Top baker who spread good taste everywhere

From a school dinner supervisor to hand crafting delicacies for silver service Fife hotel diners Margaret Brown, who has died aged 74, was every inch a master baker.

Born in High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, on April 11 1949, she was one of three children for Grace and George McAlpine. A joiner, George had to continue working when his wife died.

Margaret left Hamilton Academy to take over the running of the home, caring for her dad and two brothers following her mum’s death.

When it was time for her to begin a career she started working for Lanarkshire Council supervising the provision of school meals across the county.

“On one occasion a wee boy came up to her. ‘Miss

McAlpine, I’ve eaten all the melon’, he said. And so he had. Skin and all,” said Eric Brown, Margaret’s husband.

Margaret met Eric, who came from Troon, while he was lecturing in business studies at Motherwell College. The pair would see each other in the catering department at lunchtime where he would take a break and she would share a packed lunch with her friend.

It was love at first sight and they married in High Blantyre Parish Church in 1971. They would go on to have two children, Elizabeth and Stuart.

In 1971 Eric became deputy general manager at the newly-built Bruce Hotel in East Kilbride. The first newbuild hotel to open there since the war, it came complete with a Danish Coffee Shop.

Margaret was enlisted to bake apple pies. “Before she knew it, it was listed on the menu as ‘Mrs Brown’s Apple Pie’,” said Eric.

From East Kilbride, the couple moved to Nairn.

Promotion to resident manager for Eric at the Golf View Hotel found Margaret baking all the cakes, scones and pancakes for afternoon teas in a tiny kitchen of the management flat where the couple lived.

She was also renowned in Moray for her church coffee mornings and Rotary Club culinary contributions too.

When the hotel chain bought the Newton Hotel in 1979, Margaret was then the main baker for two 4-star hotels.

“Fortunately we bought a house with a kitchen five times the size of the management flat so her workspace wasn’t the challenge – baking enough for the people in 100 bedrooms was!” said Eric.

In 1981, Margaret began baking for the Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews where Eric was managing director. Managers had to drive to their home with stacking tins and boxes to collect cakes and pancakes daily.

The move to St Andrews also allowed for a greater involvement in the local church, Hope Park Parish.

When she wasn’t baking for the Guild or teaching Sunday school, Margaret found time to serve as an elder.

While there, she was also involved in Inner Wheel, becoming president of the St Andrews branch twice.

Together, Eric and Margaret made a formidable team in the world of hospitality. Where Eric managed top-tier establishments, Margaret provided exquisite baked goods.

In the late ‘80s Eric became co-owner of Balbirnie House in Markinch, along with three financial partners. The popular venue was a top wedding location, no doubt helped along by Margaret’s freshly baked shortbread for every room, every day.

“The same was true in 2001,” said Eric, “while I was planning a gala dinner for the centenary of the Captain Scott RRS Discovery, for Hilton in Dundee. Margaret went the extra mile.”

In fact, the family did. Desperate to create 350 bespoke penguin-shaped shortbread biscuits for each black-tie guest, the pair went in search of a suitable cookie cutter, but none could be found.

Eric said: “My son Stuart eventually went to a blacksmith for scrap metal and he fashioned it into the shape of the distinctive bird. Margaret then meticulously handcrafted each piece of shortbread.”

The feat didn’t just create a wonderful evening for guests – it sparked a fascination with penguins for Margaret and Eric.

The couple subsequently filled their home with over 150 penguin ornaments and trinkets, and even took a cruise to see the real thing in Antarctica.

Margaret was also a prolific charity worker.

Whether taking part in marathon-length Moon Walks, Perthshire Pink Ribbon events or caddying for a friend on dialysis while driving her all around Scotland, she raised thousands of pounds over the years.

Granny to 15-year-old George, an up-and-coming international skier, family was always important to Margaret.

Margaret passed away suddenly on May 16, age 74, after just a few months of troubling symptoms.

A celebration of her life took place on May 31 at the church where she worshipped in St Andrews.

FOOD OF LOVE: Margaret shows the light touch that made her cooking so popular while, below left, she enjoys a celebration with husband Eric and, right, family time.

Margaret passing on her skills and passion for baking.