I have definitely been trying to try all of the foods of Scotland.  I certainly couldn’t come back without having at least tried Haggis!  So here is a list of the local cuisine which I have…let’s say enjoyed:

- Haggis - I ate some.  That’s all I’m going to say.

- Black pudding - Yeah.  No.

Those were both part of the Full Scottish Breakfast, which also includes bacon, sausage, baked beans, toast, and poached eggs!

- Oat cakes (cookies)

- Whiskey ice cream

- Fish and Chips! - my first real fish and chips was in Fort Augustus by Loch Ness.  And we definitely chose right in going with a tiny local “chippy.”  It was amazing!

- Sticky toffee pudding - One of the best things in the world.  The last I had was in Sligachan on Skye and came with Custard Cream

- Steak and ale pies and a pasty too (same thing, just smaller)

- Shepherd’s Pie

- Extremely Posh Chicken Pie - That’s what it was called on the label!

- Scotch broth (it’s a beef and barley stew, which sounds amazing, though the one I had was in a terrible restaurant in Portree, Skye)

- Fishcakes - we had fishcakes at Fisher’s in Leith, famous for having the best fishcakes around.  They are salmon bits and mash (mashed potato) fried like a crab cake with a lemon and chive mayonnaise.  Not bad and I’m glad I tried, but they were too much fishy-ness for me.

- Toasties - Essentially a grilled cheese sandwich.  The best was a cheese and tomato toastie from Clarinda’s Tea House.

- Baked potatoes - They’re everywhere.  It seems to be a common lunchtime choice and not with sour cream.  They put everything on them, instead of on a sandwich.  I tried Coronation Chicken (which is a sort of curry chicken and quite good) as well as a few other things.

- Scones and tea, of course - mostly the jam around here is raspberry, which is just wonderful!

- Porridge - I could always like a good oatmeal, but I am now in LOVE with porridge.  I even bought by own spurtle! (it’s a wooden spoon thing; what were you thinking!)  Especially wonderful with heather honey and milk!

I even wrote a song I was so in love, which Carrie insisted I should definitely post here.  My porridge song:

“I love porridge in the springtime!

I love porridge in the fall!

I love porridge, yes, I oh I love porridge,

That I don’t need to eat anything else at all!”

(obviously I didn’t really know how the song went except the first 2 lines)

And the beers:

I tried to go with all the local ones: Caledonian, Deuchars, Independence, Tennants, Guiness (of course), but I think my favorite was Hobgoblin.

And cider, of course: Magner’s, Strongbow, & Bulmer’s Pear Cider.