A Taste of Scotland to Serve at Home

When you travel with Country Walkers, you can always rely on discovering authentic local cuisine. You’ll experience fine dining in up-scale restaurants—or perhaps discover artisanal wine and cheeses, carefully crafted from the finest local ingredients and aged in an ancient cellar that’s been serving that purpose for generations. Our walking adventures also feature a deep dive into local culture—led by guides who are native to the region. They’ll introduce you to neighboring families serving up hearty, iconic meals—often made from ingredients sourced from their homestead kitchen garden. To give you a sample of these down-home flavors, we asked some of our local guides for recipes based on regional specialties they love to prepare in their own kitchens.

Flavors Inspired by the Poetry of Robert Burns

“On January 25 every year, Scots across Scotland (and around the world) gather to celebrate Burn’s Night, a celebration of Scotland’s most famous poet Robert (Rabbie) Burns,” explains Country Walkers guide Cat Trebilco. “The night includes many traditions, from wearing kilts and tartan, to singing Burns songs and reading his poems. There’s the piping in of the haggis on the bagpipes, and the toast to the haggis, with Burn’s classic poem ‘Address to a Haggis.’ Then there’s speeches, including the Toast to the Lassies, where the gentlemen in the group have the opportunity to gently mock the ladies in the group, followed by the Lassie’s Reply, where we get our revenge! It often finishes with a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), a traditional Scottish barn dance.”

“When I moved to Scotland in 2012,” Cat recalls. “This was my first introduction to many different Scottish dishes, as I joined my hill-walking club for their annual Burn’s Supper. The traditional menu includes cranachan. This simple dessert is traditionally made of just five ingredients: whipped double cream, oats (often toasted), raspberries, honey and, of course, whisky!”

“Cranachan (pronounced cran-a-can) owes its origins to ‘crowdie,’ an old Scottish breakfast in which crowdie cheese is combined with lightly toasted oatmeal, cream, and local honey,” explains Cat. “Raspberries, when in season, might be added to the breakfast. There’s no mention of whisky in the original crowdie…but Scots haven’t changed much through the years, and drinking at breakfast time is acceptable!”

“Cranachan is now served all year round, and typically on special occasions, such as the Burn’s Night I mention above,” says Cat. “A traditional way to serve cranachan is to bring dishes of each ingredient to the table so that each person can assemble their own dessert to taste. However, for practical reasons, when serving 40 people at a Burn’s Supper, we make it in the kitchen (whipping the cream in a huge pot) and assemble in layers in wine glasses.”

“There’s no set recipe, it’s more a case of just ‘bung it all in together’ (that’s my favorite kind of cooking!)” Cat chuckles. “The only bit of real “cooking” needed is to toast the oats in a frying pan, or under the grill.”

Make the Cranachan Recipe at Home

Great ingredients, especially honey and whiskey, are important. The combination of
tasty oats, honey, whiskey, cream and raspberries is pretty close to Scottish heaven.
Makes: 6 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

• ½ cup steel-cut oats
• 1 pound raspberries, divided
• 3 tablespoons honey, divided
• ¼ cup top-quality Scotch whiskey, such as Glenfiddich or Glenlivet (optional), divided
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Fresh mint to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Toast the oats in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned,
   about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye so they don’t overbrown. Set aside.
2. If you’d like, choose a few raspberries to decorate the tops and set aside. Use a fork to mash
   half the remaining raspberries, 1 tablespoon of the honey and 1 tablespoon of whiskey (if using)
   in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining raspberries.
3. Whip the cream in a large bowl until it starts to thicken, then drizzle in 1 tablespoon each
   honey and whiskey and whip until stiff peaks form.
4. To assemble the Cranachan: Either mix all the ingredients together to make a big messy
   deliciousness or make layers of cream and raspberries and top with a drizzle of the remaining
   tablespoons of honey and whiskey. Finish by sprinkling toasted oats and fresh mint on top.

Get Your Free Adventure-Inspired Cookbook

Our Country Walkers guides love to introduce travelers to the local culture and traditions of their homeland—and with a wealth of wonderful recipes to share, it’s no wonder this adventure-inspired cookbook has become a long-time Country Walkers favorite. These are the perfect recipes to make when you’re hungry for travel, seeking fresh inspiration, or simply nostalgic for past adventures.

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