August 1st is Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, the first harvest festival in the pagan calendar (not that we’re pagan, or even remotely religious, but we do find their system a handy way to celebrate life by the season). It’s the halfway point between summer solstice and autumn equinox, and has historically been associated with celebrating the abundant wheat, corn and berries grown at this time. That means carbs!
(Incidentally, my Eseential 100% Wholemeal Bread Recipe - Light Fluffy, Not Dense is now the second most popular page on my site! It’s also easy to make and works great for white bread, too - see my somewhat lame video demo below.)
It’s also an opportunity to think about our own personal harvest. Goals achieved… or not. Successes… or things still germinating under the radar. But here’s the thing about the harvest - it’s hard work! I mean, have you ever seen anyone harvesting wheat? Check it out - it’s a workout! And you still have to mill it and all that before you even get close to a loaf of bread or a delicious wood-fired pizza.
I once said to friends at a Lammas gathering of yore: “no one wants to do the harvest!” I mean it’s one thing going out into the garden and picking a few tomatoes, it’s another thing to reflect on all the grand plans you set out for the year and realising how many (a) never really got off the ground or (b) seem totally irrelevant now.
So in that way, August is a grand time for an ultimate reset.
Don’t get me wrong, 2026 has been pretty awesome. Especially July. That 16 day walk on the Cape Wrath trail made me realise a few really small things about how I thrive: routine, consistency, and great food. Also, I do my best writing in a tent on a portable keyboard! I seemed somehow more productive during that time away, and clearer in my thinking.
I have some deep thoughts about where I want my priorities to be - and things that have distracted from them - but I won’t get into that here. I’ll just say that August will be about doubling down on those priorities and creating some systems so I can move closer to where I want to be. And where my strengths are!
Hint: One thing is clear - I’m obsessed with food! As I’ve been typing this I’ve seen two more purchases of my adventure food ebook pass through my inbox 🥳. An experiment that proves there’s a demand for what I do, which is definitely something worth celebrating. Alongside building content, I have also been [ever so softly] relaunching my own range of dehydrated meals, currently stocked in our honesty box, and coming soon to the online shop. I am coming to the conclusion that my career goals mainly involve developing new recipes, going on adventures to test them out, then making them available to the masses either as recipes and/or dehydrated meals for sale. Do I need to go on Dragon’s Den?
But let’s get back to Lammas, and marking the occasion with CARBS! Especially wheat-based carbs. I bring you a new recipe that makes for a great trail meal, and is also top notch celebration comfort food for a Lammas gathering with friends. The humble chili mac, a one pot dish that combines pasta with all the usual chili fixings. The pasta gets cooked with the chili so it absorbs all the delicious flavours. Pair it with a garnish bar of fixings - sour cream, cheese, chillies, chopped onion, salsa macha, fresh coriander, go crazy! - and you have yourself some super one-pot party food. (Even if it is a party of one as it was for me in my tent the other week - heaven!)
And since we’re talking harvests and carbs, here’s a rhubarb cake I’ve been enjoying with the random rhubarb we have growing in our garden. You can use pretty much any fruit here - berries are delicious!
Rhubarb and Berry Yoghurt Cake
That’s it for me on this fine Lammas day. After a busy July, I’ll be celebrating pretty simply here at home with some wheat-based baking (sourdough bread! pizza!), harvesting some garden delights for said pizzas, quality time with the family unit, some cozy times by the fire, journalling, music, and candles.
I’d love to hear about what you’re harvesting in your life right now!
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.