by Helen Westwood

South Uist beach

Sourdough starter

In my kitchen lives a bubbling yeasty smelling “organism” growing in a jar on my counter top which burps occasionally

MONTHS OF LOCKDOWN has resulted in a larger waistline and hair like a banshee but my home has never been cleaner and it looks like Marie Condo has tidied every drawer in my house! I’ve definitely baked and eaten more than normal and have no idea who drank all that wine……..the empties just keep appearing in my recycling bin. Was it just me who got excited every time a delivery van turned up? The good news is that I still have 2 pairs of jeans which I can crowbar myself into. If any of this sounds familiar, then feel smug that you have been doing Lockdown correctly.

Discovering the joys of bread making resulted in some people running out of yeast in lockdown, but not us. In my kitchen lives a bubbling yeasty smelling “organism” growing in a jar on my counter top which burps occasionally. It’s actually nothing scary, just my sourdough starter and I treat it a bit like a pet. It is customary to name your sourdough starter so I called mine “Dave”, after my husband, who also needs plenty of love and feeding at regular intervals. I talk to them both constantly.