I recently moved to Ayrshire in Scotland. Having only been north of the border a handful of times before, my food encounters here were limited.

I knew about haggis, neeps and tatties, I’d heard about cranachan, and I’d eaten unlimited amounts of shortbread, but while strolling past a local bakery, I glanced in the window to see a number of unfamiliar items.

I only caught a glimpse, and one of them made me think of a yellow marshmallow peep chick. Walking on a bit further, I pondered what it could have been. A meringue-topped cake? A lemon tart of some sort? A version of that odd ice-cream cone filled with marshmallow one sometimes finds?

As luck would have it, I happened across another bakery window, and stopped and stared. It had never occurred to me that there would be a range of cakes and pastries that in my southern-England innocence, I would never had heard of. I’d come across regional specialties from elsewhere in England (in recipe books, shops, online and on TV) but somehow a whole range of treats had escaped my notice!

I immediately started planning bakery raids and tasting sessions. I picked the brains of my boyfriend’s Scottish relatives, rambling about yellow marshmallow domes. A brief flirtation with a few pastries firmed up my desire to sample and record these delicacies for the edification of other ignorant arrivals. Thus the idea for a series of Scottish Bakery Treats posts was formed, and hopefully they will help others learn about these marvellous creations.