The Cranachan Highlanders

Scotland has a wonderful relationship with desserts and none more so, or more traditional than Scottish cranachan (CRA-neh-kinn). A cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe that includes oats, raspberries, cream, malt whisky, and honey. The ingredients are then layered, as you would with a trifle, for a pretty presentation. It’s a festive sweet that is perfect for any celebration, especially Christmas and Hogmanay, and rounds off a Burns Night supper beautifully. The origin of the word cranachan in Scots Gaelic means “churn.”

“Traditional Scottish Cranachan” By Elaine Lemm

As promised in my last post, I present my follow-up to The Hogmanay Highlanders. My festive-themed imagi-nation “The Army of Advent” now has a second regiment to join the army’s newly-established Highland Brigade.

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I’m still using Strelets Highlanders Standing (Order Arms) 1/72 scale figures, a set suited to parading in my home over the Christmas period.

The new regiment are named The Cranachan Highlanders, in keeping with other regiments in the army which are all named after something festive, in this instance after the Scottish pudding mentioned at the beginning of this post. I’ve enjoyed Cranachan a number of times before now, and can attest that it is delicious especially with plenty of whisky mixed in!

Once more, the regiment sports traditional British army dress for Napoleonic period Highlanders. The minor distinctions in dress particular to each regiment are now as follows:

	Hogmanay Highlanders	Cranachan Highlanders
Tartan	Dark green with deep green squares and red lines	Navy with deep green squares and yellow lines
Hackle feather	White over red	Red
Collar and cuffs	Navy	Yellow

Types of the Advent Army: A Hogmanay Highlander and a Cranachan Highlander.

It’s a curious experience painting tartan. I tend to find that the tartan which I end up with isn’t the one that I originally planned, but it is one that seemed to work the best after some trial and error!

The officer below is a simple affair with grey trousers instead of tartan and a dark red sash over his left shoulder.

I’ve given the piper reverse facings, unlike the Hogmanay’s piper who wore the same red coat as the rest of the regiment. As with the Hogmanay’s flag, I’ve simply base coated it and will design something for it at a later date. Whatever it will be, it will be something simple enough to cope with that tightly folded shape.

As is traditional in the Army of Advent, the Cranachan’s have been given their own special display base with their regimental name on the front in a brass plaque. To the back, I’ve added their regimental motto. For the Cranachan Highlanders, this is (in Latin) “Primus Pes” or First Foot, a reference to the Scottish Christmas and Hogmanay custom of first footing.

I’ve planned one final regiment in the Advent Army’s Highland Brigade, Although I may keep that particular painting project back for next year. A man can only take so much tartan painting!

“Order arms!” – My festive-themed Cranachan and Hogmanay highlanders in close order drill.