A recipe for delicious easy oatcakes

My name is Laurie Goodlad and I am a writer and a tour guide with a business called Shetland with Laurie. 

This is a sweet oatcake recipe that I got from my Grandad who, after retirement, took up baking for the first time. If you’ve never baked, my Grandad is proof that it’s never too late to get started.

During this time of lockdown, or, as I like to think on it; this slower pace of life that we are all experiencing, more and more of us are turning to the kitchen to find solace and comfort in home-cooking and baking.

In this blog, I’d like to share with you a favourite recipe that I bake, usually in time for Christmas, that is made from simple ingredients and makes a yummy treat for the larder. It’s also great to make with the children!

This is a sweet oatcake recipe that I got from my Grandad who, after retirement, took up baking for the first time. If you’ve never baked, my Grandad is proof that it’s never too late to get started, and this is a super easy and incredibly tasty recipe to get you into your pinny and in front of the oven.

Ingredients:

• 250g (3 cups) of medium oatmeal
• 485g (3 cups) of self-raising flour
• 50-100g (¼ – ½ cup) of sugar
• A splash of milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 225g (8oz / 1 cup) butter
• 1 beaten egg

Method:

1. Mix the oatmeal, flour, sugar, and salt in a big bowl.

2. Melt the butter (a minute in the microwave should do the trick!)

3. Pour the butter into the dry ingredients and mix it all together. You’ll need to use your hands for this. Eventually the mixture will be evenly coated, golden, and resemble breadcrumbs. It will smell quite oatcake-y at this stage!

4. Add the beaten egg, and a little milk (just a splash) until the mixture binds together into a big ball with a dryish consistency.

5. Roll the mix out onto a floured surface to about ¼ inch thick (or however you personally like them).

6. Cut into small circles and place on a tray lined with grease-proof paper. We use a cutter which is about 6cm in diameter, and this makes between 90 and 100 oatcakes!

7. Bake in a preheated fan oven at 160°C for between 17 and 20 minutes. Your oatcakes should be very lightly tanned!

8. Allow to cool before enjoying with copious amounts of cheese, butter, and, my personal favourite, sweet chilli jam.

What are oatcakes?

For those not from Scotland; an oatcake is a type of flatbread, similar to a biscuit or cracker. Oatcakes are traditional to Scotland, including Shetland and Orkney. They are prepared with oatmeal, and in this recipe, a dash of sugar to give them a sweet lift which I’m sure we all need! Oatcakes can be cooked on a griddle or in an oven, as I have done. They are well-documented in Scotland and can be traced back to Roman times – or Norse times, in the case of Orkney and Shetland. These simple treats would have been a regular part of any northern diet, and today, that is no exception – you would be hard-pressed to find a home in the isles that doesn’t have a packet of oatcakes squirrelled away in the cupboard.

I’m often asked by visitors to Shetland what oatmeal is and where they can find it. Oatmeal is a type of coarse flour made from hulled oat grains that have been either milled (ground), steel-cut or rolled. For this recipe for oatcakes, I use medium rolled oats, but any kind will do. Depending on the oatmeal used, you will get a coarser or finer oatcake, but use what you have available.

We would love to see your oatcakes from wherever you are in the world, so remember to share them online and tag @northlinkferries and @shetlandwithlaurie in your creations. We hope that you will give these a try and enjoy a little taste of Shetland and Orkney.

By Laurie Goodlad Born and raised in Shetland, Laurie loves the unique history and culture there so much that she started her own tour company offering visitors the chance to see the isles through the eyes of an islander. Find out more at www.shetlandwithlaurie.com

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