Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arbroath smokies are haddock that have been gutted, beheaded and cleaned, then salted and dried overnight,
tied together at the tail in pairs, and hot-smoked over oak or beech chippings for 45 to 90 minutes. Finnan haddies
(named after the fishing village of Findon in Aberdeenshire) are also haddock, but these are split down the middle
like kippers, and cold smoked.
Kippers (smoked herring) were invented in Northumberland, in northern England, in the mid-19th century, but
Scotland soon picked up the technique, and both Loch Fyne and Mallaig were famous for their kippers.
There are dozens of modern smokehouses scattered all over Scotland, many of which offer a mail-order service
as well as an on-site shop; here are a few recommended ones:
»
Hebridean Smokehouse
(
01876-580209;
www.hebrideansmokehouse.com
;
Clachan, North Uist; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat)
Peat-smoked salmon
and sea trout.
»
Inverawe Smokehouse & Fishery
(
0844 8475 49;
www.smokedsalmon.co.uk
;
Inverawe, nr Oban; admission free; 8am-5.30pm Mar-Oct)
Delicate smoked sal-
mon, plump juicy kippers.
»
Marrbury Smokehouse
(
01671-840241;
www.visitmarrbury.co.uk
;
Carsluith
Castle, Dumfries & Galloway; 11am-4pm Thu & Fri, 10am-2pm Sat)
Supplier to
Gleneagles Hotel and other top restaurants.
»
Loch Duart Artisan Smokehouse
(
01870-610324;
www.lochduartsmokedsalmon.com
; Lochcarnan, South Uist; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Famous for its flaky, hot-smoked salmon.
Clootie & Cranachan
Traditional Scottish puddings are irresistibly creamy, high-calorie concoctions. Cranachan
is whipped cream flavoured with whisky, and mixed with toasted oatmeal and raspberries.
Atholl brose is a mixture of cream, whisky and honey, flavoured with oatmeal. Clootie
dumpling is a rich steamed pudding filled with currants and raisins.
Vegetarians & Vegans
Scotland has the same proportion of vegetarians as the rest of the UK - around 8% to 10%
of the population - and vegetarianism has moved away from the hippie-student image of a
few decades ago and is now firmly in the mainstream. Even the most remote Highland
pub usually has at least one vegetarian dish on the menu, and there are many dedicated ve-
getarian restaurants in the cities. If you get stuck, there's almost always an Italian or Indi-
an restaurant where you can get meat-free pizza, pasta or curry. Vegans, though, may find
the options a bit limited outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
