About Tammy

What you'll find on Scotch & Scones

Here at Scotch & Scones you'll find recipes for making desserts, baking bread (including creative ideas for using sourdough starter discard), and a whole lot more. Each recipe includes step-by-step photos, and most have videos to guide you along the way.

My tasting notes include interesting information about the spirits I'm reviewing, then my impressions for the nose (the spirit's aroma), taste (initial flavors), and finish (what flavors linger) for each expression in the lineup, plus any comments I have about them.

You'll find all of my recipes grouped into collections on my Recipe Index, and my Tasting Notes Index has all the scotch and spirits I've reviewed grouped by region or type.

Why trust my recipes?

I'm a Culinary Arts graduate, longtime home baker, former personal chef, and recipe developer with more than 40 years of cooking and baking experience. Since launching Scotch & Scones in 2017, I've published hundreds of recipes that are developed, adapted, or thoroughly tested in my home kitchen.

My goal is to help home bakers succeed with reliable recipes, clear step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting tips, and practical baking science that explains not just how a recipe works, but why.

Becoming a food writer

I started my journey as a food writer by accident when I became a devoted fan of Outlander, Diana Gabaldon's bestselling romantic historical fiction series set in Scotland.

My fascination with Scottish culture, food, and whisky eventually inspired me to start writing about baking and spirits.

In 2022, I had the opportunity to interview Diana Gabaldon at New York Comic Con, where we discussed historic food and drink, recipe research, seasonality, and how her background in science influences her storytelling.

It was quite a far-ranging, funny conversation, and thoroughly delightful. And of course, I brought my copy of Outlander (the first book) to the interview, and Diana graciously signed it for me!

From fan to scotch drinker to writer

From this show came the discovery that I liked scotch whisky, and I started taking notes about the tastings I attended. My now-son-in-law suggested that I write about both my whisky reviews and my love of baking, and Scotch & Scones was born. If you want to read more about why I started this website, my very first blog post tells the tale.

Bottom line: coupled with my appreciation of scotches and bourbons, I love to bake stuff, jot down my whisky tasting thoughts, and share my knowledge with family and friends, and now you, too!

My columns and interviews

• In addition to Scotch & Scones, I wrote a column for Outlander Cast called How They Made It about the food and drink of the Outlander universe. I adapted and shared recipes from Britain and the US from the 18th and 20th centuries (often brought current to modern times).
• I was interviewed on The Original Foodie show about how I got started in food blogging, as well as my approach to cooking and baking.
• For more about my Outlander-inspired journey, Lindley Key and I talked for her Outlander Cast Sassenach Spotlight series.
• I've also appeared on the EatBlogTalk podcast with Megan Porta, discussing all the elements that go into creating a successful food website. Take a listen!