Selected items from the St. Andrew's Society of Ottawa Newsbulletin -
Winter 2007 - Vol 161 #1 - ISSN 1492-4439 (Online)
- updated 11 Feb 2007   other News bulletins  go to St Andrew's Society of Ottawa Page 

Our Burns Supper is on Saturday 27th January 2007, at the Cedarview Golf Club, 56 Cedar Hill Drive, off Cedarview, just north of Fallowfield Road, 6pm for a 6.30pm meal; the price is a little higher than last year, $45, still excellent value for money.

A toast to the Immortal Memory will be proposed by John Young; this is after the formal haggis presentation by Stuart Jardine. The speaker for Toast to the Lassies had not been confirmed at press time but Margaret Bell will reply. The Master of Cermonies will be Bill Hamilton. The poem Tam o' Shanter will be recited by Alan James. During the evening Mary Shaw will sing some selected Burns Songs.

Members and friends are invited o our Third Annual Sugar Bush Outing - arranged by Ian & Lucie Campbell. Youngsters should particularly enjoy it! Sugar Bush Brunch Details: Saturday, March 24, 2007. Arrival time about 11:00 am to eat at 11:30am. Each person pays for their own meal; prices are around $12; no other charges. If possible, please phone Hugh Reekie at 613-728-5343 or Ian Campbell at 613-233-9806; reservations appreciated but come anyway, without prior booking. Location: Sand Road Sugar Camp - RR1 Moose Creek

Driving Directions: Take Highway 417 east towards Cornwall. Just after Casselman, take Highway 138 (Cornwall exit 58) and head south for 10 km. After the sign for Moose Creek you will see a sign for Sand Road. Turn right on Sand Road, and you will find the Sugar Camp on the south (left) side about 3/4 of a kilometre in from Highway 138 on a short stretch of gravel road. Driving distance from central Ottawa is about 75 km and the driving time is about 50 minutes.

- submitted by Ian Campbell

There are plans for a Scots Cooking Session - a Saturday in April - space is limited

Plan a Spring Scots Tour to Mansfield Township, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River: lunch in a church, the afternoon exploring the lumber developments of the Scot George Bryson - including a visit to the Coulonge Chutes - with timber slide and a dinner in Fort Coulonge. Museum visits are planned, too, in Shawville. More details about the Cooking Session and the Tour (a Saturday in late May or early June) in the next Newsletter.

Expect the Spring edition of the Newsletter out sometime in March, when most details of the events above will be known.

Many commonly consumed foods would have very different tastes were it not for the detailed processing after the basic, initial manufacture or harvesting. Three examples are: Scotch whisky, wine - and cheese. The Celts have been cheese-makers for thousands of years, and old recipes are now being used again.

Robert Burns, like many working on Scots farms years ago, would likely have had oatcakes and cheese for his lunch. Both foods, if carefully made, store well, are nutritious and easy to carry - and are tasty. Here is a selection of Scots cheese varieties - most have been sampled by your Editor.

Caboc - Made with enriched cream milk, Caboc is now sold as a small log. It is an old Ross-shire cheese - a revived Highland recipe, and is usually finished with a toasted oatmeal shell. Three hundred years ago, Mariota de l'Île, a daughter of MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, fled to Ireland to escape the Campbells; she created the cheese when she returned to the Highlands. In 1962 Susannah Stone, a direct descendant of the originator, re-introduced the cheese from an old recipe.

Crowdie was introduced to Scotland by the Vikings in the 8th century; a soft fresh cheese with a delicate taste, it is pure white in colour. Made from milk residue after cream removal.

Bishop Kennedy - A full fat soft cheese, like Oka but with an orangey red crust. Named after the founder of St. Andrew's University, this is a new cheese, created by Graeme Webster in the 1980s. It is a smooth, runny, cheese with a pungent tang. Some say it smells like old, sweaty socks; very tasty.

Dunlop - Barbara Gilmour fled to Ireland to flee religious strife under Charles II. On her return to her native Ayrshire, she created Scotland's first hard cheese and named it after her own village. Your editor purchased some at the Farmer's Market in Carlisle, England in the 1960s; production was increased in the 1980s when Anne Dorward set up a production facility in rural Ayrshire. Using milk from Ayrshire cows adds to the flavour. Similar to Cheddar, this cheese is now usually made in Arran, Islay, Ayrshire and Dumfries.

Shropshire Blue - Strictly an English cheese, it was first produced in Inverness in the early 1900s; it deserves special mention, and is available in Ottawa. Similar in texture and taste to Stilton, the orange colour comes from the addition of annatto, creating a rich, buttery, caramel taste, to contrast with the basic, sharp, blue cheese flavour.

Bonchester - Made from unpasteurized Jersey milk; Bonchester is near Jedburgh in the Scottish borders.

Carrick - an Ayrshire blue cheese. It was found on sale by your editor in the USA - at a Farmer's Market near Atlanta, GA. Both recipe and culture were no doubt brought across the Atlantic in the 1700s by Scots settlers.

Brodick Blue - a blue cheese made from ewes milk; Arran Blue is similar, but made from cow's milk.

Criffel - Similar to a firm Brie, made from unpasteurised organic cows milk; produced in Dumfries-shire.

Orkney - sometimes called Grimbister. A crumbly cheese, like the Yorkshire Dales varieties of Wensleydale, and Cotherstone, the recipe has been handed down over the generations. Not to be confused with Orkney Cheddar, commonly available all over the UK.

Lanark Blue - A ewes milk cheese similar to Roquefort; readily available in Scotland.

Teviotdale - a white-moulded, unpasteurised type of cheese, with a good flavour.

• Availability: : Some of these varieties can be found in Scottish Supermarkets; others can be found in specialist cheese shops. A few varieties can be found in the Ottawa area. Many of the new cheese types are made by a single maker and few of these are listed here; they usually have limited availability.
• Note: For public health reasons, and to protect the Canadian dairy industry, the importation of cheese and other milk products into Canada is very tightly controlled.

With information from:

• Cheese: a complete guide to over 300 cheeses of distinction Juliet Harbutt, 1999, Elan Press, General Publishing, Toronto

See also: http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/cheese.html - and http://www.scottishfoodguide.com/scottishcheesetrail/default.aspx

There was a small crowd for the December "Pub night" at The Highlander, Rideau St. - and we were offered a small complimentary whisky shot. For these events, arrive by 6.30 for a 7pm supper. Most are held on the second Monday of the month: Feb 13 The Black Bear, Albert at Bay; March 13 The Tartan Pub, 4025 Innes Rd, in the Shopping Centre, corner of Jeanne D'Arc. April 24th (note the later date) we plan to be at The Glen, Kanata. Reservations appreciated - Hugh Reekie 728-5343.

There were about 100 in attendance for our Annual Spectacular, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ottawa, on Saturday 18th November. The location, the Richlieu, Frontenac & Joliet rooms, was new to us.

The Arnprior McNab Pipes and Drums, also new to us, played during the cocktail hour. David Martin was a great Master of Ceremonies, with interesting anecdotes. During the dinner, The McNab Pipes and Drums played some intersting melodies, including a slow version of "Jock Wilson's Ball"; The Fiona Champagne Highland Dancers were also in fine form.

The Guest of Honour, Robert Watt, Chief Herald for Canada, explained how he had manged to arrange for a new "Watt" tartan to be created and registered; familiar with heraldic processes, he found no trouble with all the restrictions and requirements needed to register a new tartan. Charlie Inglis, the leader for Scottish dancing had no difficulty in gathering a crowd. Virtronics' Larry Hines hosted the Ballroom dancing.

Our thanks to all the hardworking members of the Gala Committee for making all this happen, especially Treasurer Frances Reekie who was recovering from knee surgery. She manged to retain a tight control of events - from her wheelchair. For those of you "regulars" who skipped this year, you missed a fine evening; your Executive are making plans for our next Gala, and details will be in the next Newsletter.

Jimmy Millar was Chair of our Society from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s. As Chair, he assisted Keith MacLellan Sr. with the re-formation of our Society in 1995 - during initial planning for our 150th Anniversary Dinner and Gala, which was held on 30th November 1996. Jim passed away on Christmas Day; his store, the House of Scotland, at the Westgate Shopping Centre, is being closed.

A service was held on Sunday, 31st December; the Society passes on condolences to members of the Millar family.