Today in 1585 saw the birth of William Drummond of Hawthornden, the noted Scottish poet.

Drummond was one of the first notable Scots poets to write exclusively in English after the Union of the Crowns in 1603. He became a close friend of the English playwright, Ben Johnson, who visited him at Hawthornden, in Midlothian. His works include the elegy, Tears on the death of Meliades, and the poem, Forth Feasting. Drummond also wrote critically of the Covenanters.

13 December 1911 saw the death of Thomas Glover, an industrial pioneer in Japan. Born in Fraserburgh, Glover is little known in his native land, but is considered a national hero in Japan. He played a major role in dragging the country into the modern world, bringing the first steam train to Japan, and creating the huge shipyard in Nagasaki which would eventually form the bedrock of the giant Mitsubishi Corporation.

Today's recipe: a sophisticated take on bread and butter pudding.