Food in Scotland?
 

Yes, I know there is food, but how is it? Outside the cities, in small towns and hotels? We are thinking of a 6- day walk through the Highlands but food is more than fuel for us. We Appreciate good fresh local food if it is healthy, but I do not eat beef, lamb, mutton, game, or any kind of sausage. Fish and vegetables are my favorites, but I would tire of salmon every day. We don't care for sweets ( cakes, etc.) so can't fill up on those.

My concern arises from some comments by my son and his wife, who drove about Scotland for a few days (5) in 2002. They said the food they found was mediocre, especially over- cooked vegetables and too much fatty meat. Have things changed since then? Is the cooking more up to date? Or is it still as they described once we leave the city?

I enjoyed wonderful meals in Ireland when I was there, some 15 years ago, and was expecting the same in Scotland. But maybe that is unrealistic?

I go on similar length walks in the UK and one can certainly be at the mercy on occasion of nearby pubs and uninspiring eating places unless you want to hire taxis to get you around. But that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me as it's really part of the deal when you decide to walk. It doesn't bother me as I can be content with an apple and an instant cup of soup although salmon every night would be my idea of heaven. Maybe you'd be better off, given your particular priorities, with a driving tour.

Well fish is good to great. But not eating any sort of meat will limit things just a bit. Most nice pubs and restaurants will have fish/seafood and some sort of vegetarian entrees. Risottos, that sort of thing. But just finding great vegetarian/seafood in rural pubs/cafes on the fly may be tough. Of course there are bad/nasty caffs in Scotland - just like there are in the States or anywhere else.

But I have had some of the best meals ever in Scotland. In general I've eaten better in Scotland than in rural Ireland. Many visitors get it wrong (and maybe your kids fall into this group) by ordering what they would back home and are disappointed that it is <i>different</i>.

IME it isn't if things have changed since 2002 but <i>where</i> specifically they ate.

Kishorn Seafood Bar on the edge of the Applecross Peninsula does lovely scallops, squat lobster tails, mussels, crab etc.

The Lochcarron Inn does a fab venison casserole and cranachan.

Cullen skint is great too.

Also tablet, even though you say you don't like sweets, you would be mad not to try this.

Spent a week up there last July and did not have one meal that was anything other than excellent.

Not that one would eat this way every day - here is one lunch I had a couple of months ago - from my TR:

>>April 30 - the Peat Inn

We had planned all along on booking a dinner at the Peat Inn but decided to do lunch instead. We rang up on Sunday and booked for this afternoon. So this morning we had a late lie in and lazy morning. Then dressed up in 'London clothes' for 12:30 booking at the Peat Inn. As the 3 other times I've eaten there it was absolutely wonderful! Two amuse buche little cheese puffs in the lounge, then another - beet root, smoked mackerel, horseradish creme fraiche. My starter was oyster pannecotta with caviar, smoked salmon and cauliflower purée and my main - lamb with braised leeks, pureed potatoes. DC had lobster bisque with scallop tartare and dressed crab starter, and Cod with jersey potatoes, asparagus and peas. Dessert was delice of chocolate (VERY dense) with coffee ice cream.

Ala carte above plus two glasses of wine and a large bottle of sparkling water came to £84.50. About half what dinner would have cost. <<

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed eating in Scotland. I was mainly on the Isle of Skye, but also generally around the Highlands. I happen to like, more than anything, seafood and fresh, simple, farm grown vegetables. I felt Scotland excelled in this.

Scotland has wonderful fresh fruits, in particular berries. I don't consider shortbread junkfood, and I will also day that beer was very filling and satisfying where we were, as was whiskey. It is not an exaggeration to say that these are foods or nourishments in themselves.

As for meat, we are not all that big on it, and it seemed to us that bacon and eggs were better than meat dishes, but we didn't sample all that much meat. Not with all that lovely fish and seafood around.

I gather it is possible to find near-Michelin quality kitchens in various parts of the Highlands, but we couldn't have been happier eating homey soups, poached fish, cooked carrots with butter, microgreens, berries. And drinking the rich, warming brews and spirits. If you stick with seasonal farm produce, and fish and eggs, I think you might be as happy as we were.

That sounds gorgeous Janis.

Oh yes, cheese and breads. Scotland is very good with cheese and breads.

I think it may depend on what hiking route you pick. Consider places with good access to seafoods.

I've not been been to Ireland, but I remember thinking after hiking around the Isle of Skye that I'd be interested to go, mainly because I began to realize Ireland probably wasn't about corned beef,but lots of nice seafood and dairy products, and very fresh veg.

I just read the report from Peat's. Don't know what the exchange rate was when that was eaten, but we never spent that kind of money for lunch or dinner in Scotland even at today's depressed exchange rate for the pound, and we are foodies. Again, we wouldn't be looking for things like oyster pannacotta, or wine in Scotland. Our touchstone is local and traditional, and felt Scotland had a lot to offer in that category because freshness of ingredients was great. No need for fancy. It was good as it was, natural flavors shining through.

>><i>I just read the report from Peat's. Don't know what the exchange rate was when that was eaten but we never spent that kind of money for lunch or dinner in Scotland even at today's depressed exchange rate for the pound, and we are foodies.</i><<

It isn't Peat's -- it is the Peat Inn. And as I said one wouldn't eat that way every day for sure. But that was quite cheap for that meal (it was lunch dinner would have been much more). There are places on Skye and Edinburgh and elsewhere that would cost even more. The Peat Inn is sort of world famous. It was eaten April 30 this year and the exchange rate doesn't matter since that was the price in ££.

It was a special treat - and I try to eat there once every time I stay in Fife but haven't always been able to book a table.. This was my 4th visit.

Oh - to clarify - it was my 4th visit to the Peat Inn - have visited Fife many times.

I didn't mean to imply we are looking for Michelin quality, just fresh local food well-prepared, like Stevewith described. We would be very happy with food like that at dinner. Our normal lunch while hiking is sandwiches or apples and peanut butter, something we can carry and eat when we want.

The kids described the food as ranging from indifferent to nearly in edible--- lumpy porridge at breakfast ( once with a bit of whisky poured over--- what was that about?), overlooked and fatty meat, vegetables cooked to death and discolored, too many chips as side dishes, and a dearth of salads,

Maybe it was just the wrong choice of places to eat, but they ate really well in Germany on the same trip. And they were at that time both pretty well-traveled, since both studied in Europe as college students. So I am sure it wasn't just that they were trying to find familiar American foods.

But you have reassured me that it is not necessarily they described, so either things have changed or they did indeed make some unfortunate choices. I am not vegetarian; I do eat chicken and pork as well as seafood, but pork does not seem to be used much in the menus I have reviewed.

Food in Scotland gets an unjustifiably bad press - mainly from people who've never been there (I have ignorant work colleagues like that who are convinced it's all deep-fried Mars Bars) or visitors who wandered unsuspectingly into tourist-trap cafes or pubs. I could list many, many places in Scotland where we've enjoyed superb food at much more reasonable prices than you'd pay in London for example.

Your self-imposed exclusion of beef, lamb, mutton, game, or any kind of sausage is quite a broad restriction (I cannot imagine visiting Scotland without sampling some local venison), but "nae bother", you will easily find plenty of superb fish and seafood, as well as poultry-based dishes and at least one vegetarian item on most menus. You didn't mention where your walking trip is taking you, but just to give you a fairly random example of what's available in the Highlands, have a look at this: http://www.kintaillodgehotel.co.uk/g...estaurant.html (they even have a bunkhouse for hikers too!). There are plenty of places like this if you're prepared to seek them out.

I don't find anything unusual in not eating mutton, game and sausage, and while I enjoy the taste of lamb, I don't enjoy the taste of beef. I spent 2 weeks in Scotland and never ate venison -- never even occurred to me -- so I don't know what accounts for an inability to imagine a wonderful and delicious trip to Scotland (which is what I enjoyed) without eating a deer.

When we were in Scotland several years ago, the exchange rate was close to $2 for 1 pound. So that lunch in the Peat Inn, paying approximately $170 for 2 (with only one glass of wine apiece?) would have been off our radar. Even at today's exchange rate, which drops the price to about $126, we would not have been tempted (even though I agree it is cheaper than many similar London restaurants) but of course other travelers would find it worthy every penny.

So my point is not to say that caviar, imported wine and creme fraiche is not worth those prices in Scotland or disagree even that this is "cheap" given how fancy the meal was, but really to say that basic food in Scotland can be really very tasty -- and again, I am a foodie -- because so much comes from farm sources. Unlike places in New York, where farm food can end up costing what it costs to lunch at the Peat Inn with only one glass of wine, we found prices very favorable with no loss in quality in Scotland (and I highly recommend the local brew!)

Here is a place that is typical of the kind of eateries we enjoyed -- again, pounds cheaper than the link given above even though this place is in a touristed area, and the menus were varied and the food fresh.

http://www.portreerestaurant.co.uk/index.html

Places selling bars meals on the main tourist routes are usually to be avoided. There is plenty of great food if you know where to go - post an itinerary before traveling for advice. Scottish seafood comes from the cleanest waters in Europe and travels live to Spain, watch for the huge refrigerated trucks.

We found during a one day tour of the Highlands that the best place to eat was a little butcher shop. I had the best pasty, cheese and veggies. We had 30 min so very limited. Bakeries always have some sort of sandwich. We love groceries and take out salads were wonderful.

Stevewith: >>never ate venison -- never even occurred to me<<

And you call yourself a foodie? Well you don't know what you're missing - Scottish venison truly is the food of gods :)

I don't really understand your reference to "imported wines" being expensive in Scotland. Sure it's imported but is also a great deal cheaper than the extortionate prices charged for wine in US restaurants (paradoxical given the USA's position as a major producer of wine).

Yes, I do call myself a foodie, because I am. Everyone has a different palate. I do know what I am missing when I don't eat venison. I am missing a taste I don't like in my mouth. I am picky about what I eat, which is my definition of a foodie, not somebody who hoovers up everything irrespective of tastebuds.

I didn't say imported wines were expensive in Scotland. My point was that even if one deems imported foods cheap in Scotland, I don't have much interest in consuming them. I'd rather consume the local goodies. I can eat pannacotta and drink wine in places where they come from.

To be fair Janis's menu includes a ton of local produce (oysters, salmon, mackerel, lamb, lobster, crab, asparagus, peas, scallops and leeks which are all caught or grown in Scotland or the wider UK). They're just incorporated into a variety of recipes from around the world, which I think is quite common in European cooking. But they are very much the local goodies.

<i>We are thinking of a 6- day walk through the Highlands...</i>

That's a big area. If you could be just a little more specific then more specific suggestions might be forthcoming.

"That's a big area..."

Thanks for that Gardyloo. The walking element hasn't seemed to have been taken into consideration in the discussion and until we know the route it's impossible to answer. If it's restaurants for dinners the OP is asking about. I still can't tell.

Sorry for the silence. I have been busy visiting one-year-old grandchildren. No time for Fodors! But I appreciate the interest and now can name the villages.

The walk we are considering is the Rob Roy Way ( after being dissuaded from the West Highland Way by input from some of the contributors here, since we will be walking in May and could face sleet/snow/ heavy rain on exposed sections of that walk). The walk starts in Drymen and ends at Pittlochry, with overnight stops in Aberfoyle, Strathyre, Killin, and Aberfeldy on the way.

RM67,

Well, for me, when I travel, the fun of tasting a local goodie means tasting in its natural form or in the local recipe. If I traveled all the way to Scotland, I wouldn't want to miss the chance to taste a Scottish oyster, since I love oysters, but I'd bypass a fancy preparation that put them in pannacotta and go for the straight oyster. The Pean Inn lunch looks like something I could eat in New York or San Francisco, where there are plenty of talented chefs.

So, when in Scotland, I go for the traditional food. I go for double cream over creme fraiche, and cranachan over chocolate delice, I drink beer over wine. When I am in France, things go the other way. Some very traditional local goodies I may end up skipping in Scotland -- I simply never eat oatmeal, even though I loved oat cakes, nor do I enjoy eating venison period. But if I am making all the effort to go to Scotland, I want to eat the Scottish cuisine that I can't find elsewhere. I found it very enjoyable to eat, simple as it was, and didn't feel I was missing anything.

Hope that's clearer. But it is really about what enzian wants to eat (and I don't find his or her palate hard to imagine). I just wanted enzian to know that in addition to the kind of wonderful destination restaurants you can find all over the world serving very special food for special meals, the every day recipes of Scotland made with local ingredients are full of good flavor.

jeeze louise! Why so angry? Eating at the Peat Inn doesn't preclude eating at all the terrific local specialties at hundreds of other places. My goodness - I eat probably 45 meals in Scotland over the typical trip - and one or two might be at places like the Peat Inn or The Kitchin or The Three Chimneys . . .

In addition to the villages I mentioned above, we would like to spend time in the Trossachs and maybe visit Oban. We'll have 4-5 days in Scotland in addition to the ones allotted to the walk, including 1 or 2 nights in Edinburgh. I would appreciate any suggestions.

If this is turning into a Fodors Scotland food blog then

http://www.ninthwaverestaurant.co.uk/sample-menu-2/

Mr catches, Mrs Cook it. What else would you want?

http://www.pierhousehotel.co.uk/

Eat while watching otters, seals and porpoise eat.

Ooh! My last visit to Mull was before the Ninth Wave opened - looks fabulous. Another reason to go back to one of my favorite places . . .

<<The kids described the food as ranging from indifferent to nearly in edible--- lumpy porridge at breakfast ( once with a bit of whisky poured over--- what was that about?), overlooked and fatty meat, vegetables cooked to death and discolored, too many chips as side dishes, and a dearth of salads. . .>>

Sounds like they ate at too many pubs and not enough decent or even good restaurants. We didn't have that problem and didn't have such rubbish breakfasts either.

You know, if you discussed your price range for a dinner, you'd get specific suggestions.

Janisj

Be there in 3 weeks!

Midges an all!

Oban? Then don't miss the Waterfront Fishouse restaurant. It's right on the quayside next to the station and the Calmac ferry terminal and used to house the local Seaman's Mission. We had a memorable dinner there some years ago, with the fish arriving on the boats and heading right up the back stairs into the kitchen!

>>lumpy porridge at breakfast ( once with a bit of whisky poured over--- what was that about?), <<

Meant to comment on that earlier. That's a new one on me - never heard of porridge with whisky. Scottish breakfasts (if done properly) are real feasts that will set you up for a busy day. Similar to a Full English, but with local delicacies such as black (and white) pudding, haggis, square sausage and scones. Some places also do terrific kippers and haddock.

I follow The Waterfront on twitter. Lovely people. It is possible that Ee usk has gone to corporate pot.

Janisj

Can you access te BBC iplayer.

Hebrides "islands on the edge" : beautifully filmed wildlife documentary.

Oatmeal with whisky is the origin of Atholl Brose, a drink made with oatmeal water, whisky, honey and maybe cream.

>>Can you access te BBC iplayer.<<

Ooh - that seems to be a new portal. THANK YOU! Just accessed it and what's on? The Shipping Forecast! I <B><red>LOVE</B></red> the Shipping Forecast.

Scilly automatic, Milford Haven, etc . . . :D

>>Oatmeal with whisky is the origin of Atholl Brose, a drink made with oatmeal water, whisky, honey and maybe cream.<<

Yes I know, but it isn't porridge and you wouldn't have it for breakfast.

I am also watching the Hebrides: Islands on the Edge series that started last week. I came across it by accident in my hotel in France, where BBC2 was on satellite (yes really). I thought BBC iPlayer was blocked to non-UK computers. If not, Janis and others, you're in for a treat...!

G_R, I knew YOU would know but the OP had a number of distorted ideas about porridge. I don't think I have ever had lumpy porridge in Scotland.

you can get lumpy porridge at my staff canteen every morning.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop..._Scotland.html
this is an old Trip Advisot thread but with lots of good info.
I must admit 20 years ago some of the food from hotels and oubs in Scotland was prety dire but it has improved greatly and very seldom am I dissapointed with food from pubs these days.There are still a few around that still serve crap but they are few and far between.
I have been inplaces where the veg has been so overcooked it is inedible, but thats been rare.Lots of nice fresh veg in most places.

OK, this is sounding better. We are comfortable spending around €100 for two in Italy and Spain, so that would be £85. Will that get us a nice dinner with wine at most places? We can plan for one splurge if the right place comes along ( seafood ).

On the porridge with whiskey, my son couldn't tell if it was a jokeor a test of his manhood.

yeah £85 should get you a decent dinner with wine ,and £50 will get you a decent 2 course meal in a pub with a couple of drinks each.
I have sometimes had a little whisky with my porridge on a special occassion, my grandfather used to always call this a poachers breakfast,no idea why.

>>I thought BBC iPlayer was blocked to non-UK computers.<<

Me too. That's why I think it must be a new version since it worked for me.

£85 will be generous in most rural areas. Most nights you won't spend that much so it will average out less even with the occasional splurge.