Flavours of Scotland

Holidays in Britain are over for this year. We were very lucky : no rain, no heatwave and no midges! Just magnificent scenery, moutains and lochs, where it seems that pollution is nowhere to be found. Alone amongst the sheep... We all needed the break!

Scottish cooking is often based on cereals (oats and barley), smoked fish, venison, Aberdeen Angus beef, and of course, whisky! Though we were a little disapointed to find that the price of the latter is exorbitant (due to a 65% tax), and it's much cheaper to buy in France.

The traditional dish is haggis. It's made up of sheep offal mixed with oats, onions, spices and pepper, and is traditionally boiled in a sheep's stomach. Although the description doesn't sound very appetising, it is in fact quite delicious.

I first tried haggis at this year's Burn's night supper, hosted by the Maule town twinning committee. This event, which is organised each 25th January to comemmerate the birth of the famous scottish poet Robert Burns, features traditional dancing and poetry readings.

On the Isle of Skye, we were lucky enough to stay at the Kinlock lodge, the seat of the Clan MacDonald. The owner is the famous chef Claire MacDonald. A dream hotel. Formerly a hunting lodge, the hotel on the edge of a loch extends a very warm welcome and a dinner menu in keeping with the quality of the location.

A brief glimpse of dinner :

Roast Butternut Squash soup

Isle of Skye scallops with sweet chili sauce and cream

Sesame roasted tuna on caramelised pears with spring onions and ginger sauce

Fillet of organic Skye salmon, chive hollandaise sauce

Roast fillet of Highland venison, sautéed mushroom cream sauce

Scottish raspberry and blackcurrant suedoise, whipped cream and sablé biscuit

Iced highland strawberry soufflé, with lemon and elderflower compote

... and for breakfast :

Scrambled eggs, bacon, white pudding...

... poached eggs, black pudding and local sausages,

or kippers!

All prepared from local seasonal products.

Holidays just go too quickly...