Neeps is a Scottish term for cooked swede, diced or mashed. It is usually cooked by boiling, but can be steamed or microwaved. Sources Smillie, Susan. Are ‘neeps’ swedes or turnips? Manchester: The Guardian. 25 January 2010.
Scottish
Drambuie Cream
Note: as of 2004, Drambuie Cream is a defunct product. Drambuie Cream is a liqueur made in Broxburn, Scotland by the Glenard company, as a joint venture between Scottish companies Glenmorangie and The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd 17% alcohol, it has actual dairy cream (stabilized) in it, along with honey. It is very sweet and…
Drambuie
Drambuie is a golden coloured liqueur based on aged scotch whisky (Talisker brand), honey and herbs and spices. Among the flavouring, experts figure, is lemon, saffron and sugar; its colour may come from the saffron. It is 40% alcohol. It can be drunk on its own, straight-up or on ice, or used as a mixer…
Chippie Sauce
Chippie Sauce is a condiment used in Edinburgh, Scotland on chips (aka “French Fries” in North America.) A rival to the traditional salt and vinegar, it is still pretty much unique to Edinburgh and is held by fans to be a defining cultural mark of the city. A “chippie” or “chippy” is a shop that…
Auld Alliance Cheese Spread Recipe
This is used as a savoury spread for nibblies or as a starter. You can spread it on warm toast (either dry or buttered), potato scones or oatcakes.
Whipped Shortbread Recipe
Though not exactly actually whipped, whipped shortbread cookies are much lighter than regular shortbread, and almost melt in your mouth.
Camp Coffee
Camp Coffee is a black, concentrated coffee-flavoured syrup sold in the UK and in Canada. The syrup is 26 percent chicory root, 4 percent coffee, and sugar and water. It is made by McCormick Foods in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Camp Coffee comes in a square-shape glass bottle, with a very decorative label. The bottle itself…
IRN BRU: A Scottish Soft Drink
IRN BRU is an orangey-rust coloured, fizzy, sweet Scottish soft drink. It tastes like a cross between bubble gum and cream soda. It comes in cans, and glass and plastic bottles. The bottles are 750ml, with a 20p deposit on them (as of 2005.) A bottle size sold in America is 500ml, on a trial…
Plain Scones Recipe
A classic recipe for classic scones.
Rosemary Oatmeal Fritters Recipe
These fritters taste as good as they are good for you.
Blackwood Dry Gin
Blackwood Dry Gin is gin based on alcohol distilled from barley and maize. It is a pale green colour, and has a more intense aroma than many other gins. It is called a vintage gin, not because it’s aged, which it’s not, but because the botanicals used in it change each year so that each…
Atholl Brose
Atholl Brose is a thick, spoonable drink, made from honey, oatmeal, water and whiskey. You mix the oatmeal and water to form a thick paste, let stand a while, then strain the oatmeal out, keeping the liquid. You mix the liquid with honey and whisky, stir or shake well, and serve. It will keep in…
Farls
Farls are thin, flat bread shaped like a triangle. The base of the triangle is actually rounded slightly, such that if you fit four of them together, you more or less make a circle. They are made from wheat flour (white or whole wheat) or oatmeal. There will be a leavener in the mixture, such…
Black Bun
Black Bun is a sort of layered cake that has a layer of delicate crust on the bottom and top. The inside layer has the texture and appearance of a rich, dark steamed fruit pudding. The inside is made from chopped almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, currants, figs (or dates), ginger, marmalade, raisins and prunes. Sometimes…
Bannock
Bannock is a quick, flat bread. The most authentic version is a round or oval piece of unleavened dough, cooked on a griddle. The middle will rise or puff a bit. There are many, many different recipes. They vary by flour or meal used, by whether leavened or unleavened, by special ingredients added, by method…
Ailsa Craig Onions
Ailsa Craig Onions are a variety of a Spanish onion. They have straw yellow skin and are very white inside. They average 1 to 2 pounds in weight (450 to 900g), and 6 to 8 inches across (15 to 20 cm.) They can grow as big as 4 pounds (1.8 kg.) They have a sweet,…
Digestive Biscuits
Digestive Biscuits are made from a mix of coarse wholewheat and white flours. They are firm, but still soft (rather than being crisp, like Crackers or Water Biscuits.) The biscuits are semi-sweet. They can be served as a sweet (you can even buy them already covered with milk chocolate), or you can use the plain…
Scottish Food
Scots get tired of their food being summarized as haggis, whiskey, deep-fried Mars bars, and shortbread in tartan tins. Yet there is something to it. Haggis is oatmeal and offal, both of which the Scots both eat a lot. Scots are very proud of their whisky (which they spell without an “e.) And as for…
Quick Porridge Recipe
This is so fast, the two minutes this takes is barely enough time to organize the tea and toast to go with. Once you’ve made porridge in a microwave, you’ll never go back to cleaning up a sticky porridge pot again.
Whiskey
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Grains used can include barley, rye, wheat, and corn. It is distilled, then aged (usually) in wooden casks. There are entire compendiums, schools and guilds dedicated to each of the varieties of whiskey. If you don’t have whiskey in the house regularly but need it…
Oatcakes Recipe
A classic Scottish quickbread recipe.
Cock-a-Leekie Soup Recipe
This recipe apparently has its origins in 18th century Edinburgh, Scotland — where the unlucky rooster that lost a cock fight would be tossed into a pot and fed up to the spectators.
Parsnip Mash Recipe
You can make this a few hours ahead, and then reheat using a bit of milk or butter.
Bread Sauce Recipe
For Thanksgiving or Christmas (or anytime), consider reviving an old tradition which has just about vanished completely — bread sauce. Bread sauce was always a classic accompaniment to pork or chicken.