ON HOLIDAY in New York, Coinneach MacLeod was strolling down Fifth Avenue with his partner, Peter, when they heard a shout from across the road.
“This man called to us, ‘oh, hey, Hebridean Baker, I love you,’,” laughs Coinneach.
“I mean, it still shocks me when someone recognises me on Byres Road, or in the Co-op in Stornoway. So to have it happen in New York?"
He shakes his head. "What is happening in my life?” he grins. "Every day, genuinely, something amazing happens.”
Coinneach's life has changed considerably since he started making online videos as the Hebridean Baker.
Last week, for example, he was in Las Vegas, teaching 25,000 Americans how to make scones at a baking expo; recently, he popped up on Martin Compston’s TV travel show Scottish Fling; and this weekend, he will be in Waterstone’s on Byres Road, signing copies of his second book, My Scottish Island Kitchen, after his first became the bestselling Scottish cookbook of 2021.
It is all a long way from his days keeping sponsors happy at Celtic Football Club.
“I was commercial manager at Celtic, and absolutely loved working in the east end of Glasgow,” he says. “I enjoyed my time at the club.”
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His day job now is in sports development, working in developing countries, and once his book tour is over, he is heading out to Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
“How lucky am I, that I have two full time jobs I love?” he smiles.
“Although I never expected to work in sport. I did an MA in Old Icelandic Studies at Glasgow University – I really did, I don’t know why, to be honest, other than it made sense at the time in my head, because I’m from Lewis and it’s closer to the south coast of Iceland than the south coast of England, and it seemed to make sense to look north…”
He breaks off with a laugh: “Anyway, I have not used that degree one single day since I graduated. After university, I went to Russia and worked as a journalist on the Moscow Times for a while, then came back to Glasgow and became a sports sub-editor.
“I was way out my depth, but that’s how I got into sport.”
Coinneach’s partner Peter is a cameraman with BBC Alba – they met when Coinneach was singing at the National Mod and Peter was filming his journey to the competition.
“It’s like a Gaelic rom-com,” smiles Coinneach. “Love at first sight. We – and our Westie pup Seòras - divide our time now between Lewis and Oban, where Peter is from, and Glasgow.”
Coinneach has been a passionate home-baker all his life, taught by his mum and aunts – “traditional island recipes, pancakes, scones,” he says - but it was not until the first pandemic lockdown in 2020 that he started making videos and posting them online.
“The idea actually came when I was at my auntie’s house and there was a clootie dumpling bubbling on the stove, and we were just chatting,” he explains.
“It was her 70th wedding anniversary, in fact, and we were discussing old wedding traditions and I think I just wanted to make sure these stories would be remembered and not lost. I mean, I was just thinking about the isle of Lewis – but suddenly, 21 million people had watched the videos.
He adds with a laugh: “Now, I know there are not 21 million people on Lewis….so these stories have gone around the world.”
Coinneach is inspired by old cookbooks, like Scots Kitchen by F Marian McNeill, and other, more obscure ones.
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“I found a fantastic one called The Practice of Cookery, by Mrs Dalgairns, from 1829,” he says. “There are more than 1500 recipes in this book, and my recipe, Caledonian Cream, is my take on one of hers.”
The book is a lovely mix of gorgeous recipes and stunning photos, with a liberal sprinkling of Hebridean folklore and personal stories, inspired by Coinneach’s family recipes, traditional bakes and Scottish flavours.
Every dish has a story to tell, from Stornoway Scotch Eggs to Caledonian Cream, Posh Mince and Tatties to Shortbread Dips.
“In Scotland, food and storytelling are inextricably linked, they bring us together and are such an important part of our heritage,” adds Coinneach.
“I wanted to share the stories and recipes that have inspired me, and hopefully people will enjoy them. There’s nothing fancy or complicated – just good food that people can make at home.”
Coinneach will be signing copies of his book at Waterstones Byres Road on Sunday, October 2 at 1pm.
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