Events Edinburgh

Event Details

Challenged to prove her claim that an 18th-century diet was better than today's, for a full year, Fiona J Houston recreated the lifestyle of her 1790s rural Scottish ancestors in a basic one-roomed cottage, cooking from her garden and the wild. She learned lost crafts and skills, making nettle string, quill pens and ink as well as cheese and ale, lighting her fire with a tinder box, and dressing in hand-sewn period clothing, with nothing but an old range stove and candles for warmth and light.

As a result of this experience Fiona wrote The Garden Cottage Diaries: My Year in the Eighteenth Century which tells her extraordinary story, and is packed with historical anecdotes, folklore, practical gardening info, seasonal menus, recipes, wildlife notes and more.

During these sessions at Lauriston Castle, against the backdrop of the old kitchen, Fiona Houston will give us a resumé of her extraordinary year. During the Sunday sessions she will demonstrate various cooking lessons and talk about the kind of food eaten in the 1790s. She will cook kail and batches of barley bannocks. During the Monday sessions she will demonstrate how to make rush lights. This event is suitable for families and adults.

For booking and further information contact our Learning and Access team on 0131 529 3963 or email margaret.findlay@edinburgh.gov.uk

Performance times: 10.30 am-12 noon or 1 pm-2.30 pm or 3 pm-4.30 pm