Speciality Food January 2024

specialityfoodmagazine.com 15 SCOTLAND SPECIAL amazing,” she says. “The flavour that comes through from their diet of eating from the land is incomparable. I recently came home from a cooking demonstration there. I keep a fridge in the car when I’m travelling, so I brought home all the bones and dripping andmade potato and onion soup. The flavour with just those few simple ingredients was mind- blowing.” It’s important, she adds, to be able to differentiate between types of lamb. Some products labelled as Shetland lamb are sheep that have been raised on the land there, “but it’s the native Shetland sheep breed that is the very best”. Wendy also implores buyers to delve further into the Scottish drinks industry, outside of whisky and gin. “On Orkney and in Perthshire are two companies who do gorgeous fruit wines all with either foraged or donated fruit. They are fantastic,” she says. “Orkney Wine Company forage what they can gather in season. It’s really Nordic, high north flavours. The Cask Elderberry Borealis is a Port- style that’s lovely and smooth. It’s a goodie.” Trotter’s Independent Condiments are worth looking out for, Jane says, “particularly their wonderful Mostarda chutney. Try it paired with some Great Glen Charcuterie venison salami.” On the drinks side, “we are big fans of Scottish gin, and amongst our favourites are Persie Gin, with its range of flavour profiles, and The Gael - blending traditional botanicals with a hint of Scottish heather. “Summerhouse Drinks supply real lemonades and craft sodas, made using all-natural ingredients on the family-run farm in the beautiful North East of Scotland. “And who does not love a good old boiled sweetie? Crieff-based Gordon & Durward offer all our favourites including Soor Plooms and Edinburgh Rock.” Putting Scottish cheese centre stage With new EU import laws coming into force this month, could this be Scottish cheese’s time to make a mark? The answer from the industry is a resounding ‘yes’. “Over the last six months there has been an increased level of interest for Scottish cheese,” says Morgane Lambert, whose work with the Scottish Dairy Growth Board has seen the creation of a ‘cheese map’ of the country on behalf of the Fine Cheese Makers of Scotland. Morgane says this interest has largely sparked in the English market. “Buyers and consumers are interested to knowmore about new products, and new cheeses and, as Scottish cheese isn’t so known in England, it fits the bill nicely. You see consumers’ faces light up when they try it. Often their first reaction is, ‘I didn’t know there were such good cheeses in Scotland’.” The main barrier to sales has, historically, been distance, with Morgane saying the industry needed logistical change and heightened awareness to deliver the best of Scottish dairy beyond its borders. Happily, “that barrier is being lifted. Routes for buyers and distributors are opening up.” As that happens, educationmust increase throughout speciality food and cheese retail, she adds, saying both buyers and consumers need to understand there’s more to the country than block Cheddar. “We have cows, ewes, goats and buffalo. There’s organic, vegetarian, raw and pasteurised cheese beingmade across the whole cheeseboard – blue, hard, soft, washed-rind, farmhouse Cheddar, mozzarella, soft curd. It’s a very rich offering we have here. “Scotland is well known for Crowdie and Cheddar,” says Heather Gillies of IJ Mellis Cheesemongers, “but in the last several years we’ve witnessed Scottish cheesemakers delve into more varieties of cheese.” Heather says she’s proud to have seen the move towards washed-rind, lactic and even Tomme-style cheeses. “The farmhouse cheese industry in Scotland has also made great strides inmaking traditional cheese while working in the challenging climate. It’s a testament to the ability of the cheesemakers to work with the land to produce something exceptional and truly Scottish.” “The producers are very well spread out, and each one of them, through their products, can really reflect the terroir of their area,” adds Morgane. An interesting experiment, she encourages, is to try St Andrew’s and Isle of Mull Cheddar side by side. “They are on the same longitude on a map, both use rawmilk, but one is from the West coast and one is from the East coast. They have a really different feel.” Stocking Scottish cheese is “a great way to offer a premiumproduct, without having to incur the food miles of importing fromSpain, Italy, or even France,” Morgane says. She hopes buyers will realise “instead of having to go through the maze, and expense, and risk of importing from the EU, they can look at what the rest of Britain has to offer. The high quality of the milk in Scotland does makes a difference to the cheese. For me, it’s a no-brainer for retailers.” Heather says cheeses from England, France and co practically sell themselves, which is a hurdle Scotland’s makers will have to overcome. “Scottish cheese is almost like a well-kept secret.” “Scottish cheeses are definitely coming up andmoving in the right direction,” says The Cheese Lady’s Svetlana Kukharchuk, “but I think we can still do, probably, withmore variety when it comes to different styles. I hope some cheesemakers will start developing those.” Which cheeses, in particular, would Svetlana like to see more of? “The softer variety, definitely. And I would love to see more cheesemakers committing to rawmilk cheese and being really dedicated to it, like Errington Cheese. They are so fantastic, and an inspiration for everybody. It’s a joy, as a cheesemonger, to be able to sell their cheeses. They have such a strong philosophy and belief in rawmilk.” Morgane finds it difficult to pick her favourite cheese from the country, but says she’s a big fan of Rainton Tomme fromThe Ethical Dairy. “It’s a very young company, making a range of artisan rawmilk cheeses. What