Your work feels both deeply rooted in the Highlands and beautifully global, how did that come together?

Highland Patissier began around twelve years ago when my husband Jaz and I decided to turn our shared love of baking into something tangible. Jaz trained as a chef in Mexico, while I had always been drawn to baking and patisserie. We started small, selling handmade chocolates at local craft events, and the response gave us the confidence to keep growing.

The Highlands felt like the right place to build something meaningful. There’s a strong sense of community here and a genuine appreciation for local, handmade products. It’s somewhere a small, family-run patisserie can truly belong.

As a family-run business, what values have been non-negotiable from the start?

Quality, honesty, and connection have always been essential. Everything is handmade, carefully prepared, and made with ingredients we’re proud of. Just as important is creating something personal: where customers become familiar faces we look forward to seeing.

There’s a strong sense of care in what you do. What does “quality” mean in practice?

For us, it’s about attention to detail at every stage, from the ingredients we choose to the techniques we use. Proper pastry takes time, patience, and care, and we never rush the process or compromise on flavour. A lot of that comes down to foundations. Taking the time to properly prepare and bake the pastry base makes a huge difference: it’s something customers rarely think about, but it underpins everything.

Your work balances precision with instinct. How do you approach creating something new?

It’s a mix of seasonality, instinct, and emotion. Certain ingredients simply taste better at certain times of year, so the seasons guide us. But creativity plays a role too. Sometimes an idea just comes from a flavour combination we feel drawn to try. When we’re creating a tart, we think about texture and balance: the crispness of the pastry, the smoothness of the filling, the freshness or acidity of the fruit. Each element needs to complement the others so that every bite feels complete.

There’s a sense of heritage in your flavours. Where do those influences come from?

Jaz grew up with South American flavours, and that influence naturally finds its way into what we make. Our dulce de leche tart is a good example. It’s a very simple dessert, but full of memory.

At the same time, Scottish ingredients play a huge role. We try to source locally wherever possible: the berries, dairy, and honey here are incredible. Scottish raspberries and strawberries, in particular, bring a brightness that really defines many of our desserts.

If someone were discovering Highland Patissier for the first time, where should they begin?

We’d recommend our mirror chocolate mousse. It’s a beautiful example of the style of patisserie we love to create smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced, with a light chocolate mousse finished with a glossy mirror glaze. It’s as much about how it looks as how it tastes.

Some of your work looks effortless. Is there a piece that’s more technical than it appears?

Our lemon meringue tart is probably the best example. It looks simple, but it’s very precise to execute. The pastry needs to be perfectly crisp, the filling has to balance sharpness and sweetness while staying smooth, and the meringue needs to be light, glossy, and finished just right. When all those elements come together, it feels effortless, but there’s a lot of care behind it.

What are the joys and challenges of producing patisserie in the Highlands?

The joy is the sense of community. Many of our customers have supported us from the very beginning, and over time we’ve built genuine relationships that make the work incredibly rewarding.

The challenges are more practical. Sourcing certain ingredients can involve longer lead times and higher costs compared to a city. But the quality of local produce and the connection to place more than make up for it.

How does being a small, independent business shape your day-to-day?

It means we stay completely hands-on with everything we create. From tarts to cakes to chocolates, it’s all done by us. That comes with long days, and we’re often working side by side, but it allows us to maintain full control over quality and stay closely connected to our customers.

What does success look like for you now?

Seeing customers return week after week, and knowing what we make gives people a moment of enjoyment. Building something meaningful together as a family. That’s what matters most.

And looking ahead, what are you quietly working towards?

We’re currently expanding our mobile shop and adding a coffee offering, which many of our customers have been asking for. Longer term, we’d love to open a permanent space where people can sit, enjoy our patisserie, and become part of the Highland Patissier story.

And finally, coffee, tea or something else entirely?

Coffee for Jaz and tea for me. Jaz takes his coffee black, and I prefer herbal tea.