Post in collaboration with Expedia
Only three ingredients yet full of flavour. Scotch Beef, Mature Cheddar Cheese and Haggis combine to create a succulent burger that is undoubtedly greater than the sum of it's parts.
Food and travel are inexplicably linked. I'll hold my hands up and admit that many, if not all of my holidays are planned around food. I reckon that's not a bad thing especially given my recent edible adventures to Iceland and Singapore and upcoming ones to Italy and France. However you don't need to leave the UK to enjoy a fantastic foodie trip as there's a year round wealth of food and drink-themed activities and events around the country, from major food festivals to celebrations of local produce. Expedia have created a UK Food Map to highlight the best of these events. This handy guide allows you to use their month-by-month filters to explore what's on where and when you spot something you like you can click the ‘find a cottage’ link to see the range of holiday cottages nearby. For me a holiday cottage is absolutely the best option for a foodie adventure as it offers me the the freedom to dine out and sample local restaurants combined with the facilities to cook for myself with goodies bought from local farm shops and producers. It really is the best of both worlds.
The event in June that caught my eye on the Food Map is The Royal Highland Show. Described on the Expedia map as 'Scotland's annual agriculture showcase www.royalhighlandshow.org attracts up to 190,000 visitors. For foodies, the highlight is Scotland's Larder Live, which is packed with talks, tastings and food stalls.' As a farmer's daughter the Highland Show in Edinburgh has been an annual pilgrimage from a very early age. I didn't quite know how early until I quizzed my Mum about my first visit. Turns out I went as a bump in her tummy. A slight bleed resulted Mum being taken from the showground by ambulance and admitted to hospital. Meanwhile Dad stayed at the show for the rest of the week and never even mentioned to their fellow Young Farmers Club friends that Mum was in hospital! Typical farmer.
Whilst the Highland Show has always been a must do for the farming community, over the years it has expanded to provide something for everyone. Of course farming is still the main event but it also includes an outdoor living and countryside area, shopping & fashion, entertainment, children's activities, renewable energy and food & drink. However for me its the stocklines that really encompass what the show is about. That combined with the Scotland's Larder area shows off the whole ethos of Farm to Fork. When it came to creating a recipe inspired by the show it simply had to be Scotch Beef. To complement it I've used two more fantastic Scottish products. Haggis and Cheese. These three ingredients come together to make a fantastically tasty and succulent burger that is even greater than the sum of it's parts.
Scotch Beef, Cheese and Haggis Burgers
Makes 8
500g Lean Scotch Beef Mince
454g Haggis
200g Mature Scottish Cheddar, coarsely grated
Remove the haggis from its outer cover and cut into small cubes - approx 1cm. Place in a bowl along with the Scotch Beef Mince and the Grated Cheese. No additional seasoning is required.
Mix until everything is blended together, the best way to do this is to use your hands.
Divide the mixture into 8 even portions and shape into patties or use a burger press.
The burgers can then be cooked in a frying pan, under the grill or on the barbecue for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through. Turn them halfway through the cooking time.
Serve in a bun with your favourite condiments and sides.
When it comes to choosing your beef, the logo and wording you need to look out for is Scotch Beef PGI. PGI stands for Protected Geographical Indication. It’s an EU scheme to protect and promote high quality traditional and regional food products unique to a geographic area. Scotch Beef has long held this coveted PGI status and is specially selected and only sourced from Scottish farms that adopt best practice regarding animal welfare and natural production methods. When you see the PGI badge with the Scotch Beef logo, you can be confident that all cattle were born, reared and processed in Scotland and hold whole life quality assurance.
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Disclosure: This is a commissioned recipe for Expedia. As always, all views expressed are my own.
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