Hello
In our last blog, we mentioned that we wanted to start sharing more of the stories behind the food we make.Today we’ll cover Stuart’s Scottish roots, and a shortbread recipe that has been baked in his family for generations.
It is also very apt to be discussing our traditional Scottish shortbread, as last month, we baked our 50,000th box! Considering every tray is made, rolled, baked, cut and boxed by hand, that’s a lot of work, but we love it.
Stuart & Jaymie preparing shortbread. Photo credit Jess Oakenfull.
A family recipe passed through generations
Stuart’s love of baking began in Scotland, in his grandmother’s kitchen, watching her make traditional shortbread the way she had always made it. That recipe came from her mother before her, and it was later passed on again, when Stuart’s own mother began baking it and eventually handed the recipe down to him.
It is the same recipe Stuart still uses today. There is something very special about baking tried and true recipes when each batch connects Stuart to his ancestors.
The recipe itself is exactly what traditional Scottish shortbread should be. Simple and deeply satisfying: no reinvention, no modern tweaks, no shortcuts. Just the quiet confidence that when something is done properly, it does not need changing.
It is made with only four ingredients: Tasmanian grass-fed butter, Tasmanian milled flour, Australian sugar and sea salt. Range Tasmania shortbread contains no additives, no preservatives, no fillers and no compromises. Just four good ingredients, baked the way Stuart was taught, batch after batch.
Why this matters to us
Sharing these recipes is Stuart’s way of keeping his Scottish heritage alive, and of honouring the generations of women in his family who baked before him. When you open a box of our shortbread, you are about to experience a Scottish family recipe that has stood the test of time, baked here in Tasmania with care and pride.
Even the artwork has strong links to Stuart’s heritage, and with it a fascinating story to tell.
The plate on the shortbread box 
Our shortbread box carries a lot of family history.
If you have ever looked closely at our shortbread packaging, you might have noticed the late, with its fine detailing of gold and deep blue. This plate was part of Stuart’s grandparents’ wedding china. Handed down through the family, it’s now used here at Cackleberry Farm. When it came to designing the shortbread box, there was no decision needed as to what plate we would use. Every box carries that plate, and with it, a quiet reminder of where this recipe began. Furthermore, the tartan that graces the side of the box is the Young tartan. A further link to Stuart’s paternal lineage. Something Stuart loves to mention is the modern history of blue and gold as a decorative colour combination. In this instance it relates to Tutankhamun!
The Tutankhamun Effect
How an ancient Egyptian discovery connects to a 1923 tea set.
King Tutankhamun’s funerary mask. circa 1323 BC.
When Howard Carter uncovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the world rediscovered the drama of deep blue and burnished gold. The mask of the young pharaoh - radiant gold set against lapis lazuli - reignited a fascination with jewel-like colour.
Cobalt blue and gold became the height of modern elegance. It was embraced with new enthusiasm, including a renewed popularity in the decorative arts, particularly china. Tutankhamun made the colour combination feel modern, glamorous and exotic.
Just a year after Tutankhamun’s tomb was uncovered, at the height of the Tutankhamun craze, Stuart’s grandparents were married. This was during a moment when blue and gold had re-entered fashionable design through that discovery. Among their wedding china was this striking afternoon tea set, banded in rich cobalt and gold. The tea set dates from precisely this moment, when ancient inspiration was quietly beginning to reshape the decorative arts of the 1920s.
Royal Albert Crown China tea set, England. circa 1923.
Today, a plate from the tea set cradles our Tasmanian Scottish shortbread on every box. A simple family heirloom, perhaps, yet one that links ancient artistry, 1920s design and Range Tasmania, here in Tasmania.
Warmly,
Stuart & Jaymie
Range Tasmania