39past horizons bacon and egg pie For six 75g ( 3 oz) butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 brown onions, finely chopped 150g ( 5 oz) bacon, rind removed and finely diced 2 teaspoons chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon of dried 2 teaspoons of chopped chives Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 eggs 300ml ( half pint) cream 250g ( 8 oz) grated tasty cheddar salt and pepper Method Melt butter and oil in a frying pan and sauté bacon until cooked but still soft. Transfer bacon to a bowl. Add chopped onions to the pan and cook gently until transparent. In a large bowl beat the eggs until fluffy and stir in cream, herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Brush base of pastry with beaten egg, and arrange bacon and onion over it. Carefully pour cream mixture until the dish is full. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 180 degrees Centigrade ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes. Then turn down oven to 160 degrees ( 300 degrees Fahrenheit) for a further 30 minutes or until top is golden and the centre of the pie is softly set. Serve warm from the oven. Remove paper and beans, increase temperature to 180 degrees Centigrade ( 350 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, set aside and make filling. 250g ( 8 oz) plain flour 125g ( 4 oz) butter cut into cubes and chilled 2 egg yolks pinch of salt small quantity of iced water 1 beaten egg for glazing Method Rub butter through flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs or put in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add egg yolk and pulse then add one tablespoon of iced water until mixture clumps together. Add a little more water if too dry. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll prepared pastry to fit a 22cm flan tin, making sure it goes up the sides to form a well for the filling. Line with baking paper and add a weight such as dried beans. Bake for 15- 20 minutes at 160 degrees Centigrade ( 300 degrees Fahrenheit) pastry filling

past horizons40 Profile Your first archaeological experience? Digging on the spoilheaps of the old man's excavation at Chalton, Hampshire, age 2 ( 1969, see above). My first find, a fossilised sea- urchin - much more fun to lick than a small sherd of Anglo- Saxon pot. Top three essential items for travelling? Trowel, pith helmet, Imodium ( a machete - not so good for travelling these days, but incredibly useful once you're there…). What is the worst job you've done? Each for a variety of reasons…. On the Canadian border, using blow- torches within a bubble tent to soften the frozen soil before trowelling. Faneuil Hall, Boston, in mid winter, wet- sieving at about - 10 degrees centigrade with finds and gloves freezing to the sieve. Memorably miserable. A site in Belize which suffered theft of equipment, archives and looting. Have you ever volunteered on an excavation and, if so, where? Yes, accidentally at a crannog site on Rousay, Orkney, on a biking trip. Copán, Honduras, for a short while helping to piece sculpted monuments back together. Cahal Pech, Belize, to dig a lordly tomb. Do you have any heroes or heroines? The early antiquarians. What do you prefer – survey or excavation? Both enjoyable and challenging in their own ways, though much depends on the quality of site catering. What book are you reading right now? Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks. Have you had any near- death experiences? One or two. Nearly falling from a mountain side in the Faroe Islands; surveying mine- fields in Abkhazia ( in retrospect, not necessarily advisable); the odd snake encounter... Until meeting one, I'd never heard of a jumping tommygoff… What country do you enjoy visiting and why? Belize and Guatemala, particularly the rainforests, a wholly different world where self- reliance is a necessity. What gets you out of bed in the morning? My beautiful wife; a big stick; bouncing children. What historical character would you have liked to meet? Master James of Saint- Georges, purveyor of fine 13th century castles. What is your current obsession? Getting archaeologists and architects to talk to one another without the aid of sharpened implements. Eighteenth- century pottery. What is you best work achievement so far? Raising four children on an archaeologist's lack of salary. The work of disentangling historic buildings for The National Trust for Scotland. What new skill would you like to learn? Watercolour painting. If you weren't an archaeologist what would you do instead? A bad novelist. Tom Addyman lives in Argyll, Scotland, and is a partner at Simpson and Brown Architects, Edinburgh, where he is in charge of their archaeological division, Addyman Archaeology. Tom specialises in the archaeology and analysis of standing buildings both in Scotland and further afield, and spends much of his time advising on the understanding, conservation and presentation of buildings and archaeological sites.