Find the best local ingredients in Scotland

Smugglers risk $1,000 fine for Burns Night haggis

When food writer, Sue Lawrence, embarked on a gastronomic fact-finding journey around her native Scotland, she could not have predicted what a well-stocked larder she would find.

Scotland’s mountains and lochs have always provided an extraordinary spectrum of produce but now, more than ever before, Scottish producers and restaurateurs have gained the confidence to channel this rich culinary heritage onto our plates.

BACKGROUND

• Haggis with clapshot

• Haggis Lasagne

• Haggis with Drambuie cream

Seasonal Food: January

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• Shades of green food

• Midwinter greens

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• Smugglers risk fine for Burns Night haggis

• Lady Claire McDonald

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“You can say, without being arrogant, that we’ve got it made because we have some of the best ingredients in the world,” said Lawrence. What’s more, there is a new breed of Scottish Michelin starred chefs using local produce in modern ways. “I recently had foie gras with haggis. It was just unbelievable,” adds Lawrence.

But many of the best-kept Scottish food secrets are more traditional. Lawrence has agreed to share some of the fantastic culinary discoveries she made on her food odyssey while researching her new book A Cook’s Tour of Scotland from tip to tail and coast to coast.

Beremeal on Orkney

Bere is a form of barley so ancient that you can find evidence of its inclusion in the diet of Stone Age man at Neolithic villages like Skara Brae, which dates back to 3,100BC. Although rare nowadays, it is still milled and sold at Barony Mills (Birsay, Orkney; 01856 721 309; www.birsay.org.uk/baronymill.htm) which has been operating continuously since Victorian times. Tradition is still strong in this part of Scotland - two immense stones rotate together to grind the bere to a meal and driven by a great waterwheel on the side of the mill.

The finished product is not unlike barley, but says Mrs Lawrence, “It has got a really, earthy, savoury, deep, lingering taste.”

“You can’t use it 100 per cent in a recipe. I always mix it with normal flour because it is so strong,” she continues.

One of her favourite uses for beremeal is to make bannocks – a kind of traditional Scottish unleavened bread. An ideal companion for pickled herrings, smoked fish or cheese.

Bere Bannocks

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