When I travel, I love to experience a place through its food. Having visited Scotland three times in two years, I cannot truly say that I am an expert in either Scotland or Scottish breakfast. But, I can confidently say that I am in fact an expert in breakfast – eating it, that is. Breakfast is absolutely my favorite meal of the day. Scottish breakfasts are no different. They’re a deliciously filling way to start your Scottish adventure.

Introduction to Full Scottish Breakfast

Scottish breakfasts are very similar to a full English breakfast. In both, you’ll find rashers of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, roasted (or fried) tomatoes, beans, and eggs. However, Scottish breakfasts have additional items that make it a quintessentially Scottish meal.

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Haggis

Haggis is generally considered the National Dish of Scotland. For those who haven’t tried it, it is a savory pudding, comprised of sheep’s heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, spices. Traditionally, this is all cooked from inside the casing of a sheep’s stomach. Haggis is normally served in slices.

Unfortunately for Americans, the import of haggis has been banned in the US since 1971, due to the inclusion of one ingredient. Can you guess which one? Apparently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies that no food for human consumption, made locally or abroad, can contain… sheep’s lung.

Don’t think too much about the ingredients and give it a try!

Black pudding

Another savory pudding, black pudding is typically found in British and Irish cuisines. Black pudding is a blood sausage, typically made with pork’s blood (but also cow or sheep), along with oats, spices, fat and/or barley. Some of the herbs and spices typically used: mint, marjoram, thyme, and pennyroyal.

Normally, Scottish breakfast has either black pudding or haggis. My guess is because both are very hearty, filling proteins. Breakfast at the Cromlix Hotel includes both!

Lorne sausage

For clarification purposes, a lorne sausage is a “square sausage” made from minced meat, rusk (twice-baked bread), and spices. The sausage in the above photo from Cromlix is not a Lorne sausage. And all of my research seems to suggest that the only reason this sausage is special is because it’s square-shaped. If anyone has any commentary on the Lorne sausage, I am happy to hear it!

Update, as of 25 March 2020: Having now had the time to visit a Scottish supermarket, I was so pleased to find Lorne sausage. They were indeed square shaped patties. When fried up with breakfast, the outside was crunchy, and it was heavy and dense due to the rusk. Absolutely delicious!! The photo is from a “breakfast for dinner” I made, here in Scotland, hence the random roasted veggies along with eggs and Lorne sausage.

Tattie Scone

Well, first of all, a “tattie” is a potato. Therefore, a tattie scone is … yep! You guessed it, a potato scone! They’re much thinner than scones that you would normally think of. In fact, I would say they’re as thin as a piece of pita bread or a thick tortilla! See the tattie scones in the below post? Don’t they look like tortillas?

Other Traditional Scottish Breakfasts

Scottish hospitality

One thing that I will say is that Scottish hospitality is just amazing! So much so that the below is the breakfast spread for one person – me! This was at an Airbnb, when I stayed up in the North Highlands, near Wick. With Scotland and their amazing hospitality, you will never go hungry!

Restaurants listed in this post:

1. The Edinburgh Larder | map
15 Blackfriars St, Edinburgh
Daily 8 am – 4 pm.
(Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 am)

2. Southern Cross Cafe | map
63A Cockburn St, Edinburgh
Daily 8 am – 5 pm.
(Saturday and Sunday until 6 pm)

3. Cromlix Hotel | map
Kinbuck, Near Dunblane, Perthshire
Hotel breakfast for guests

4. White Cottage Tea Room | map
Main Street, North Kessock, Inverness
Tues – Sun 8 am – 4 pm.

Scottish breakfast at the White Cottage Tea Room, near Inverness. The egg is a little too runny for my taste, but the tattie scone, was delicious.

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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