Festive food... ahh, music to my ears! Food is such a big part of Christmas, I love how every family has different food rituals. It might be the preparing of old family recipes or more likely the squabble over who started the bottom layer of chocs before the top one was finished (seriously, does anyone actually like the rose and violet creams??).
Have YOU been thinking about your favourite Christmas foods already? I bet you have. Are any Scottish foods on your list? I hope so as there are some really great Scottish food and drink makers out there. And we're not just talking haggis, shortbread and whisky (though those can be delicious).
It's hard to put into words the difference between a plate of Uig Lodge smoked salmon from the family-run smokehouse on Lewis and a plate of supermarket stuff; between a wild venison salami from Great Glen Charcuterie and a supermarket salami; between a mass-produced macaron and a Mademoiselle Macaron one, handmade to an authentic French recipe. You'll have to taste and see.
Scroll down and take a look. And if your mouth is watering or your interest piqued, click on them and try them for yourself. These are all wonderful makers spread across Scotland creating beautiful, delicious things, so let's celebrate them, let's support them, and let's eat (and drink) their wonderful produce!
WILD VENSION CHARCUTERIE FEAST
A fabulous wild venison charcuterie gift box with eight products from this small family-run producer in the Scottish Highlands
From a family-run smokehouse on the Isle of Lewis, this is beautiful. Closer to the flavourful salmon of the past, when it was a rare treat rather than a daily sandwich option. Try it, you'll see.
SELECTION OF THREE SCOTTISH CHEESES
Absolutely delicious and unique farmhouse cheeses from a family-run farm in Lanarkshire. Each box has: Corra Linn, Lanark Blue & Elrick Goat Log
If your Christmas meals are all about 'the bits', then you need these pickles in your life and on your table. A three-jar selection.
If you like a bit of black pud then you have to try Charles Macleod's from Stornoway. It's fantastic. My favourite is crumbled over some fresh Scottish scallops with a squeeze of lemon... so good.
Made with wind, sea and thorns in an extraordinary, 30ft high, 100ft long tower on the West Coast of Scotland. A winning ingredient.
The best handmade macarons this side of Paris, they're made to an authentic French recipe and make the most perfect of gifts.
This beauty of a 100% organic rum is given an East Neuk flavour with fresh pineapple and ginger, foraged hogweed and dulse and bladderwrack seaweeds.
Nuisance drinks are just the thing if you're after a soft drink that isn't sugar-filled or full of caffeine, just foraged botanicals, great on it's own with ice or as a mixer. This mixed case means you can try all the amazing flavours.
TOP TASTING JUMP SHIP LOW ALCOHOL BEERS
At just 0.5% these are very low alcohol. The case has lager, pale ale, IPA, stout... ideal for when you need to pace yourself... plus they just taste really really good.
