11 Traditional Scottish Food Dishes to Try

When you think of Scottish food, haggis always comes to mind. One of our most traditional and famous dishes is haggis, neeps and tatties, (turnips and potatoes). A delicious combination of meat, oatmeal, onions, salt and spices, haggis is really flavoursome.

Places to try haggis:

• Arcade Haggis & Whisky House, Edinburgh
• The Grog and Gruel, Fort William
• Ubiquitous Chip, Glasgow

Fried in golden, crispy batter with thick-cut chips bursting with fluffy potato, the quality of our fish suppers is a point of national pride. There are hundreds of shacks, shops and vans across Scotland that offer up this traditional dish.

Places to try fish and chips:

• Anstruther Fish Bar, Fife
• Frankie’s, Shetland
• Fisherman’s Pier fish & chip van, Isle of Mull

You might not realise porridge comes from Scotland. But it has been a favourite staple throughout the years and is still a healthy option we all eat today.

Places to try Scottish porridge:

• Contini on George Street, Edinburgh
• Food Story Café, Aberdeen
• Bridgeview Station Restaurant, Dundee

Scotland is home to many cafes, shops and farms that create an incredible variety of ice cream flavours. These independent places serve up mouth-watering concoctions, some of which you may not have tried before, all with locally-sourced and even homegrown ingredients.

Places to try ice cream:

• The Milk Barn, Falkirk
• Stewart Tower Dairy, Perthshire
• Alandas Gelato, North Berwick and Edinburgh

You can’t go wrong with a hearty, full Scottish breakfast. Varying from place to place, it typically consists of fried eggs, toast, bacon, baked beans, hash browns, sausages, black pudding, tattie scones, mushrooms and fried tomatoes. It's definitely a dish that will set you up for a grand day out exploring Scotland!

Places to try a full Scottish breakfast include:

• Gloagburn Farm Shop, Perth
• The Shore, Arran
• The Loft Café & Bakery, Haddington, East Lothian

We have no shortage of coastal destinations and fishing villages here in Scotland, and with that comes a fantastic opportunity to tuck into some fresh, delicious Scottish seafood.

Head to Glenegedale House in Islay where you’ll find everything from lobster and crab to local langoustines, hand-dived scallops and hot and cold smoked salmon on the menu.

Explore Glenegedale House

Or why not follow Scotland's Seafood Trail, a collection of eight amazing restaurants on the west coast of Scotland?

Follow Scotland's Seafood Trail

Maybe one you haven’t heard of before, but this traditional Scottish dessert was originally a celebration of harvest, following the raspberry season in June. This dessert includes cream and fresh raspberries served up with Scottish oats and whisky. It has been called “the uncontested king of Scottish dessert”. Have a try and let us know what you think!

Places to try cranachan:

• Applecross Inn, Applecross
• Whiski Rooms, Edinburgh
• Cranachan, Glasgow

Cullen Skink is a thick, traditional Scottish soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions. It's a local specialty at many places including at the Rockpool Café in the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north-east coast.

Explore Rockpool Café

Black pudding is a traditional regional type of blood sausage, usually made of pork or beef blood mixed in with oatmeal, oat groats or barley groats. It is often served up in a full Scottish breakfast or can be paired with roast lamb, scallops, or any dish you fancy really!

The best black pudding comes from Stornoway on Lewis and can be found be in many butchers and restaurants on the island. Make sure to try the haggis and black pudding tower at the Boatshed Restaurant.

Visit the Boatshed Restaurant

Scottish tablet is a tricky recipe to get right, but our culinary experts have managed to master it. This medium-hard sweet can be eaten on its own, mixed in with ice cream, or as with other flavours, such as rum and raisin, chocolate orange, nuts and even Irn Bru!

Where to buy tablet:

• Aldomak, Glasgow
• Donnie’s Tablet Shed, Isle of Skye
• Scottish Tablet Company, Campbeltown

When you think about Scotland’s national produce, whisky may pop to mind, and it’s no surprise! Some of Scotland’s islands are home to numerous distilleries, making them the perfect place to sample a variety of malts – from the gentle and delicate to the strong and peaty.

Elsewhere, our cities and mainland towns and villages are also home to their own home-grown blends that perfectly capture a variety of flavours and combinations – a must-try when visiting Scotland!