Scotland will forever maintain a special place in my heart, as it is place filled with some of the heartiest food on the planet, and some of the kindest people on the planet (the two of which, I think, are highly correlated).

It is therefore a joy for me to be writing this post to share with you my feelings about this beautiful country, as always, through the experiences that I had and the food that I ate.

Glasgow: Warm

Friendliest City in the World

If the rumors about Glasgow are to be believed, then it is perhaps one of the least desirable places in the world to visit, for its central characteristics would be a mix of drugs, crime and grime. In my experience though, it’s nothing but sublime, and the one rumor about it that is true is that it is seriously friendly.

The people of Glasgow are incredibly warm, despite the fact that, on average, Glasgow experiences rainfall for half of the year¹. During my three visits there, I’ve never once had any local ogle me with resentment, or speak to me in a tone that wasn’t welcoming, and on top of this, I’ve had countless experiences where locals went above and beyond to make me feel comfortable.

One such experience ironically occurred on London Road², on a bleak Saturday morning on the 28th of December. I was in the midst of a long run and deeply desired a warm drink and a kick of caffeine to give me the strength necessary to finish. But I had woven my way into a region of the city that was desolate in this festive period, so with every turn I was faced with an empty street and a strong gust of disappointment. This was until I found a café that had its door ajar, and it was only when I walked in that I realized that they were due to open in 30 minutes. However, the barista made no mention of it and decided to serve me anyway, and while science tells me that it was the warmth of the matcha latte that helped me shoulder the cold, the spiritual in me can’t help but think that it was the kindness of the barista that made me feel warm.

Rebellious Culture

Glaswegians are a fascinating bunch because they have a few peculiarities that may strike you as contradictory to their kindness. For one, they love a strong drink, and (perhaps consequently) they love a good fight. It is therefore no surprise that Glasgow has a strong hooligan scene, and it is not uncommon for Celtics fans to parade around the city taunting Rangers fans (the other Glaswegian football team) when the Rangers lose (and vice versa) independent of whom they have lost to. Despite this though, I’ve seen how some of the drunkest, rowdiest and most menacing hooligans can instantly zap out of their belligerent state to help those in need, such as forcing the door of the Glasgow metro open for people walking in crutches.

The rebellious nature of Glaswegians isn’t just limited to football: take for example their persistence on capping the statue of the Duke of Wellington with a cone, despite repeated attempts by the city council to deter vandals. Beyond this though, there’s a plethora of street art (both sponsored and organic) that reflect the Glaswegians’ attitude towards the establishment.

Infrastructure

The city centre is a beauty due to the high concentration of 19th century Victorian architecture, which for me, makes it a joy to walk through. Even when the city is rainy, there is a certain charm in walking between those buildings which are brushed by the yellow of the street lights.

Unfortunately, the beauty of the city greatly diminishes outside the city centre as industry takes over, and the infrastructure becomes highly car centric. It becomes tricky to walk from place to place as sidewalks completely disappear in someplace. As I write this I am thankful to the powers that be for cursing Glasgow with car-reliance, as otherwise the pull to lift and shift my life to Glasgow would have been irresistible.

A final comment about the city centre: it is fitted with something lacking in the rest of the UK – trashcans! This was ideal as I didn’t need to carry my trash for miles before finding a trashcan, only to see that it is filled to the brim and overflowing.

Cranichan

Despite my love for the city, I haven’t explored much of it’s culinary scene, as frankly I am probably too old (here: too sane) to destroy my body by feeding it deep fried pizzas, mars bars and haggis. However, during my most recent trip to Glasgow I did get to try a Scottish dessert that reminds me a lot of Glaswegians: Cranichan.

The whisky in this dish packs a punch with each bite, but the creaminess of the whipped cream and custard, the nuttiness of the toasted oats and the freshness of the raspberries is as comforting as Glasgow.

Edinburgh: Fickle

Beauty Unbound

Of all the places in Scotland, Edinburgh represents how it is described by others most fairly: it truly is a stunning and beautiful city. What you feel in the city centre of Glasgow you feel in the entirety of Edinburgh, except that you are also blessed with a tonne of green space around the city. Walking through Edinburgh is a true joy, and it’s helped by the fact that it is small enough that you can visit every corner of the city by foot!

I got immensely lucky when I was there, as the skies blessed us with the most stunning lighting.

Unlike Glasgow though, Edinburgh does suffer from being a tourist hotspot, and you can see it when you walk through the high street leading up to Edinburgh castle. The castle itself was lit a menacing red when I was there, which suits the architecture in my opinion.

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

I tried Haggis for the first time in Edinburgh. If you don’t know what it is, it is best not to research it before you try it as it will sound disgusting. The taste is wonderful though, and I would place it firmly in the “comfort foods” category. The flavour is humble: nothing bold, but it is rich, mostly due to the oatmeal! The neeps (mashed swede) and tatties (mashed potatoes) add a nice balance.

I also tried a Scottish vegetable soup, which tasted very homey. I was not in the mood to try Cullen Skink (my mind just couldn’t dissociate it from stink…), which is a fish soup made from haddock and potato.

Glencoe: Dreich

Glencoe Mountain Resort

I was blessed with fairly beautiful skies during my most recent trip to Scotland, and with temperatures of 11-14 degrees in the heart of winter, there was little to complain about.

However, during my day trip to Glencoe I got to experience Scotland’s infamous weather: dreich. The soul sucking weather, the dearth of sleep that I had the night before, and the winding and uncomfortable roads of the Scottish highlands knocked me out during the car ride to Glencoe Mountain Resort.

Once we got there though, I was taken away by the sights. It is said that the views are most beautiful when the mountains are covered in luscious green or fluffy snow. I, however, was mesmerized by the fog. There is a certain beauty in taking things as they are.

Since there was no snow, the ski area was closed. However, there was a sledding area prepared by an ice machine. My inner child took over, and I ZOOMED past all the others, kids and grown-ups alike!

If you do end up visiting outside winter, I would highly recommend mountain biking there! There was a route that looked absolutely awesome, and it’s something I would have definitely done had I had the opportunity.

Skyfall Lodge

We went a bit further up north to an area that was truly desolate… except for all the tourists who had come to see the Skyfall Lodge (I legit thought it was a random house we were going to visit and was unaware that it appeared in a James Bond film!).

I sometimes ask myself why the idea of cycling the NC500 is so appealing to me, and while there are many factors involved (not least of which a desire to run from all my worries), the nature lover, spiritual and introvert in me convince me that the main driver is to be one with the elements, with not another soul in sight for miles and miles and miles.

Food From the Heart

The food on the way to Glencoe was by far the most simple, and yet arguably the most fitting for what I was looking for.

The drive there was making me really dizzy and I was starting to need some food… but given my state I didn’t have much of an appetite, and there weren’t many options available either (this was Boxing Day and we were in very remote areas). We stopped by The Green Welly Stop for a break on the way to the resort, and this is where I got porridge.

This was nothing more than what it looks like: simply water and thick Scottish oats. However, it was a truly enjoyable meal³, and it made me reflect on how even the simplest of meals can be elevated if care is taken when cooking. I hardly control for the amount of water I had to my oats when I make porridge, let alone consider the brand, size and type of oats that I’m using. So it’s no surprise that my oats either turn too thick to enjoy, or too watery. The texture in the photo was excellent in my view, because it was slightly chewy⁴, but had enough moisture content that it didn’t feel dry, and the liquid didn’t taste watery, but of starchy goodness from the oats. It was all I needed in my dizzy, tired and hungry state.

But things got much better at the resort. There, we found a café serving tomato soup… which paired perfectly with the weather outside and really added to the experience. The soup itself was lovely, with no flavour imbalances (I’m a massive fan of tomato soup so any tomato soup that tastes of tomato, and not of tomato paste, makes me a happy bean). The bread and butter weren’t anything special, but great at soaking the soup… although I ended up drinking the soup from the cup as a drink, and enjoyed the bread with butter and some salt.

Goodbye Scotland… For Now!

I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to Scotland, but I know that I will. Perhaps the forces within me will overcome my restraint, and in my next post about Scotland you’ll hear about me cycling the NC500!

1. I’ve also been told by a Glaswegian friend of mine that in 2020, there was rainfall in some part of Glasgow 40% of the year (not of the days… of all time!). However I’m unable to find a source to confirm this incredible assertion. ↩︎
2. Unlike Glasgow, London is known for being a ruthless city with everyone minding their own business. ↩︎
3. You might be starting to question my honesty as I am describing the most humble dishes so positively. I don’t glaze though, and I try to stay as true to how I felt at the time! ↩︎
4. For me, if the porridge is to have milk then I want the consistency to resemble pudding. Otherwise I like a chew. ↩︎