As A Scot, I Implore You To Add Rolls To Your Christmas Feasts

So, before you get defensive, I know bread rolls are enjoyed throughout the UK and aren’t specifically a Scottish thing. However, I would argue as somebody that moved to Scotland from Liverpool, they’re just a little more special here.

Way, way back in 1998 when I was a mere 8 years old, I came to visit my stepdad’s parents on the west coast island of Cumbrae. I loved all of it. I was always a seaside-loving kid so this little island that came to life with seaside joys in the summer was the dream.

The only issue was, I didn’t understand a word that they were saying. Far be it for me, a Scouse kid, to talk about confusing accents but theirs was very hard to get my little ears around and it admittedly made bonding with them quite difficult.

Apart from when it came to breakfast rolls. These crispy rolls, filled with butter and square sausage (yes) were a language all of us understood and enjoyed around the table together. I couldn’t get over them.

28 years later, they are still my favourite weekly treat

Sundays are for rolls. This isn’t just me, it’s in households throughout the country. So much so, that there’s a popular sketch by comedy duo Robert Florence and Iain Connell about the agony a shopper faced when they couldn’t get their rolls from the local newsagents.

I do enjoy a good midweek roll, too. One from a cafe on my way to a meeting or from a van near the football stadium I live nearby. Even the salty smells that come from these vans have me picturing the moment I’ll bite into my beloved roll.

Christmas, though, Christmas is when I really enjoy them.

I’m a bit of a sap and I love Christmas but I’m also a childless adult so of course, my favourite part is the food. The dinner itself is cooked by my partner every year and then we have leftovers for days which can be enjoyed in, yes, you guessed it, a good crispy roll. 

I reheat my favourite parts of Christmas dinner; the meat, parnsips and stuffing and jam it all together inside of a roll with cranberry sauce. Honestly, it’s heavenly. Maybe even better than the dinner itself? 

The only issue is that they get a little stale

Whether I’m making a roll and bacon on Christmas morning or hoping to wake up to rolls for breakfast on Boxing Day, it’s not always possible to have the freshest rolls at Christmas and it can be a little bit of a downer.

With this in mind, I spoke with Russell McGhee from the family-owned McGhees Bakery which has perfected the art of the breakfast roll over the past 20 years.

He said: “There’s nothing worse than getting ready to make a bacon roll after a big night, or a roll filled with Christmas dinner leftovers only to notice your roll has gone stale. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to bring it back to life.

“Just give it a tiny splash or spritz of water, then pop it into the air fryer for two minutes. The outside crisps up again, while the inside turns soft and fluffy, bringing the roll back to its brilliant best.”

Fantastic. Can’t wait.