Product Description

From Arbroath fisherman's soup to Hebridean lamb with skirlie stuffing, Scottish cookery is famed for its honest, strong flavours and traditional, unpretentious ingredients. The names say it all: haggis; neeps and tatties; cullen skink; partan bree; Forfar bridies; apple frushie; and - no translation needed - whisky and honey ice cream.
Sue Lawrence has collected together over 200 of the best regional recipes, using only fresh local ingredients such as the fish, beef, lamb and venison for which Scotland is famous. Interspersed with fascinating stories about the origins of the dishes, this is a mine of time-honoured recipes, which are still as fresh and delicious as when they were first devised.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242954 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review
'mouthwatering...a well-illustrated book that will surely inspire you' -- Bath Chronicle 20020108 'The recipes are splendidly clear' -- Guardian

'Scots' and 'cooking' aren't two words normally associated with each other, at least not in a positive light. Sue Lawrence readily admits as much in her introduction, and heartily criticizes the well-documented Caledonian penchant for deep-frying and chips with everything. She doesn't dwell too long on this relatively recent downside, however, and soon offers plenty of evidence to suggest that, culinarily, Scotland has much to be proud of. As a former BBC Masterchef and long-running recipe writer for the Sunday Times, she certainly has the credentials necessary to put forward her case, and promptly takes us back to the days before the reign of the ubiquitous deep-fryer. Oats, broths and oily fish are, rightly, heralded as exceptionally healthy foodstuffs. Old books have been unearthed, revealing a surprisingly wide variety of menus over the years. Granted, many of these were restricted to the occupants of the big houses, while the daily fare of the poorer Scottish people is described as 'plain, possibly mundane', with special dishes being enjoyed only on special occasions. People tended to survive on what was available locally, and it's interesting to read how modern luxuries like oysters and lobsters were once everyday sustenance for those living near the sea. The recipes are divided into various categories, from highly acclaimed and justifiably popular breakfasts through hearty winter-friendly broths to wonderfully named fish dishes such as 'crappit heid' and 'hairy tatties'. Sections on meat and poultry, game and baking, as well as many of the individual recipes, come with a potted history and the occasional personalized aside. Scotland's reputation for hospitality is also emphasized in this collection, which won the Guild of Food Writers Michael Smith Award, and the whole thing is offered up in a refreshing style that Lawrence attributes to the cooking itself - unintimidating and unpretentious. (Kirkus UK)

Review
'The recipes are splendidly clear' (Guardian )

Synopsis
From Arbroath fisherman's soup to Hebridean lamb with skirlie stuffing, Scottish cookery is famed for its honest, strong flavours and traditional, unpretentious ingredients. The names say it all: haggis; neeps and tatties; cullen skink; partan bree; Forfar bridies; apple frushie; and - no translation needed - whisky and honey ice cream. Sue Lawrence has collected together over 200 of the best regional recipes, using only fresh local ingredients such as the fish, beef, lamb and venison for which Scotland is famous. Interspersed with fascinating stories about the origins of the dishes, this is a mine of time-honoured recipes, which are still as fresh and delicious as when they were first devised.

Customer Reviews

A Student's Perspective
Randomly saw this book on the internet and boy am I glad I did!!! I was looking for a cookery book with a difference for my mother for her birthday, she's half-scottish so it was a fairly relevant buy. She wasn't sure she would be able to master all the recipes however she found the recipes easy to follow and still managed to produce delicious results. I'm notoriously fussy yet this book was able to cater for all my needs. Now at uni, i look forward to my mums parcels of homemade tablet. I think this is a great book, perfect for all kinds of presents and even if you have no appreciation of Scotland by the end of it, you WILL!!!

A cook book for cook's
If you like Sunday lunches then this book is for you. Good traditional recipes given new scope and winning combinations, although trying to find a recipe which didn't contain any meat or lard was a bit of a challenge. Nice photography but I do like to see what I'm cooking to give me an idea and the handful of pictures scattered through the book left me in the dark and feeling that I should know what I'm doing already. A Scottish Gary Rhodes.