Travel: Cooking up a storm in the Cairngorms with Ghillie Basan

The group is put to work chopping, grinding, stirring and slicing.

It is quite a strange thing to feel immediately at home in a stranger’s house.

You can warm your hands in front of the fire, tuck your feet up under you when you sit on the sofa, but still have to ask where the bathroom is.

As we drove up the bumpy, single-track road towards Ghillie Basan’s home, venturing ever deeper into the Cairngorms, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had the word of my friend Kelly – sitting in the front seat alongside her boyfriend Adam who was navigating the road for us – that I was in for something special, but I still wasn’t exactly sure what other than the fact it involved cooking.

Kelly excitedly pointed out Ghillie’s home as it slipped into view, a gorgeous converted croft ruin that was, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Pulling up outside, it is impossible to avoid the cliche that my jaw dropped. There is nothing to block your view of the mountains.

I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated when Ghillie emerged from the house to greet us – not because she made me feel that way, but because I had read up on her the night before. A multi-lingual former journalist who has travelled the world, raised two children alone and written more than 50 cookbooks, you do sense greatness when you meet her. It didn’t take much more than her beaming smile and welcome hug to put me at ease, however.

At home with Ghillie

Ghillie’s home is built for being together, that much is clear from the moment you enter. The kitchen, living and dining spaces flow into one another with books piled high, brightly patterned throws and cushions softening surfaces, a huge fire at one end and the most gorgeous Aga I have ever seen at the other. I told Ghillie very early on that she would struggle to get me to leave at the end of the day.

First up was tea and flapjacks on the balcony, as Ghillie explained what we would be doing. She offers a range of cooking workshops and experiences from her home, drawing on her travels and love of spices. Ours would pull dishes from several different countries and cuisines.

My experience with cooking classes is limited to pizza-making birthday parties as a kid and one pleasant afternoon in Chiang Mai in Thailand; which still evokes memories of fragrant lemongrass and a spicy tickle at the back of my throat.

Ghillie did not hold back on setting us to work as we would be making everything from scratch – including pastes like harissa.

There were six of us there, myself, Ghillie, Kelly, Adam, a good friend, Julia, and Sophie – who I now consider a friend after our day cooking together. We were each given different tasks, grinding spices, stirring sauces, dicing onions, deseeding pomegranates and more. We even took some of these jobs outside on to the balcony until the wind threatened to steal all our hard work.

While we worked, we shared stories. There was something about cooking together in that kitchen that made me feel like we were all some kind of family in our home preparing a weeknight meal as if we did so daily. Conversation flowed easily, no topic or question felt out of bounds. There were ideas and innuendos, pasts and predicaments, loves and losses.

As a journalist, I have been lucky to meet and speak to a lot of interesting people. Nevertheless, Ghillie solidified herself in the top proportion of the list pretty quickly. Maybe it was because she didn’t hold back from returning my endless questions or because her flapjacks were the best I have ever had. I will never be sure.

The dishes

After a few hours flew by, our dishes were ready. We laid them all out on the kitchen island – another stunning feature I will be adding to my imaginary dream home – and filled our plates.

They were an explosion of colour; laksa, roast beetroot with dukkah, roast baby peppers stuffed with feta, baba ghanoush, kefta tagine and more.

The fruits of their labours.

I made note of a distinct feeling of pride looking at what we had made together. Every morsel was delicious, not that I ever doubted it would be. It was the only time there was a lull in conversation as we tucked in.

Ghillie waved us off laden with leftovers, feeling fulfilled both physically and mentally.

As the little Highland oasis slipped away between the hills out the back window of the car, I promised myself I would be back – if she will have me.

Ghillie has converted one of her barns into a cosy cottage that you can book as a wilderness retreat. Daughter Yazzie runs Wilderness Fit, using the natural environment and landscape to inspire workouts. Son Zeki runs Highland Survival Skills and runs courses in the Cairngorms.

P.S. Ghillie has converted one of her barns into a cosy cottage that you can book as a wilderness retreat.

Daughter Yazzie runs Wilderness Fit, using the natural environment and landscape to inspire workouts. Son Zeki runs Highland Survival Skills and runs courses in the Cairngorms.