The Cailleach’s Red Ale Cake: An Imbolc Tale of the Darkness & the Light

January 20, 2023.Reading time 11 minutes.

I’ve been celebrating Imbolc for over a decade and each year I discover more layers to its mythology and food lore. Last year over at Gather Victoria Patreon, I created a Cailleach Ale Cake (the oldest spirit in the world) in honor of the dark counterpart of Brigid, the Gaelic Cailleach, one of the oldest […]

Cheesy Dandelion Spirals: Serpentine Spring Magic

March 17, 2021.Reading time 13 minutes.

Note: This recipe was originally shared at Gather Victoria on Patreon. It was originally a recipe for Imbolc but for reasons that will soon become apparent- I thought I’d share it here for St. Patricks Day! The serpent will come from the hole On the brown Day of Bríde, Though there should be three […]

Spiced Golden Rice Pudding For The Goddesses of Spring

February 9, 2021.Reading time 12 minutes.

This is an excerpt from the Winter Holiday Edition of the Gathery E-Cookery book on Gather Patreon In a culinary fusion of western and eastern goddess traditions, this Golden Rice Pudding is made with primrose infused cream and spiced with saffron, cardamom, orange zest and a touch of candied ginger. It is my offering to […]

Primrose and Pansy Coconut-Oat Balls: Pretty & Good for You Too!

March 26, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Soon it will be officially spring – but here in Victoria the pansies and primroses have been blooming for quite a while! So of course, for the past few weeks, I’ve been plotting how to best eat them. The pansies delicate sweet scent and pretty colours make them popular as candied blossoms or garnishes, but […]

Dutch Puff Pancake with Lemon Curd & Primrose Cream

January 27, 2018.Reading time 14 minutes.

My favourite childhood food was (and still is) the pancake, so I’m pretty happy that from Imbolc (Feb. 1st) to Candlemas (Feb.2nd) to Shrove Tuesday (Feb 16th) to the Russian & Slavic holiday Maselenitsa (March 8th) there are going to be plenty of opportunities for ceremonial indulgence! I’ve started off celebrating the season of pancakes […]

Rosemary Oat Bannock For Imbolc

January 15, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

The grace of a grey bannock is in the baking of it… Scottish Proverb Oatcakes or Bannocks were traditionally eaten on old-world feast days to mark the changing seasons. And roundabout Feb 1st or 2nd, they were known as “Bannoch of Bride” in honor of St. Bride or Brìghde. St Bride of Brightness, as she […]

Rosemary & Lavender Lemon Curd “Tassies”: Here Comes The Sun!

January 27, 2017.Reading time 8 minutes.

Nothing says Imbolc better that the bright yellows of lemon, butter and egg yolks. So what happens when you infuse a sweet, zesty, creamy, lemon curd with the aromatic herbs of the sun? Glorious food magic is what! Lemon Tassies are old-fashioned dessert tarts filled with easy to make citrusy curd. And while no one […]

Recipes for a Feast of Light: Reviving the Magical Foods of Imbolc

January 20, 2016.Reading time 21 minutes.

I love the ancient feast days that once celebrated the turn of the “wheel of the year”. Marking celestial alignments such as solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days, they followed the old wisdom of “as above, so below”, meaning these ‘holy days’ offered moments of propitious timing during which life-enhancing magic can be worked. And still […]