Why Scotland's food scene is on the rise

And while Scotland’s superior produce is acknowledged nationally, much of it is sent abroad. According to the Department for International Trade, exports of food and drink from Scotland in 2018 were worth £5.8 billion. ‘Our products are in high demand across the world, including in markets themselves famous for their food and drink – from France to China to Japan. And it’s not just our whisky and salmon that people want. You can find Scottish gin in Thailand and Australia, and our oatcakes and cheeses in the USA and Canada,’ says Beverley Hart, communications and marketing director for Scotland Food & Drink.

Last summer, former secretary of state for international trade Dr Liam Fox said, ‘Despite the world economic slowdown, Scottish food and drink businesses are performing exceptionally well in international markets.’

Demand on home soil is increasing, however. ‘There is a growing interest in Scottish produce from our visitors and Scottish consumers, which can be seen in the increase of food experiences on offer. From restaurant menus bursting with local produce, street-food festivals, farm stays, brewery and distillery visits, there are so many opportunities to sample the unique flavours Scotland has to offer,’ explains Hart.

Born and raised in Scotland, chef Stuart Ralston left to work in New York before returning to open his restaurant, Noto, in Edinburgh. He says that while ‘the produce has always been here’, the demand for it from local restaurants is more recent. This shift in attitude has been important for the growth of Scottish cuisine. Restaurants like The Gannet in Glasgow serve seasonal modern food with every ingredient – Scotch partridge, Loch Melfort sea trout, brown crab from the Fife village of Pittenweem – sourced from Scottish suppliers. The Three Chimneys in the Isle of Skye takes the idea even further, with most of its ingredients sourced from local foragers, crofters, fishermen and farmers – all a few miles from the restaurant’s door.

Sitting in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, Timberyard is fully aware of the goodness grown on its doorstep, too; much of what’s on the menu has been foraged locally. Andrew Radford, who runs Timberyard with his wife and two sons, says, ‘I’ll bring things home and Ben, who is head chef, and his brother, who runs the bar, will both be keen to get hold of it and create something new for the bar or kitchen.’

Andrew was an early advocate for using homegrown ingredients. As a head chef, he learned from local producers that not a lot of their food was being sold to Scottish restaurants, so he formed a small association of chefs who would buy it and then shout about it. It’s not just Scotland’s food industry that’s changing though, the palates of diners are, too. Not only have their tastes become more exotic but the provenance of ingredients is increasingly important, quite notably in places like Scotland’s capital. Edinburgh is a city that relishes the independent and artisan, and its liberal population has helped a growth in eateries that didn’t exist before, serving food that is nuanced, thoughtful and creative.

Ralston, whose restaurant Noto on Thistle Street is inspired by both Asian cuisine and the free-flowing style of New York dining, explains: ‘I left Edinburgh because there wasn’t a lot of choice of places to cook [as a chef]. I moved to New York and would walk around the city wishing that there were taco restaurants and by-the-slice pizza places in my hometown. Now those things have finally trickled in [to Edinburgh]. Not only is it great to see but it’s also changing the food culture here for the better.’

Edinburgh’s world-famous cheesemonger, family-run I.J. Mellis, which first opened in 1993, now has three stores in the city, along with shops in Glasgow and St. Andrews. ‘There’s a lot of opportunity to start something new in Edinburgh,’ says Rory Mellis, son of founder, Iain. ‘It’s easy to raise your profile quickly, as the food scene gets a lot of good exposure here now. That means you can grow at a fast pace.’ As well as running five stores, I.J. Mellis also sells its products wholesale to restaurants around the country. Last year, it had more new restaurants on its books than ever before.

While culinary expertise has long been established in Scotland – it’s currently home to 10 Michelin-starred restaurants – new cooking talent is fast emerging, too. Timberyard’s Radford says: ‘Young people are coming through who have worked for big-named chefs in London or elsewhere but return to Scotland because it offers such a great life-work balance. There is a renaissance happening in Scotland.’