Ukrainian refugee Iryna Porfilova, who makes butteries for Forres coffee shop Bakes you Knead, is taking part in the World Buttery Championship this week.
The 52-year-old previously lived in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, before relocating to Scotland in December 2022.
She has been making butteries for a year and a half now, and “loves her job”.
“I want to help Scottish people who have helped me,” she says.
“Now I have security and sanctuary, and I love the people here.
“So it’s important to me to make them happy.
“And I want to thank them for supporting me during my life here.”
“The situation in Ukraine is even worse now, and it makes me really upset,” adds Iryna.
“I went back to Ukraine to visit a month ago and things are very bad there.
“I’ve decided to stay here.
“Because my country is bombed every day.
“I’m from Kyiv, I was born there. Every day now it’s dangerous.
“But my friends from here make me really happy.”
The buttery competition takes place on Thursday, November 21 at North East Scotland College (Nescol).
The event will challenge both professional and amateur bakers to make their best butteries.
Judges on the day include award-winning north-east Scottish food journalist Julia Bryce.
The World Buttery Championship is organised by Martin Gillespie, of Slow Food Aberdeen City & Shire.
‘I make butteries with love’
“I’m enjoying baking and I love my job,” adds Iryna.
“I remember when I first tried butteries.
“My very nice teacher taught me how to make them and I quickly learned.”
“In Ukraine, we don’t have butteries,” she adds.
“We have a lot of different traditional kinds of bread in Ukraine.
“I make them with love, because I love to make bread.
“Before I left Ukraine, I made bread there just for my family.
“Butteries are very popular here. People ask for them all the time.
“My boss has a really good recipe.”
Chris Gair is Iryna’s boss, and runs Bakes You Knead. He taught her how to make butteries.
He started baking butteries at home back in 2020, and then opened the coffee shop in Forres in 2023.
They now supplies butteries all over the UK.
I asked him what makes his recipe different – and why Iryna might come away from the competition victorious.
“Our butteries are all handmade,” says Chris, “they’re not made with machinery.
“The only machine we use is the oven.
“I think she’s perfected the butteries, really.”
Conversation