8 oz Mushrooms (wild if possible)

5 oz Good meat dripping

2 Onions

1 lb Medium oatmeal

Salt and black pepper Skirlie is only worth making with good drippings from roasted meat. Chrissie remembers that sometimes the cook at the big house would dole out, to people who wanted it, the wonderful dripping that had been used for the umpteen big roasts. I like skirlie as a kind of risotto, with wild chanterelles that grow in profusion all over the island. The mixture makes an excellent stuffing for a boned shoulder of lamb. Wipe and slice the mushrooms. Skin and slice the onion thinly. Fry the mushrooms in 1 oz dripping in a wide frying pan. Remove them and reserve. Heat the rest of the dripping. Fry the onion. When the onions are soft but not brown, turn up the heat. Add the oatmeal, turn it in the drippings and brown a bit. Throw in the mushrooms. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot. Source: Elisabeth Luard in "Country Living" (British), February 1989.