Welcome back to all!
My fellow American friends, I hope this long Memorial Day weekend and unofficial start to summer finds you among family and friends, barbecues, and a cold one or two. In our fun, though, may we not forget the reason we celebrate this important holiday – maintaining gratitude in our hearts for the sacrifice of our soldiers and remembering always that we are only a land of the free because of the brave.
To those who gave all…
thank you.
So today we are going to head down to the county of Berwickshire, along the southeastern coast of Scotland to the pretty little fishing village of St. Abbs.
Ebbcarrs Cafe-adorable and delicious
Originally called Coldingham Shore (because the fisherman who worked their boats in the harbor resided in nearby Coldingham), St. Abbs lies near Eyemouth, along the North Sea at the foot of the St. Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve – 200 acres of breathtaking, wild, and rugged coastline. And breathtaking it is. Wouldn’t you agree?
The first building was constructed in St. Abbs in the early 18th century with additional fisherman’s cottages built shortly after. By 1832, it is recorded that sixteen families resided on the shore, with an additional twenty living in nearby Coldingham. Fishing was the sole livelihood of St. Abb’s residents.
“In the late 19th century, due to Victorian romanticism and the desire to distinguish the growing village of Coldingham Shore from its larger neighbour Coldingham, the village changed its name to St. Abbs. This name was derived from the headland to the north of the village, which is itself named after the 7th century Abbess Æbbe, who at the dawn of the Christian faith in South East Scotland, founded a monastery on the summit of the Kirk Hill located out on the headland.” -stabbs.com
The harbor today is still very much a working harbor, and though very few people now call St. Abbs their year-round home, the area is a lovely place of respite for its visitors. It is a popular destination for people who enjoy walking, fishing, scuba diving, seabird-watching, and for those who simply desire to take in the crystal sea and the beautiful, rugged coastline.
Though St. Abbs lies only about an hour to the southeast of Edinburgh, somehow being there gives you the feeling that you have stumbled upon something of a secret and much farther away. So while the throngs of Scotland’s other tourists descend upon Edinburgh, the Highlands, the Isle of Skye, Glasgow, and its other many fabulous destinations, I highly encourage you – at least for a day – to hop in your car, point your wheels south, and spend some precious time on this beautiful piece of Scotland’s shore.
Trust me. You will not regret it.
Cheers,
potatoes, and onions. There are many recipe variations to be found, but the one constant is that the fish should be smoked. Technically your haddock should be cold-smoked (imagine the flat vacuum-sealed packs of fish you find at the grocery store like lox), which means smoking it at less than 80 degrees. You can find instructions for how to do this on the 
