙂
These are one of my favourite kinds of cookie but I didn’t have a great recipe – yours look fab, thanks!
I too love rope swings – there was a wicked one a couple of miles walk from me growing up – it swung out over a deep rocky ravine. I must go back next time I’m home and see if it is still there! 🙂
Ooh I hope you try making them; they really are scrummy! Rope swings are fab, aren’t they. I bet there’s still one where you grew up – do check, give it a swing and report back! 😀 It’s funny how different an effect gravity has on adults than it does children, ha!
A beautiful place for an outdoor adventure – topped off with delicious cookies! What could be better! #alphabetpohoto
It really is; we’re so lucky to have this on our doorstep! Delicious cookies make everything even better though 😀 Thanks for popping by!
Amazing place! Today we are going to out to soak up the sun cuz you are right its going to be rainy again the next days! I always bring cookies and snacks with us and this one looks so nice! #countrykids
It’s always best to enjoy the sun when it comes out. Our UK weather can be quite tempermental! 🙂
Yum, cookies are great for picnics! Can I replace vegetable fat with butter in the same proportion? #countrykids
I don’t see why not. Where I grew up vegetable fat was the bakers choice. It wasn’t until I moved to the UK when I started baking with butter. It’d be worth trying anyway! 🙂
Thank you, will give it a go!
What a fabulous adventure you had and those cookies look utterly divine! Wonderful photos as always too. Thank you for sharing and joining the #alphabetproject
Thank you Charly, and thanks for hosting such a fab project to share photos with!
Your cookies look delicious and what a great place to explore. #countrykids
Thank you! It is a fantastic place, we’re lucky to have such an area so close to where we live!
That looks like a fantastic place for children to explore and have loads o fun. I love the look of that rope swing.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids
It really is. It’s pretty good fun for grown ups too! 😀
Ooo, these look absolutely brilliant. I can perfectly imagine munching these on an adventure, even better than I can with a cup of tea!
They’re absolutely perfect adventure cookies, if I do say so myself! (They do go rather well with coffee too though!) 😀