Food

A vintage Scott’s Porage Oats box featuring a kilted shot-putter stands beside a ceramic bowl, spoon and milk jug on a kitchen counter.

Scots Porridge beyond the breakfast rules

Oats, water and salt might satisfy the purists, but a Swiss chef at Britain’s most remote hotel has other breakfast plans. How many rules can one bowl need?

A group wearing backpacks and high-visibility vests climbs a rocky Highland hillside beside a wooden sign reading “Annual Haggis Hunt”.

Haggis: a reputation before a mouthful is taken

Medieval English recipes complicate the story of Scotland’s famous pudding. Discover how a practical dinner acquired poetry, ceremony and a reputation far bigger than its portion.

Close-up of langoustines with long claws and antennae in a divided holding crate during a shellfish safari.

Seafood - Following the Seafood Trail

Some of Europe’s finest lobster, crab and langoustines leave the North Highlands in refrigerated lorries, destined for wealthy buyers overseas. Finding somewhere informal to eat the same catch beside the harbour can be surprisingly difficult, but when you succeed, it is magnificent.

Three thick slices of black pudding on a white plate, one broken open to reveal its oatmeal texture.

Black Pudding without fear

The blood is not what ruins most breakfast black pudding. The frying pan does. Even a good pudding can become a greasy, shapeless mess when its oatmeal absorbs the fat left on a hotel griddle. My preferred cooking method sounds completely wrong, but produces a much better result.