Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod: ‘At Christmas, there’d always be whisky on the table, good food, stories, and music’

No matter where in the world you’re celebrating, Christmas is a time for homecoming, catching up with far-flung friends and family over sprawling tables of food – and maybe a festive tipple or two.

Growing up on the Isle of Lewis, the northernmost island in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides archipelago, baker and TV personality Coinneach MacLeod says that Christmases at home were best defined by the Gaelic word ‘cianalas’, which describes a deep, soulful ache for the homeland or, as he puts it, “a pull home to the islands”.

“I remember from my childhood, Christmas is a time when everybody comes home. There’s islanders, of course, dotted around the world, but Christmas and Hogmanay is the time when they all come back to the island,” he says.

“Growing up, my Christmases were small because the weather was too wild to leave the village, it was too dark to leave the village, but it meant that you would do lots of visits to your neighbours and to your cousins, and there’d always be whisky on the table, there’d always be good food. There’d always be stories, there’d always be music.”

Even now, MacLeod says, that Hebridean spirit of Christmas remains, with food, family and cosy joy at the heart of the season – and no matter where he is, he carries that spirit with him.

Bestselling cookbook author and TV presenter MacLeod, 52, is known as the Hebridean Baker, having hosted his own BBC series titled Hebridean Baker: Nordic Islands and regularly appearing on ITV’s This Morning sharing his unique insight on Scottish heritage, culture, food and drink.

Naturally, there’s perhaps no more important time for eating and drinking than Christmas, and with the launch of his latest cookbook Hebridean Baker: A Scottish Christmas, MacLeod is bringing his favourite traditional dishes as well as twists on Scottish classics to the masses just in time for the festive season.

“What I want to do with this particular cookbook is bring a bit of Scotland into people’s homes, a feeling of a Hebridean Christmas, which is all about community and friends and family stories, good food, good drink,” he says.

“Then, I think, everybody will have a better Christmas.”

Raised on the Isle of Lewis, MacLeod’s first language was Scottish Gaelic, and he – like many others who grew up on the island – feel a keen responsibility to his heritage and the traditions of his ancestors.

“Being from the Isle of Lewis, our Gaelic culture is very much part of what we grow up with,” he explained.

“We always start our celebrations on December 21, winter solstice. But we call it Oidhche nan Seachd Suipearan, which in English translates as ‘The Night of the Seven Suppers’ – they say it’s so dark, because you only get three hours of daylight in the Hebrides at that time of year, you could eat your dinner seven times and still the sun still hasn’t risen again.

“So what I realised doing the research was, even at a time in the northwest of Scotland, which is quite a challenging time – it’s dark, it’s cold, it’s wild – we actually have a lot of celebrations. Winter solstice, Christmas Day, and of course the most important day in the Scottish calendar, Hogmanay.”

MacLeod said that he “always leans on the sweeter side of life”, adding that he “definitely always thinks of dessert first when I’m thinking of Christmas”.

“For me, a lot of dishes around that time of year have these kind of dark flavours: Black treacle, golden syrup, mixed spice, cinnamon, all a joy,” he said.

One recipe which he said “100% will be on my Christmas table this year” is his signature gingerbread tiramisu, which combines classic tiramisu flavours of rich coffee and chocolate with spicy ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon.

He also waxes lyrical about the clootie dumpling – a traditional Scottish fruit cake that is often eaten in three ways.

“On day one, we slice it, have it with a cup of coffee. Day two, a bigger slice, covered in vanilla custard – that’s often one of my three Christmas Day desserts,” MacLeod explained.

“But every Hebridean – actually, most people in Scotland – wait for day three, Boxing Day.

“We slice big, thick chunks, and we fry it for breakfast with black pudding, bacon, eggs, sausages. And that is a Hebridean breakfast!”

Aside from sweet treats, MacLeod says he loves to incorporate Hebridean classics into traditional savoury Scottish dishes from the mainland – though he is quick to caution that he is not trying to stop anyone from cherishing “your Nigella Lawson turkey recipe – that still should be your staple!”

“Many people have heard of a chicken Balmoral, haggis-stuffed chicken,” he notes.

“Well, actually, there’s one called a chicken Braemar, which is black pudding-stuffed chicken, then wrapped in bacon.

“Of course, being from the Isle of Lewis, the one thing we do better than anybody in the world is make black pudding! Stornoway black pudding is the best, so any way for me to introduce that into people’s lives, the better.

“I think this is such an elegant dish, it really can be a showstopper on the table. And, of course, my whiskey sauce that goes with it – I mean, I would put that on my corn flakes on Christmas morning!

“The chicken Braemar with whisky sauce will definitely always be on the table for Christmas.”

MacLeod now lives in Oban on the mainland, where he and his partner Peter MacQueen have a croft which they share with eight Highland cows, a flock of rare Boreray sheep which originate from the St Kilda archipelago, a flock of Castlemilk Moorit sheep originating from Dumfriesshire, and, of course, their three dogs: Floraidh the West Highland Terrier, Peigi the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and Sula the Scottish Deerhound.

This year, the couple will be spending their first Christmas on their farm, and MacLeod says “it’ll still be where everybody gathers for Christmas dinner”.

“I’m always excited to make Christmas dinner, but this one feels extra special,” he smiles.

Hebridean Baker, A Scottish Christmas by Coinneach MacLeod. Published in hardback by Bonnier Books, priced £26. Photography by Susie Lowe. Available now.