Foodie celebrations are taking place throughout the length and breadth of Scotland this year. In May, there’s the Taste of Edinburgh (the photo, left, is from 2009) in the Scottish Capital, while the Loch Fyne Food Fair takes place at Inveraray Castle, Argyll. Scottish Food Fortnight will then take place throughout Scotland during September before the focus moves north with the Shetland’s Food Festival in October.

First up is the Loch Fyne Food Fair, May 16-16, 2010. Alongside Loch Fyne Oysters own sea food stands, stalls will include Winston Churchill Venison, Isabella’s Preserves, Lambros Quality Foods, the Inverloch Cheese Company, Orkney Herrings, Barbreck Farms, Bumble Puddings, Fyne Cakes, Crystal Shortbread. Orkney Ice Creams and Ayrshire Confections.

Then, the Taste of Edinburgh is in Inverleith Park May 28-30, 2010. A large event with 10 restaurants offering tastings, it also promises hands-on cooking classes, cooking demos, and a producers’ market with both local and international purveyors of fine foodstuffs.

The Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight is September 4-19, 2010, “everywhere and anywhere” in Scotland. Dates for Shetland’s Food Festival are October 1-10, 2010 (don’t miss tasting the seawater oatcakes).

And, Road Trips Foodies, don’t forget the other Scottish food and drink festivals we’ve already highlighted: The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival April 29 through May 3, 2010, and the Three Harbours Seafood Festival, May 28 through 30, 2010.

Scotland even supports a food and drink promotion, highlighted at EatScotland.com. Not only is EatScotland a “where to eat” scheme from VisitScotland, but the website is intended to promote all positive aspects of food and drink in Scotland. EatScotland has two main objectives. Firstly it helps the residents and visitors to Scotland find great places to eat, not just the well-established places but also the many unsung and sometimes relatively undiscovered places within Scotland that are providing good food, but who may not have managed to get into the glossy printed guides.
The second aim is to raise the profile of Scottish food as an important part of tourism, giving credit to those who are achieving high standards and encouraging others to aspire to that standard.

For tourism info in Scotland, go online.

And, now, the question everyone’s been asking: how do you cook haggis? First, one assumes that you’re not steeped in Scottish tradition to assemble the haggis yourself, but will be ordering from a butcher or a Scottish food purveyor. EatScotland provides the details for Haggis with Neeps and Tatties!

Haggis

The haggis is already cooked and just needs some careful re-heating until it is piping hot. It may seem obvious, but it is essential to defrost before cooking if the haggis hasn’t been bought fresh.

Pan method
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil.
2. Place the haggis in the pan and turn the heat down immediately. The water should only simmer, not boil as this may burst the case…resulting in a culinary disaster and a ‘murdert haggis’. Some haggis come in a ‘cook-in bag’ to avoid this problem – otherwise wrapping it in foil would help to protect the contents. The length of time it should be gently poached depends on the size of your haggis. As a guide, a 1kg haggis takes around 75 mins.

Oven
1. Remove outer plastic bag and wrap in aluminium foil.
2. Place in a casserole dish with a little water and cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C (Gas Mark 6) for around an hour, depending on the size of your haggis. To be on the safe side, test with a cooking thermometer to a minimum of 63 degrees Centigrade.

Microwave
1. Remove outer bag and skin.
2. Cut into evenly-sized slices and heat on medium for around eight minutes – or as instructed on the haggis.
3. Halfway through cooking, mash with a fork to ensure an even temperature throughout.

Neeps