25+ Quirky Scottish Recipes

Celebrate St Andrew's Day, Burns Night, Hogmanay or any other Scottish occasion with the collection of recipes with a distinctly Scottish twist. Scotch Beef, Irn Bru, Tunnock's Teacakes, Haggis, Scottish Salmon, Tattie Scones, Whisky, Shortbread, Arbroath Smokies, Scottish Gin and more feature in this roundup of more than 25 quirky Scottish Recipes. 

As Scotland's Patron Saint, poor old St Andrew doesn't always seem to get the attention he deserves. Celebrated on 30th November, St Andrew's Day is often overshadowed by the Burns Night celebrations of 25th January. However in recent years, particularly since 2006 when the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew's Day as an official bank holiday, there has been somewhat of a resurgence in celebrations surrounding the date. In honour of the event I've pulled together a roundup of over 25 of my recipes with a particularly Scottish slant. 

Scottish Cullen Skink Crepes

Celebrate Shrove Tuesday with a Scottish twist. Taking all the flavours of a traditional Cullen Skink soup - Smoked Haddock, Potatoes, Leeks and Milk - and using them as a savoury pancake day filling. Say Bonjour to Crepes with a Scottish accent. Much to good to save only for Pancake Day!

For the uninitiated, Cullen Skink possibly doesn't sound the most enticing of foods but I can assure you that it is. Hailing from Cullen, a small fishing village on the North East coast of Scotland, it's a hearty soup made of milk, smoked fish, potatoes and leeks. If you fancy giving it a go head to my recipe for Cullen Skink - A traditional Scottish Smoked Haddock Soup. I'm a huge fan of savoury crepes/pancakes so with pancake day beckoning and purchases of leeks and smoked haddock made at Stonehaven Farmer's Market I decided to combine them both in my Cullen Skink Crepes.

Grandma Monearn's Scotch Pancakes

My granny’s failsafe and prize winning Scotch Pancake recipe. Also known as dropped scones or bannocks. Ideal for pancake day, breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea.

This pancake recipe which was handed down to me by my Grandma appears in various shapes and forms across by blog but really does deserve a post of its own especially with Shrove Tuesday on the horizon. I've written previously about my Granny Jean Benzie, her baking prowess and her involvement as a stalwart of the SWRI. Hush a bye don't you cry, Mammy’s off to the WRI and I've previously shared her failsafe and prizewinning recipes for Shortbread, Ministers Slices and Cornflake Biscuits.

A dozen of my Haggis Recipes for Burns Night

Fancy something a wee bit different than the traditional Haggis, Neeps and Tatties for your Burns Supper celebrations? I've got you covered with this selection of more than a dozen recipes including Pancakes, Meatloaf, Burgers, Dauphinoise, Gnocchi, Waffles, Birls, Shepherd's Pie, Soup, Scotch Eggs, Toasties and even Chocolate Haggis!

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 

Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! 

Aboon them a' ye tak your place, 

Painch, tripe, or thairm : 

Weel are ye wordy o'a grace 

As lang's my arm. 

Tunnocks Teacake Christmas Puddings

Such a quick and easy yet super visually impressive no bake Christmas Treat. Perfect for kids to help make. The iconic Scottish Tunnock's Teacake topped with white chocolate and red and green icing becomes a Figgy Pudding!

So today is Stir Up Sunday. The date on which you should traditionally make your Christmas Pudding. If that all seems like a wee bit too much hard work I've got an alternative idea to share. Tunnock's Teacake Christmas Puddings. If you want to stick with tradition I've also blogged my failsafe 7 Cup Pudding Recipe along with a boozy pud from Neil Forbes of Edinburgh's Cafe St Honoré. 

Drambuie Ice Cream Truffles

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Post in collaboration with Drambuie

There's only three ingredients plus toppings in these decadent ice cream truffles flavoured with Drambuie, Scotland's iconic heather honeyed whisky liqueur. These showstopping truffles do take a wee bit of time and effort but the result is a perfect 5th course 'sobremesa moment', over which friends and family can reconnect.

 

What to drink when dinner is done but the night is still young? With restrictions easing and socialising with friends and family once again on the cards I'm delighted to be working with iconic scottish brand Drambuie to champion its place on the dinner table as part of the fifth course, or as the Spanish call it 'sobremesa'. I must confess that the word sobremesa was new to me but it's concept is not. The literal translation to English is 'over the table'. It's the point in the evening when canapes, starter, main and dessert have all been enjoyed, everyone is relaxed and the conversation is in full flow. The spell would be broken by leaving the table so the moment is extended by a 5th course of special treats such as chocolate, cheese, coffee, petit fours, liqueurs or a combination of all of the above. Drambuie is the perfect accompaniment for such a sharing and pairing moment. 

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties TikTok Wrap

Now that's what I call serious Burns! Jumping firmly on the tik tok wrap hack bandwagon with a Haggis, Neeps and Tatties version for Burns Night. Instead of rolling all the fillings up, the tortilla is folded into quarters making a compact triangle shaped wrap where nothing can escape. Genius!

It had to be done. A Scottish version of the wrap hack that's taken TikTok by storm. I used a ready meal but this would work equally well with leftovers. Haggis (veggie or traditional), Neep (swede) and Tatties (potatoes) with plenty of Scottish Cheddar. Surely the ultimate Scottish toastie for Burns Supper and beyond. Some awesome serving suggestions from my followers included the addition of a whisky cream or peppercorn dipping sauce.

Haggis are of course small four legged creatures that live in the Highlands. They have two legs shorter than the others so they can run around the mountains without toppling over. Catch one yourself by chasing it the opposite way round the mountain or buy a free range one from your butcher.

Scottish Neeps are Turnips, but not wee white new Turnips but rather the large purple skinned yellow/orange Swede.

Tatties are potatoes and must be of the mashed variety.

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties TikTok Wrap

Wrap

Haggis

Mashed Neeps

Mashed Tatties

Scottish Cheddar (grated)

Place your wrap on a chopping board. Take a knife and make a cut from the top to the centre point.

Heat through your haggis, neeps and tatties in the microwave.

Imagine the wrap being divided up into four quarters (like a 4 seasons pizza)

Put haggis in the top left, neeps in the bottom left, tatties bottom right and finally grated scottish cheddar top right.

Fold the wrap starting from the top left left quarter, folding it down over the bottom left, over to the bottom right and finally up to the top right.

Toast in a frying/griddle pan or in a panini press or health grill until the cheese has melted and the wrap is crispy.

Some awesome serving suggestions from my followers included the addition of a whisky cream or peppercorn dipping sauce.

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Slow Cooked Scotch Beef Chilli Con Carne

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Post in collaboration with The Scotch Kitchen

Cook once, eat twice with slow cooked scotch beef chilli con carne. This one pot dish can be made in a slow cooker, oven or on top of the stove - the longer you cook it the better it will be. Once you've tried Scotch beef shin you'll never go back to mince in your chilli con carne. 

Whilst we find ourselves having to stay home I'm delighted to continue to work with The Scotch Kitchen to bring you a Scotch Beef recipe that you can cook once and eat twice (or more!) and/or pop in the freezer. Rather than use mince to make chilli I opted for beef shin which brings a whole new dynamic of flavour and unctuousness to the dish. Once you've tried it you'll never go back to mince in your chilli con carne. 

Haggis Neeps and Tatties Dauphinoise

Creamy dauphinoise potatoes with a touch of Burns. Layers of Scotland's holy trinity - haggis, neeps and tatties - combine to make a dish worthy of The Bard himself. Great with either traditional or vegetarian haggis. Serve with a dram and celebrate Burns Night in style. Gie her a haggis!

Tis the season for Haggis. Truth be told it's never out of season in this household but it always springs to prominence around Burns Night. (25th January for the uninitiated). I made Haggis Neeps and Tatties Dauphinoise for Burns Night last year but never got around to blogging the recipe. Time to rectify that oversight. The result definitely needs to be added to my Top 10 Haggis Recipes for Burns Night. 

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care, 

And dish them out their bill o' fare, 

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware 

That jaups in luggies; 

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer 

Gie her a haggis!

Haggis, Neeps and Gnocchi in a Whisky Cream Sauce

An Italian Scottish fusion to celebrate our national Bard, Robert Burns. Haggis, and Neeps combine in a creamy whisky sauce but the traditional mashed tatties are swapped out for Gnocchi - Italian Potato Dumplings. 

I can't believe we've got to Burns night and I've not yet posted a Haggis recipe. I'm disappointed in myself. I had three in planning for this year to add to my top 10 haggis recipes for Burns night, but I'm not sure I'm even going to get around to publishing the other two. (Although in my book Haggis is most definitely for life and not just for Burns Night) 

Gnocchi - pronounced N(Y)OK-ee - are one of my daughter's favourite foods but lots of people don't seem to know of them and what they are. A good description would perhaps be 'thick, small and soft dough dumplings of Italian origin made of potato and flour, cooked and eaten in much the same way as pasta'

Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Cracked Black Pepper Oatcake Crust

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Post in collaboration with Nairn's Oatcakes

Brussels Sprouts are an absolute must have side dish on the Christmas dinner table. This year take them to a whole new level in a creamy gratin with bacon, chestnuts and garlic topped with a cheesy crust made with traditional Scottish oatcakes. Think cheesy skirlie! 

When it comes to Christmas are you #TeamSprout or #TeamNowt? When I asked on my Instagram stories the lovers outnumbered the haters 73% to 27% which I was somewhat surprised about. Personally I fall somewhere in the middle. To be fair I really only ever eat them at Christmas and even then it's possibly more to do with the fact that I feel obliged to do so. They are the Marmite of the vegetable world with jokes a plenty about mother-in-laws putting them on to boil in August so that they are ready for 25th December. Over the years that I've been cooking Christmas dinners I've found a most palatable way of eating them based on the fact that cream, bacon and cheese improves pretty much anything in the food world. My Brussels Sprouts Gratin is a world away from the unpleasant boiled to death sprouts of Christmas past. Plus its got THE most awesome Scottish oatcake topping. 

Scotch Lamb Mac and Cheese

Post in collaboration with Quality Meat Scotland

Lamb Mac and Cheese is Scottish comfort food at its best and then some! Scotch Lamb PGI stirred through creamy macaroni cheese before being topped with lashings of Scottish cheddar and baked in the oven until ooey and gooey. The best bits of macaroni cheese and shepherd’s pie all rolled into one midweek meal which the whole family will enjoy. 

Pastitsio is a Greek pasta bake made with spiced lamb mince, tomato sauce, bechamel sauce and layers of macaroni. As lovely as it sounds, I reckon the constituent ingredients could be made even better by giving them a Scottish twist. How about Scotch Lamb stirred through creamy macaroni cheese before being topped with lashings of Scottish cheddar and baked in the oven until ooey and gooey? Doesn't that just scream out midweek comfort food to you? The best bits of macaroni cheese and shepherd’s pie all rolled into one. What's not to like?

Newtonhill Pipe Band, Pipers for Peace 1918-2018, Amiens

I've mentioned on both the blog and my social media channels on countless occasions that I am either a pipe band widow or a pipe band groupie. All three of my family play with Newtonhill Pipe Band. Foodie Loon is a piper, boy a snare drummer and girl a tenor drummer. I have the choice to either stay at home in blissful peace or join them on their musical adventures. This usually entails trips to local school fairs, village galas, highland games and suchlike, but sometimes the opportunity arises to venture further afield.

Cranachan Flapjacks with Whisky Icing Drizzle

Post in collaboration with Hamlyns of Scotland

Scottish Cranachan Flapjacks with Whisky Icing Drizzle bring together all the flavours of this traditional dessert in a bite sized oaty snack. The combination of both oats and oatmeal in this flapjack, combined with honey and raspberry jam create both a texture and flavour sensation. Top them off with a drizzle of whisky icing - slàinte mhath!

Whilst Scotland is known for many great dishes and a fantastic natural larder I'm not sure if anything brings them all together quite like Cranachan does. This traditional dish combines honey, whisky, raspberries, oats and cream into a delicious dessert. I've used it as my inspiration for a twist on a flapjack made with Hamlyns Oats and Oatmeal. Raspberries are incorporated in jam form and honey binds the flapjack together. There's just a tablespoon of Whisky in the icing drizzle but if you'd prefer a teetotal version this can be substituted for water. The combination of both oats and oatmeal provided a wonderful texture and is something I'm going to be using in all my flapjacks going forward. 

Tunnocks Teacake Easter Bunny Bums

Another of my quirky Scottish recipes using the iconic Tunnock's Teacake. The perfect no bake chocolate treat for Easter. A quick and easy assembly job using Tunnock's Teacake along with chocolate buttons and marshmallow tails to make oh so cute Easter Bunny Bums. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter! I feel I can finally say that now that Mother's Day has passed. I was going to update to my Easter logo last week but held on with the Bitten Heart for a little bit longer to celebrate International Women's Day and Mothering Sunday. I was rather spoiled by my favourite teenage humans with breakfast in bed, flowers, fizz and vouchers. Following this we headed for a walk in Dunnottar Woods with Pippa from BorrowMyDoggy and Ice Cream at Aunty Betty's. A late lunch at The Creel Inn was delicious whilst the day rounded off the the final episode of Call The Midwife and a Bubble Bath. Much love to all those who found the day difficult for whatever reason. 

Haggis Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread with a Scottish Twist. Traditional or Vegetarian Haggis brings a Celtic connection to this quick and easy bread. No kneading, proving or yeast required in this fuss free bake.

Burns Night is all done and dusted for another year, however in this house Haggis is definitely for life, not just the 25th of January. As it happens I've hardly seen my husband - aka Foodie Loon - in the last week. As a Piper it's his busiest time of the year! Although not always at the same time, or in the same place, we did manage to enjoy plenty of haggis throughout the week in various shapes and forms and I shared My Top 10 Haggis Recipes for Burns Night in a a roundup post. No sooner had I published it than I had another idea. Haggis Bread. I'm not much of a bread maker if truth be told but Soda Bread is so quick and easy to make and it proved to be the perfect vehicle to incorporate haggis. I used traditional Haggis but vegetarian would work equally well - as would black pudding.

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pancakes

Post in collaboration with McIntosh of Strathmore

A delicious Scottish breakfast treat, these Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pancakes are the ideal way to kick off your Burns Supper celebrations. But they are far too good to save just for breakfast or just for Burns Night. Haggis is for life - not just the 25th of January.

Once Hogmanay is past and the New Year begins, here in Scotland and in many places around the world, the countdown begins to possibly the most Scottish of Celebrations. Burns Night. The 25th of January makes Dry January impossible! How could you possibly toast The Bard without a dram?! To accompany that dram you also of course need the holy trinity of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Whilst Rabbie had plenty to say about the dish in one of his most famous poems "Address to a Haggis" it's been been give a rewrite by Scottish ready meal manufacturers McIntosh of Strathmore with their own version... 

Nae need tae cut up wi' ready slight 

When we've done a'things fir ye just right 

Aye, a dish tae tak yer fancy an' appeal, 

This, oor Burns Supper ready meal 

You can find McIntosh of Strathmore Haggis Neeps and Tatties ready meals all year round in the chiller cabinets of Scottish supermarkets, however in the lead up to Burns Night 2018 they'll be resplendent in limited edition promotional 'Poetry In A Pack' branding. In addition to the single serving "Wee Burns Supper" packs in both traditional and vegetarian variants, there's also a large pack which is perfect for sharing. All the meals can be cooked in either a conventional oven or microwaved and will let you enjoy Burns without the hassle of peeling, chopping, mashing and boiling! There's really no excuse not to celebrate with your very own Burns Supper whether as as individual or family and everyone can be kept happy with the equally delicious vegetarian option. 

Celebrate Burns with McIntosh and you'll have pretty much everything you need for a traditional Burns Supper in minutes! Just add whisky and you're all set. If you fancy doing something a wee bit different with your ready meal how about my Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pancakes? I reckon they would make the perfect breakfast come 25th January but perhaps hold off on the whisky at such an early hour (although I did serve mine with a whisky cream sauce...!) You could even make blini sized ones and top them with Scottish Smoked Salmon for Burns Supper Canapes. No matter how you celebrate be sure to share your snaps on social media using the #BurnsWithMcIntosh hashtag and checkout the selection of Quick Burns Facts to impress or quiz your guests. 

Haggis Neeps and Tatties 'Pancakes' 

Makes 8 

1 x 340g Haggis Neeps & Tatties Ready Meal (traditional or vegetarian) 

50g Plain Flour 

1 Free Range Egg, beaten 

Splash of Scottish Rapeseed Oil 

Tip the contents of your ready meal into a bowl and combine it all together with a fork or potato masher. 

Add the flour and beaten egg and mix thoroughly. 

Divide the mixture into eight 'pancakes' 

Shallow fry four at a time in a splash of Scottish Rapessed Oil. 

They'll need approximately 5-8 minutes on each side to ensure they are warmed through with a crispy golden exterior.

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be Thanket!

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Linking up to CookBlogShare and Recipe of the Week

Wee Sleekit Cheese and Haggis Birls

Scottish Cheese Straws with the ultimate twist - Haggis! Only three ingredients in this tasty treat which is perfect for Burns Night, St Andrew's Day or Hogmanay. Haggis and Cheese go burlin in ready rolled Puff Pastry for an oh so moreish savoury Scottish snack which is so quick and easy to make.

So we all know that I'm savoury over sweet, cheese not choc, crisps not sweets. You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties, ideally positioned next to the Cheese Straws! They really are the perennial party food favourite but could they actually be improved upon? Over the years I've eaten and made them with various cheese, herbs, spices and even incorporated a slice of parma ham. However with January being the month of all things Burns, I got to thinking about Haggis. Cheese and Haggis are a match made in heaven (take my Auld Alliance Comté Cheese and Haggis Toastie as an example par excellence) so could I combine them in an epic Haggis Cheese Straw? Only one way to find out!

I shared the making of my Haggis, Cheese and Puff Pastry straws on Instagram stories and Twitter and was delighted to see that so many people were as excited by them as a work in progress as I was. I was kind of surprised quite how many straws the quantities I used actually made. Perhaps enough to feed the 5000 or go into competition with Greggs (I'm currently considering Quines as a brand name...) I did think that perhaps I should scale down the recipe before sharing here however I've left it as is as you really can't have too many of these tasty twists.

The name was another issue. I set out to create Haggis Cheese Straws however folks seemed to be referring to them as Haggis and Cheese Twists. But was there perhaps an even better name for them? Chaggis Straws was rejected but then bingo with a combination of effort on twitter came up with Wee Sleekit Cheese and Haggis Birls. 

birl (burl) Dialect, chiefly Scot. ~v. 1. to spin around, to revolve rapidly.

~adv. birlin’ (“Ah tell ye, efter a’ that dancin’ ma heid’s fair birlin’“).

Robert Burns - Wee,sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie (To A Mouse)

English - Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast.

Call them what you will - I'm calling them a huge success! Far too good to keep just for Burns night I suggest you birl them out for all occasions but they are clearly essential fodder for 25th Jan, 30th Nov and 31st Dec when we are all feeling at our most Scottish. I'll leave it up to you as to whether you accompany with Whisky or Irn Bru.

Wee Sleekit Cheese and Haggis Birls

450g Haggis (traditional or vegetarian)

200g Scottish Cheddar Cheese, grated 

2 x 375g sheets of Ready Rolled Puff Pastry 

Preheat your oven to 200c

Remove the haggis from its skin and roughly chop into small pieces.

Unroll one sheet of the puff pastry, keeping it on its greaseproof backing for ease of handling

Sprinkle the chopped Haggis and grated Cheese over the top of the puff pastry sheet making sure you go right to the edges.

Unroll the second sheet of pastry and carefully place on top.

Push down on the layers gently with your hands before using a rolling pin to press all the layers together. 

Don't be too vigorous with the rolling pin, you can roll out to increase the size by 2-3 cm on each side but what you are really wanting to do it secure the layers.

Use a pizza wheel (or knife) to cut the Cheese/Haggis/Pastry in half horizontally and then cut vertical strips 2-3 cm wide.

Carefully remove each straw and give it a couple of twist before placing on a prepared baking tray. They will puff up a wee bit so give them room to do so.

Bake for approx 20 mins until golden brown and bubbling.

Ideally serve when they are still warm.

Some more of my Quirky Scottish Recipes that may well have Rabbie turning in his grave can be found in this post 25+ Quirky Scottish Recipes. Expect cotch Beef, Irn Bru, Tunnock's Teacakes, Haggis, Scottish Salmon, Tattie Scones, Whisky, Shortbread, Arbroath Smokies, Scottish Gin and more.

For more Haggis of all persuasions you'll be needing My Top 10 Haggis recipes for Burns night.

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Scottish Mussels with Cider and Venison Chorizo

Post in Collaboration with Scottish Shellfish

Scottish Mussels combine with Cider from Angus and Wild Venison Chorizo from the Highlands to create a mouthwatering dish of Moules in celebration of Seafood Week. Quick and easy to cook and surprisingly cheap there's no need to be scared of preparing, cooking and eating Mussels at home. 

Having been commissioned in 2016 to develop a recipe using Mussels to celebrate Seafood Week I was delighted to be approached again by the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group for 2017. But how could I top last year's effort of Moules Écosse - Scottish Gin & Tonic Mussels? The answer had to be to combine my favourite shellfish with two more fantastic products from Scotland's Larder. Apples from Angus and Wild Scottish Venison from the Highlands. I reached out to two wonderful Scottish producers for my recipe. Cider Bothy and Great Glen Charcuterie. Combining their products with Shetland Mussels produced a dish that's most definitely worthy of celebrating Day Two of Seafood Week 2017 which focuses on the mighty mussel.

Cider Bothy is the sister company to the fantastic Gin Bothy who I visited on my recent press trip for a Wee taste of Angus and it's Larder. Owner Kim was firstly an accidental Gin maker and is now also an accidental Cider maker! When sourcing local fruits for use in her infused gins she often came across the response of 'we don't have rhubarb/raspberries/strawberries but we do have lots of apples'. Hence the birth of Cider Bothy. 100% local and natural with both still and sparkling variants. 

Great Glen Charcuterie based in the Highlands use sustainably sourced local wild venison from the surrounding area to produce their range of award winning Charcuterie. I've been a long time fan of their products and have met owner Anja an her family at a number of markets and events over the years. For this recipe I used their Venison and Pork Chorizo which works particularly well in cooking as it has a higher fat content that their pure venison chorizos. 

Many of us love to eat Mussels when dining out but are more wary of cooking them at home thinking they are fiddly to clean and dangerous to eat. There is really nothing to be scared of as long as you follow the 4 simple steps below you really can't go wrong. With their plump and sweet tasting flesh they are one of the best and most affordable Scottish shellfish out there. The old myth about only eating mussels ‘when there is an ‘R’ in the month’ is incorrect and they are perfect to enjoy any day of the year.

1. Store mussels in a bowl, covered with a damp cloth, in the bottom of the fridge. Apart from when cleaning, don't store or submerge the mussels in water or you'll drown them. 
2. Sort through the mussels to check that they are all closed. Give any that aren’t a gentle tap on a surface to see if they close shut. Discard those that don’t close, along with any that are cracked or damaged. 
3. Scrub the mussels well with a stiff brush under cold, running water and use the back of a knife to remove any barnacles. Pull away any tendrils or ‘beards’ from the sides of the shells. Rinse well again. 
4. Cook the mussels according to your recipe and discard any shells that have not opened up.

Scottish Mussels with Cider and Venison Chorizo

(Serves 4 as a Starter or 2 as a Main Course)

For the full Eat Scottish experience I used Cider Bothy Sparkling Cider and Great Glen Charcuterie Venison & Pork Chorizo.

Ingredients

25g Salted Butter 

4 Shallots, finely sliced

2 large Garlic Cloves, crushed 

60g Chorizo, peeled and sliced 

500ml Cider 

1.5 kg Scottish Mussels 

1 handful Flatleaf Parsley, chopped 

Salt & Pepper 

Double Cream/Crème Fraiche - optional

Method

1. Wash the mussels under cold running water and pull out any beards. If any are open, give them a wee tap to see if they will close shut. Discard those that don’t close, along with any that are cracked or damaged.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy based pan. (Make sure it's one that you have a well-fitting lid for) 
3. Gently fry the finely sliced shallots until soft. 
4. Add the crushed garlic and sliced Chorizo and cook for a couple of minutes more.
5. Turn up the heat and pour in the Cider. When it comes to the boil add the mussels. 
6. Cover with the lid, turn down the heat and simmer for four or five minutes, occasionally shaking the pan, until all of the mussels are opened. 
7. Add the cream (if desired) and parsley and season with freshly ground salt and pepper. 
8. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up all the juices.

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Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Scottish Shellfish. As always, all views expressed are my own.

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Auld Alliance Comté Cheese and Haggis Toastie

Post in collaboration with Comté Cheese

The flavours of Scotland and France combine in a sublime toasted sandwich made with Cheese and Haggis. The cheese is Comté. Made in the beautiful French mountains of the Jura Massif it's a delicious unpasteurised cheese full of passion and provenance.

The Auld Alliance between Scotland and France holds true even today. This was demonstrated recently on my press trip to France with Comté Cheese. Those hosting us initially assumed that the whole group hailed from England, however not known for keeping quiet on such matters the Gastro Gays and myself quickly spoke up to reveal our Irish and Scottish nationalities. At this point poor Patrick and Russell didn't even get a look in as all of a sudden it was all about Écosse! Everyone wanted to know where in Scotland I was from, what Whisky I would recommend, where they should visit if they ever got the chance. If they'd already been to Scotland they wanted to share all their adventures with me. There really does seem to be a lot of love for Scotland in France. Almost as much love as there is for Comté.

I've already shared some details of my trip to discover the history and heritage of this much loved unpasturised cheese which is full of passion and provenance. Check out my recipe for Comté Cheese and Potato Rosti Waffles as a starting point - rest assured there will be more to come. But before I'd even set food in the Jura Massif I'd decided that I wanted to create a Scottish and French toastie mash up. I shared this idea with the group of bloggers, journalists and PR's on the trip over our first meal together and they were all very enthusiastic about the prospect. Haggis and Cheese are most definitely a match made in heaven.

You won't need a whole 40kg cheese wheel for this recipe but do fee free to adjust the quantity. In my humble opinion there is no such thing as too much cheese. Whilst artisan and wholegrain breads undoubtedly have their place, for this toastie you really can't beat slices of good old fashioned of 'Scots Plain Breid'. Don't be tempted to skimp on the butter on the outside either. The difference it makes is like night and day. What's a few extra calories between friends?! During our trip, Dairy Farmer Taz, resplendent in cowboy hat and Comté branded shirt, informed us that the French eat Comté multiple times a day. 'Taz eats Comté every meal'. There wasn't a pick of fat on him. However his lean physique may well have come down to hard farming labour working off the said cheese consumption. After 3 days in France I looked 5 month pregnant #CheeseBaby

Photo courtesy of Ms Marmite Lover - Comté - The Cheddar Cheese of France

Whilst I had the prerequisite Brevvile toastie maker as a student, these days I make mine in a health grill. I'm afraid the name is where the healthiness stops. They also work well using a toastie bag in a conventional toaster or you could make them American style in a frying or griddle pan. Be sure to heat through the haggis first as that will make it spreadable. To make a singular toastie the 130g microwavable packs containing two slices works really well. You could swap out the chilli sauce/jam for chutney or caramelised onions but do keep the English Mustard for an 'Entente Cordiale' kick.

Auld Alliance Comté Cheese and Haggis Toasties

Makes 4 Toasties

8 Slices Plain White Bread

Spreadable Butter

454g Haggis

200g Comté Cheese, grated

English Mustard

Sweet Chilli Sauce / Chilli Jam

Pop your Toastie maker on to heat.

Remove the haggis from its casing, roughly chop and warm through in the microwave.

Butter the bread and place it butter side down.
For each toastie spread one slice of bread (unbuttered side) with English mustard topped with haggis and the other with chilli jam/sauce topped with grated Comté.

Sandwich together and pop them in your toastie maker for a couple of minutes until nicely browned and the cheese is melted.

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Disclosure: I traveled to France to eat cheese and drink wine as a guest of Comté.

As always, all views expressed are my own. 

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