Welcome to Ancestral Kitchen

Bringing the wisdom of ancestral food to modern kitchens in a joyful and practical way so that you can learn without overwhelm and make traditional foods part of your own life.

I’m Alison – a food writer, teacher and podcaster. Welcome to my online home. Please browse some of my articles below on ancestral eating or sign up to my regular newsletter using the form above.

Oats

What Is Sowans?

Sowans is a oat fermentation that hails from Scotland. It has been made both there and in other part of the UK (notably in Ireland and Wales) for hundreds of years. A ‘zero-waste’ food, It was traditionally made with the bits left over after the oat grains had been ground at the mill.… Read More

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Free Training: Fermenting Oats

The healthy, tasty, gluten-free oat grain can be fermented into a myriad of dishes, including porridges, jellies, oat cakes, pancakes and ovened bakes. This free training will share how and give you recipes to create in your own kitchen! I … Read More

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Traditional Scottish Fermented Oats

For centuries the Scots made a beneficial bacteria-rich porridge (called Sowans) and drink (called Swats) from oat grain ‘waste’. In this article, I’m going to explain what sowans and swats are and how you can bring them to life in your own kitchen!… Read More

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The Difference Between Rolled Oats and Oatmeal

There are many types of oats on the market. The choice, and their different names, can be confusing. This article explains the difference between two of them – rolled oats and oatmeal. It also illuminates the history of both types … Read More

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Cheesy Oatcake-Topped Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is a British favourite that’s been around for 250 years. It’s a frugal dish, developed by home-cooks as a way to use up previously-cooked meat and was traditionally topped with a UK staple: potatoes. In this version, I’m … Read More

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How to Make Fermented Oats

Fermenting oats into oatmeal (or if you are outside the US, porridge) is a delicious way to enjoy a healthy breakfast. This article will explain why you should be fermenting your oats, show you how to do it, and answer … Read More

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Why Our Scottish Ancestors Didn’t Eat Rolled Oats

Oats have an almost mythological connection with the Scottish. Maybe, as you stand in the kitchen making your breakfast oatmeal – pouring in rolled oats, adding water/milk and stirring – you imagine that you are doing just what your Scottish … Read More

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How to Roll Oats at Home (& 3 Good Reasons To Do It!)

As conscious eaters, we often think about how the meat on our plate was raised or what condition the chickens who laid our breakfast eggs were kept in. But how often do we stop and consider what happened to the grains that accompany our meals before they got to our kitchens?… Read More

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Sourdough Porridge

Fermenting oats into sourdough oatmeal or porridge is easy and has so many benefits: The oats will be softer, cook more quickly and be easier to digest. The resulting oatmeal will be more nutrient-dense thanks to reduction of the mineral-leaching … Read More

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The Fascinating History of Jannock: The Giant Oat Bread That Defined Authenticity!

“Jannock is scarcely ever seen in south east Lancashire now; but it used to be highly esteemed. The common expression “That’s noan jannock” applied to anything which is not what it ought to be, and commemorates the fame of this … Read More

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The Best Way to Soak Oats

Oatmeal, or porridge, is a wonderful way to start the day. And soaking your oats the night before you cook them can make the breakfast you consume tastier, easier to digest and more nutritious. Soaking oats potentially, depending on how … Read More

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The Low Down on Oats and Phytic Acid

If you eat grains and follow an ancestral diet, you’ll probably have heard that we should soak our grains (or flour) in water and an acidic medium before cooking. This process not only softens and hydrates the grain, but it … Read More

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Why Didn’t The Scottish Routinely Ferment Their Oats?

This post describes the health benefits of the ancestral technique of fermenting grains. It then explains that very few Scottish (and Welsh) traditional oat recipes included fermentation and yet the oat-eating communities enjoyed incredible health. It asks why this could … Read More

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Sourdough Oatcakes

Oatcakes were the one of the staple foods of the Scottish, Welsh, Irish and northern-English populations long before the advent of the more modern grain, wheat. The ‘cake’ in their name may make our modern minds think that they are … Read More

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Traditional Scottish Oatcakes

Oats are universally associated with Scotland, and breads made with this ancient grain – called oatcakes – were for centuries a staple not only there but also in Wales, Ireland and northern England. This recipe will show you how to … Read More

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Naturally-Fermented Staffordshire Oatcakes

These oatcakes have been a traditional way to start the day in the north of England for centuries. They and are thin and pliable, like pancakes, and eaten stuffed with breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon and sausages. When they … Read More

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Fermented Oat Bake

Want a delicious, creative way to use fermented oats? This oat bake made with fermented oats is tasty, easy and it keeps really well in the fridge or freezer. Eat slices hot and fresh, cut a chunk off from the … Read More

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Sourdough

Wholegrain Rye Sourdough Crackers Recipe

Wholegrain sourdough rye is one of the healthiest ways to eat bread. Rye is naturally-sweeter than wheat (and yet has less impact on blood sugar), is full of vitamins and minerals and, due to its high phytase content, the slow … Read More

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Seeded Wholegrain Emmer Sourdough

This post will show you an easy way to make a successful sourdough loaf from the ancient grain, emmer. You don’t need experience with ancient grains – this method is simple, requiring no kneading. You will be rewarded with a … Read More

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Traditional Danish Øllebrød (Rye & Ale Porridge)

This post explains what the Danish rye and ale porridge, øllebrød, is, how it was originally made and gives you a traditional recipe to try out in your own kitchen! Check my substitutions, serving suggestions and FAQs at the end! … Read More

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How To Make Wholegrain Sourdough Rye Bread From Scratch

Wholegrain sourdough rye bread is incredible – it has a beautiful rich, deep flavour is and also very nutritious, with high levels of fibre and B vitamins plus all the benefits of sourdough. And, once you understand how rye works, … Read More

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Struggling with Gluten? Try Rye Sourdough Bread

Do you love bread but struggle with gluten?  Rye sourdough might offer you the chance to enjoy bread again. This post shares how rye is different to wheat, what the sourdough process does to make bread more digestible and explains … Read More

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5 Reasons To Start Baking With Ancient Grains

I’ve been baking exclusively with ancient grains for over a decade, and regularly hear these questions: Why should I bake with ancient grains? What’s wrong with modern wheat? How are ancient grains different from wheat? What do I need to … Read More

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Oatmeal Sourdough Bread

In this post I will show you how to make a wholegrain sourdough spelt bread which includes leftover oatmeal in the dough. By using both spelt and oatmeal you will end up with a nutty-tasting, delicious sourdough bread with a … Read More

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Sourdough Polenta Bread

Once you’ve made sourdough polenta (learn how in my video here) you can use the leftovers to make this sourdough polenta ‘loaf’. It’s easy, tasty and so handy – you can pop in the fridge (it’ll last at least five … Read More

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Sourdough Polenta

Polenta doesn’t have to be all about corn, *and* you can ferment it making a tangy, pre-digested, filling dish. Watch the video below to see how easy it is! (Download written instructions here). I have another video that’ll show you … Read More

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Sourdough Porridge

Fermenting oats into sourdough oatmeal or porridge is easy and has so many benefits: The oats will be softer, cook more quickly and be easier to digest. The resulting oatmeal will be more nutrient-dense thanks to reduction of the mineral-leaching … Read More

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My Sourdough Spelt eCookbook!

Want to bring sourdough spelt breads, pancakes, pizzas and cakes to life in your kitchen? My new book, Sourdough Spelt Everyday will help you do just that. I’ve been baking with spelt for a decade and LOVE it’s versatility and … Read More

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Want to Freshly-Grind Grains for Bread?

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you and helps me to continue … Read More

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4 Reasons To Bake With Rye

Looking around at the loaves you see in the modern mainstream world, you’d think bread is all about wheat, wheat, wheat! But for many centuries our ancestors in Europe baked exclusively with the dark, tasty grain, rye. Rye brings so … Read More

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Pane con Ciccioli – Lard Crackling Sourdough Bread

There’s a wealth of fat-enriched breads in many cuisines because we’ve known, for a very long time, that fat and bread are so good together. The Italian recipe litany, where this bread originates, is no exception! Fat-enriched breads were particularly … Read More

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Sourdough Discard Soup

This sourdough soup is so good, I literally make discard for it when I don’t have any. And I’m not alone in believing it’s worth the effort. Traditionally, all over Slavic and Baltic regions, cereals have been purposely fermented into … Read More

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Sourdough Wholegrain Spelt Pizza

It’s time to cook up some pizza! And not just any pizza… Sourdough Wholegrain Spelt Pizza: One that is not only incredibly tasty, but gives you all of the ancient grain’s nutrients and is good for your tummy. That’s gotta … Read More

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How to Create a Sourdough Starter

There are a lot of articles out there telling you how to create a sourdough starter. Despite this, as a sourdough baker, the most questions I get asked are about sourdough starters. I’ve birthed a lot of starters over my … Read More

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How To Keep Your Sourdough Starter Warm

It’s not easy creating a sourdough starter. In fact, I think it’s the hardest thing about baking sourdough bread. Especially if it’s your first time. Sometimes, you follow the instructions meticulously, yet it doesn’t work. In my experience, this is … Read More

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Drinks

What is Boza Drink?

I regularly make the fermented drink, boza, in my kitchen. It’s fun, tangy, fizzy and really satisfying as well as being probiotic. I love it and want everyone to be enjoying it, but I’ve noticed that most people have never … Read More

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Becoming a Brewster – How I Make Medieval English Ale in my Kitchen

This post outlines how I make unhopped ale of the kind my female English ancestors did in their own kitchens until just a few hundred years ago. Because, yes, ale was women’s work. For most of history, the realm of … Read More

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Medieval Ale In A Modern Kitchen

If I say the word beer, what do you think of? For me, it’s that men drink it, and it tastes bitter. Because of these two things, for most of my life I’ve thought beer wasn’t for me. Beer’s a … Read More

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How to Make Tibicos (Water Kefir)

Tibicos is more popularly known as water kefir, and that’s what I called it for a decade…until I interviewed fermentation King Sandor Katz for Ancestral Kitchen Podcast and he sternly reprimanded my co-host and me for not using water kefir’s … Read More

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Russian Bread Kvass

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Traditional Fats

7 Ways to Use Lard (Including a Lard Crackling Spread Recipe)

Lard is hands down my favourite fat. It’s delicious, local, versatile, I can make it at home and, as Andrea and I talked about on the recent 50 Ways to Save Money on an Ancestral Diet, it is so economical! … Read More

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How to Render Lard (in a Slow Cooker)

Good quality saturated fat is one of the cornerstones of eating ancestrally. Our ancestors have been using it in their kitchens for centuries. Yet it’s not always easy to access in our modern world and, when you can find it, … Read More

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How To Make Lardo – Italian Cured Pig Fat – At Home

Lardo, the traditional Italian way of dry curing pork fat, is a delicious. It is best sliced very thinly and can be eaten in many ways. Here are some favourite ways to enjoy it: Lay lardo on top of warm … Read More

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Pane con Ciccioli – Lard Crackling Sourdough Bread

There’s a wealth of fat-enriched breads in many cuisines because we’ve known, for a very long time, that fat and bread are so good together. The Italian recipe litany, where this bread originates, is no exception! Fat-enriched breads were particularly … Read More

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The Myth of Olive Oil Use in Italy

What ingredients do you associate with Italian cooking? If I ask you this question, I’m guessing a list starts forming in your mind. And I’d lay money on olive oil being close to the top. Italians have been cooking with … Read More

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Ancestral Health

14 Tips For Changing Your Food Habits

If you want to eat more ancestrally, but are struggling to change your food habits, this article can help. Changing food habits can be daunting. We may have tried before and not achieved what we wanted. We may have very … Read More

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7 Ways to Stay on Track with Your Gut Healing

As ancestral foodies, gut healing is something that, if it didn’t bring us to this way of eating in the first place, plays a very large part in our consciousness. I first became aware of the concept of healing the … Read More

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High Protein Breakfast Ideas

Have you heard that you should be ‘eating more protein’, but not had the time to figure out how much more or how exactly to get more protein into your meals, especially that all-important breakfast? This article will explain protein … Read More

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Improve Your Sleep With Ancestral Wisdom

Do you (or does anyone you know) struggle with sleep? If so, this post (and its sister post Improve Your Sleep Using Ancestral Food) is for you! Sleep is, and always has been, my Achilles heel. If you, like me, … Read More

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Are Whole Grains Healthy?

If you’d have asked me this question 6 months ago, I’d have said a resounding, “Yes!”. I have been a whole grain poster-girl for many years. In my early bread-making days, back when I used a machine and yeast, I’d … Read More

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