The Edinburgh Reporter Advent Calendar – Gift idea for cooks – ‘A Taste of Mey’

The affection that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother felt for Caithness and The Castle of Mey was well understood and appreciated, not only by those closest to Her, but also by the people in the far North of Scotland. In a new book, compiled and edited by Christina Murray, and published by The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, this enduring affection is reciprocated through a fascinating series of anecdotes and recipes dedicated to the memory of the much loved owner of The Castle of Mey who, over a period of fifty years, bought it back to life.

We attended the press launch of the book earlier in the year, where we got to try out some of the food and had the opportunity to chat with Mrs Murray about her project:-   http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize_player.swf

A Taste of Mey takes the reader to this special place on the northernmost shores of Scotland, through the Castle’s venerable oak front doors and into a world of personal stories, previously uncirculated photographs and well guarded recipes, published here for the first time.

This beautifully illustrated hardback book, gives a rare insight into the life of The Queen Mother, her time at the Castle of Mey, anecdotes of favourite picnics taken whatever the weather, Her fantastic sense of fun and humour, alongside stories of the Castle itself and the Caithness region.  

With recipes for a range of starters, meat, vegetables, poultry, game and fish dishes, pudding, savouries, baking and hoosh-mi* the book reads like an Aladdin’s Cave of gastronomic treats.  This is not however a book which you will give away easily as it has many little stories in it which make for interesting reading while you wait for your dish to cook!

Contributors include, amongst others, The Queen Mother’s former head chef, Micheal Sealey; Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, Equerry to Queen Elizabeth and Extra Equerry to HRH The Prince of Wales, Ashe Windham; and the niece of HM The Queen, Lady Elizabeth Anson.  

All proceeds from the book will be donated to The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust, which will ensure that this historic building continues to welcome visitors for years to come.   * Hoosh-mi was a word coined by HRH Princess Margaret, which became part of the schoolroom vocabulary to describe a mix of any kind.  

Published by The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust   Hardback Original, price £20.00 from www.castleofmey.org.uk ISBN 978-0-9569604-0-5