Any trip to Scotland is an opportunity to experience delicious local food and drink. Whether seeking out new and interesting flavours or revisiting old favourites, Scottish foods has it all. As a nation, we may be better known for our haggis and single malt whisky, but you don’t have winters like ours without creating tastes that are like sunshine on the tongue.
For generations, we’ve been sharing these foods with family and friends. Taste them for yourself, and you’ll understand why.
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
If you’ve not tasted haggis before you are in for a real treat. A good haggis is one of life’s gastronomic treasures. It comes in two forms – traditional meat haggis and vegetarian haggis. – Traditional haggis is made from the finest lamb, beef, oats, onions and spices. It’s a great source of iron, fibre, and carbohydrate with no artificial colours.
Vegetarian haggis is a combination of healthy fresh vegetables, mushrooms, pulses, oats, onions and seeds. It is approved by the vegetarian society, is suitable for vegans too and meat lovers like it too.
Served with buttery potatoes (tatties) and sweet flowery swede (neeps), it’s a great dish to share with friends and family.
Experience all you need to know about haggis here>>
Cranachan
Oats make an appearance yet again in one of Scotland’s favourite desserts that makes the most of ingredients hardy enough to flourish in tough Scottish soil. Cranachan is a layered dessert made of toasted oats, fresh raspberries, double cream – or, traditionally, crowdie cheese – honey and a generous splash of whisky. It’s as comforting as a hug from your grandma.
Full Scottish Breakfast
If you’ve ever had a full English breakfast, you’ll find that a full Scottish also incorporates bacon, eggs, toast, grilled tomatoes and baked beans, but with the wonderful addition of black pudding or white pudding, potato (tattie) scones, haggis and Lorne sausage (a square sausage made of meat, rusk and spices). It cures all that ails you, if you’re not thinking of doing anything remotely active for hours afterwards.
What’s the difference between English, Irish and Scottish Breakfast Teas?
Scottish tablet
Never to be confused with fudge or the latest tech gizmo, Scottish tablet is a bombastic blend of condensed milk, sugar and butter. Great after dinner and with your favourite film, it is extremely moreish.
What’s the difference between tablet and fudge? Find out here>>
Shortbread
Shortbread is a biscuit ‘shortened’ by glorious butter. The texture of the biscuit is crisp and snappable- hence ‘short’. History suggests Scottish bakers used the name “shortbread” to escape the government’s tax on biscuits. Whether true or not, this “bread” is never short with its sweet sugary crunch.
Whisky
Peaty and big, woody or creamy, single-malt or blended triple-malt – you cannot leave Scotland without having a wee dram of whisky. With over 130 distilleries dotted all over Scotland’s highlands and islands, and many of them open to visitors, you’re bound to find a tipple that tickles your particular taste buds. Just don’t have it ‘on the rocks’ like some rube from the sticks; whisky aficionados always drink it neat, with perhaps just a few drops of water to help bring out the distinctive flavours.
Calling all foodies
Discover the taste, myths and legends about haggis on the best offal food tour in Scotland. Book your place here
Sharing our love of Scottish traditional food