Pudica's Food Corner: Scotland and Pubs

Last but not least, a very belated Scottish post. However, I feel like I need to add one more post to Scotland to give it justice. I had such an unforgettable time in the UK, experiencing Scotland's Lowlands for the first time. I was just amazed by the breathtaking nature, the architecture and history, and of course, how can it be different, by the food experiences :)

My Food Highlights:

Breakfast

Scottish porridge (see my last post)
Scottish breakfast (Traditionally, it comes with baked beans, fried egg, grilled tomato and mushroom, haggis and black pudding. I opted for the vegetarian version with a Quorn sausage and potato crisps. The sausages made out of "Quorn" - a meat substitute made of mycoprotein that originated in the UK - was delicious)

Lunch/Afternoon Treats

Hearty Scottish afternoon soups with fresh baked crusty bread (I had a mushroom leek soup one day, and then a carrot lentil soup the other)
Tea and cake time at the small village Luss at Loch Lomond (perfect after a strenuous hike up the hill, I overendulged with a slice of a decadent carrot cake and a lemon drop cake)

Dinner

UK style Indian food (Dishoom is a chain restaurant, not quite cheap but was highly recommended to me. They do not have a huge selection of traditional Indian food, but some very interesting ones - Bombay street style. The flavors were really good, well worth the long wait time. I had some the Bau Bhaji - a bowl with smashed vegetables, and the Chole Poori - a bowl with chickpea curry and puffed poori.)
Traditional Scottish Pub Food (I had Burger and Fries at the Royal Mile Tavern and a delicious vegetarian Shepard's Pie with lentils and carrot-potato mash on top at Deacon Brodie's Tavern)
Fraoch Beer - A Scottish Heather Ale (a gruit/ ancient herbed ale, brewed in SCotland since 2000 BC, assumed to be one of the oldest style of ale still produced in the world)

Scottish Desserts

Fried Mars Bars - a famous Scottish dessert (The Mars bar actually orginated in England in 1932 and consists of nougat, caramel and milk chocolate. The deep-fried version originated in Scottish chip shops - fast food restaurants focusing on selling fish & chips - as a novelity but was never mainstream. Its popularity rose through the mass media reporting on the Scottish dessert).
Cranachan - the "uncontested king of Scottish desserts" (made of whipped cream, whiskey, honey, fresh raspberries, and oats soaked in whiskey overnight. Originally a celebration of the harvest during summer, as raspberries were harvested in June)

Other Adventures in Scotland:

Edinburgh Castle - The fortress is located on the plug of an extinct volcano, called Castle Rock. It is said that the Rock has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Ages (2nd century AD). The volcano has been risen about 350 million years ago... Now, the castle dominates Edinburgh's skyline.
Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat - the main hill in Hollyrood Park, east of the city center. It is also a volcanic site. Great for hiking, right in the city, but you feel that you are somewhere out in the nature. The entire hill is full of gorse, the yellowest of flowers. It distributes a sweet smell, reminding one on coconut cookies. As it was spring time, I was lucky to experience the entire yellow power :)
Edinburgh's Royal Mile - This city is beautiful with its old town district, the castle and palace. The Royal Mile connects the Castle with the Hollyrood Palace and is the main street in the old town with lots of pubs and the famous small alleyways (called "Close").
Melrose Abbey - This is a small, partly ruined monastery in the small town of Melrose on the Scottish border. The train ride from Edinburgh to Tweedbank only takes about 1 hour and is actually quite beautiful from the scenery. Then, from Tweedbank Station to Melrose you can either take a short bus ride or walk. This walk alone was well worth the trip. It goes along the River Tweed and on a nice day, you can even take a minute and refresh yourself in the river. The town of Melrose is very small but pituresque. And the ruins of Melrose Abbey are very beautiful, it is supposed to be the prettiest one of the border abbeys.
Loch Lomond- While in Scotland, I really wanted to see some nature. Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish lake, connecting the Lowlands with the Highlands. On the southern shores you can find the village Balloch, and further up on the shores there is the small village of Luss, very pituresque. I explored Balloch with its State Park and Gardens which was very pretty as well. Then I took a cruise, took in the Loch and its islands and the mountain range, including the mountain Ben Lomond. We stopped at Luss for a few hours where I did a little bit of hiking up the hill to take in the aerial view of the Loch. It was just a short day trip, but there is so much more you can do...
Glasgow - I actually only spend about 1.5 days in Glasgow, visiting a concert. It is a port city at the River Clyde and popular for its noveau architecture and art. However, from my first impression I did prefer Edinburgh with its old town, castle, hills and parks.