Today I’m excited to reveal our three new shades of Milarrochy Tweed.
There’s Cranachan – a vibrant raspberry red – (named for the traditional Scottish dessert made with raspberries)
. . . there’s Hare (named for the animal, with its soft dun-coloured coat)
. . . and finally Tarbet: a complex, maritime blue named for the waterside village and isthmus that divides Loch Long from Loch Lomond
I love the three shades inordinately. Tarbet and Cranachan have a fresh, summery feel, while the muted tones of Hare work fantastically well among the other naturals to create a subtle colourwork palette. I love their contrasting tweedy neps, their richness and complexity, and together they bring the shades of Milarrochy Tweedto a total of 15 (some shades are currently on back order, having sold out quickly during the West Highland Way club, but will be restocked in coming weeks)
I’ve found knitting with these new shades to be really rather addictive . . . and somehow or other over the past few weeks I’ve managed to design a few new patterns which (I hope) suggest just how tasty these tweedy colours are.
I’m looking forward to releasing the first of these new patterns (a garment) tomorrow. We did the photography while we were away in the Hebrides last week, during a few days of really stunning weather and I decided to name the design after one of the uninhabited islands visible from Berneray, views of which we really enjoyed during our many beach-side walks. Perhaps you’d like to take in some of those views as well? Tom has produced a short film:
I will tell you more about the new design tomorrow, but, as I knitted my sample in the Cranachan shade, I thought I might also share Tom’s recipe for this delicious treat (one of five originally included in our 2015 Buachaille book)
ENJOY!
Cranachan
Cranachan is the famous dessert of cream, oatmeal and raspberries eaten as a harvest celebration. In many modern recipes I find the cream tends to overpower the fragrant raspberries, which for me, should be the star of the show. By replacing much of the whipped cream with crowdie, a fresher, milder dessert results, in which the raspberry flavour really shines. Your choice of whisky will have a big influence on the final dish too; I suggest avoiding anything heavily peated, as the medicinal notes and cream can sit somewhat uncomfortably together. With its heather honeyed palate and the merest whiff of smoke, I would recommend Highland Park as the ideal Scottish single malt whisky for this recipe.
Ingredients:
(serves 4-6)
80g / 3oz oatmeal (medium or coarse)
300g / 11oz fresh raspberries
150ml / 5fl oz double cream
2 tablespoons malt whisky
2 tablespoons heather honey
450g / 1lb mild and creamy crowdie
Equipment:
Heavy-based pan
Method
1. Lightly toast the oatmeal in a dry, hot heavy-based pan for 4-6mins over a medium-high heat. Toss frequently to avoid burning and stop when the oatmeal is brown and the kitchen is filled with the lovely toasted nutty aroma. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
2. Crush 200g / 7oz of the raspberries in a bowl using a fork. Reserve the plumpest, juiciest looking berries to garnish the dish.
3. Whip the double cream until it forms soft peaks, then add the whisky and honey continue to whisk until fully mixed.
4. Gently fold the crowdie into the cream, whisky and honey ensuring the crowdie keeps its structure.
5. In a large glass serving bowl, or individual dessert bowls, add alternating layers of the creamy crowdie mixture, crushed raspberries and toasted oatmeal, finishing with a final layer of the creamy mix. Add the remaining raspberries to the top with a final sprinkle of oatmeal.
6. Eat immediately, if you like the oatmeal to keep its bite, or chill until ready for serving.
Recipe originally published in Buachaille: At Home in the Highlands (2015)
Lovely! The wool and the waves, stirring just two of my many lovely memories from our recent tour of the Outer Hebrides. :-)
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Your blog is *wonderful* as always. That film is divine! So peaceful and beautiful. I will watch it over and over. THANK YOU for sharing your lives, your yarns, your patterns, and Bruce :) with all of us.
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Just love that colour of the Tarbet and will try the recipe😋
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Gorgeous new shades! I love a raspberry red, and the Hare and Tarbet are all over Tom’s wonderful video! I’m looking forward to your splendid new patterns with wonderful color combinations!
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Beautiful colorways! And is there really such a stunningly beautiful and uninhabited place still on this earth? Wow.
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What beautiful colours I’m really looking forward to seeing your patterns. After watching Tom’s film I just want to be right there on one of those beaches…..perfect isolation! I so enjoy reading your posts.
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Gorgeous footage and weather, new yarn colors and yummy dessert!
I love that the cran- yarn is almost cranberry colored! That blue is spectacular!
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I am trying to live vegan for health reasons but, oh my, that dessert is tempting and being from US, I don’t even know what some of the ingredients are. I may have to settle for knitting something with the Cranachan wool. I’ll watch for the patterns.
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That gorgeous shade of blue so reminds me of the sea and the way the sun shines through it and on it. Amazingly I am considering knitting myself a sweater. I am usually knitting for grandsons…I have six, …daughters and daughters in law.
Might have to be a carvery, I think!
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OH, that film made my heart ache………seriously. Thank you so much. do love the raspberry dessert and shade of wool!
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You must have read my mind when you devised Tarbet. Thanks for a lovely color and lovely post.
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Loving the new colours, especially that blue, and raspberries are my favourite fruit. Hoping for a bumper crop this year, and I’m always happy to have a new recipe. Cheers!
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The shades are lovely but that film…thank you for letting me see views that I will never experience in life. I hope he offers more such treats in the future. What a creative team you are!!
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Fantastic film, thank you Tom. What a gorgeous beach for mindful moments, you could walk that all day long and then just lie there or sit there forever. Who did the music for this one? Cheers.
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Beautiful colors, really great additions to the palette! That film, wow, it’s so beautiful it’s like a dream world.
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I want a Carbeth in that gorgeous blue color. Wow!
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What glorious colours! I saw the email just before my phone ran out of battery, and thought how lovely it would be to have a blue somewhere between Smirr and Lochan, and also a cherry red. Hare is simply gorgeous as well of course!
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Hi, tout est beau !!! Merci beaucoup.
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Love the beautiful new shades. Tom’s film was so beautiful and peaceful. It was like a quick getaway.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you both. What a glorious landscape/seascape. A wonderful way to start my day.
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LOVE the cranachan shade, and thank you for reminding me of the recipe, very timely, will do it this Sunday lunch!
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Just having my morning coffee watching Tom’s film – bliss!
Your new shades of Millarochy tweed are wonderful too, what talented people you are. Long may you pop into my inbox, now I am looking forward to the new pattern tomorrow.
Sue
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What wonderful additions to the MT palette! Very happy colors. Tom’s photography is just spectacular! Those vivid blues and remote beaches are so lovely.
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I love the new shades, can’t wait to see your new patterns. 👏🏻👏🏻
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Yummy shades and yummy recipe! (And for those of us who don’t have crowdie, I looked up substitutes: quark, whipped cream, mascarpone, or some combination of those…) In a month or so our wild berries will be ripe, so I will have to try this.
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Agree with your comments, and thanks for giving us the substitute for ‘crowdie’. Looking forward to Kate’s new design with the beautiful new additions to the range.
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Check out YouTube> I just watched a video of a fellow making a batch. I had no idea what it might be. Now I will be trying it! As well as the wool.
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Thanks, I didn’t know what Crowdie was either.
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Oh my, how gorgeous are those shades, hare is wonderful (I do love all things hare) and now I want Cranachan, one of my favourite desserts!
I can’t wait to see the patterns. :)
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Shades are gorgeous and these colours will suit everyone. Imagining pulling on a pair of jeans or a skirt with the jumper knitted in the beautiful reds or blues! ❤️💙
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