I like living in England. It's an extremely pleasant place with lots going for it. That said, there are elements of Scottish cuisine that a greatly miss:
Firstly chip shop white puddings. Don't ask me what's in them, I have no idea but they're delicious with nice, crispy batter, some good chip shop chips and lots of sauce. Yum.
Next up is square sausage. There's nothing quite like it, especially with a proper breakfast after a heavy night or as a hearty snack in a fluffy white roll.
After that is chip shop meat pies. They certainly contain meat but it's probably best not to enquire what kind of meat. Served in a delicious shortcrust pastry case they go brilliantly with tomato ketchup or baked beans and of course the ubiquitous chips.
A variation of the above is the macaroni pie - only ever seen in Scottish bakers and corner shops. Surprisingly, it's a shortcrust pastry pie crust filled with macaroni cheese, topped with grated cheese and finished off in the oven. These were staples of my lunch break as a schoolboy and was a great way to fend off the cold winters.
I also miss Arbroath smokies. Although I've never had a lot of them, they are a fantastic ingredients. Suggestions for dishes using them include pate and cullen and skink soup. They have a deeper and richer flavour than most smoked haddock I can source. They also lack that hideous fluorescent colouring in other ones.
Finally, although not technically a foodstuff (and available in England), I miss real Irn Bru. It just doesn't taste the same down here. Not only that, but in order to enjoy it properly it needs to be served in litre glass bottles (which can be exchanged for a 20p refund). That was my Friday night drink of choice in my mid-teens after sailing and with a white pudding supper (supper being served with chips).
Come to think of it, is it any surprise that heart disease is so prevalent amongst Scots. Then again, we do need a heart lining on our arteries to keep the heat in during the cold winters.
JR
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