It rivals the top culinary destinations in the world.  Scotlandis known for its beef, lamb, fruit and veggies.  Pair that with some of the best chefs around, and it should be on every foodie’s list of places to visit.   If you’re heading to Bonnie Scotland, here’s a food guide that’ll help you along the way.

Cheese

In my book, nothing beats a quality cheese plate.  Scotland is home to everything from cheddar to caboc.  One cheese to look out for is Crowdie.  It’s known as the most ancient cheese in Scotland.  What an honor!  This soft cheese dates back to the eighth century and has been undergoing somewhat of a resurgence in Scottish cuisine.  The Stone family’s Highland Fine Cheeses has played a big role in bringing the cheese back.  In fact, their Gruth Dhu (aka Black Crowdie) is rolled in toasted oatmeal and black peppercorns.  Delish!  Editor’s pick: The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye

Seafood

With more than 6,000 miles of coastline, it’s no wonder why Scotland is teeming with seafood — fish, lobster, mussels, oysters, crab and scallops.   When you visit Scotland, you’ll see a good amount of salmon and trout on the menu.  They’re often smoked and served cold with bread and butter.  Cold fish?  Take it from me, it’s amazing.  Once THE fish in Scotland, Herring is still popping up on restaurant menus and are sometimes “soused” (or pickled).  Editor’s pick: Stravaigin in Glasgow.

Beef

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of beef is Angus.  Aberdeen-Angus is a region in Scotland known for its high quality beef.  And for all you meat lovers out there (myself included),  you’ll find it on almost every menu.  And I’m totally okay with that.  I’ve seen beef paired with everything from spinach and potatoes to chestnuts and prunes.  Editor’s pick: The Victorian Kitchen Restaurant at Glamis Castle

Berries

From strawberries to blueberries, Scotland is full of these delectable delights.  The country’s Tayside region is even known for its very own Tayberry, which is a hybrid of a raspberry and blackberry.  Chefs from all over the country use berries in a variety of desserts including pies and crumbles as well as jams and jellies.  Editor’s pick: The Grain Store in Edinburgh

London is a perfect spot for gastronomic gallivanting.  Listen, we’ve all heard it before.  London just doesn’t have good food.  Well, to all you naysayers…I object!  It’s only in London that you’ll find everything from the world’s first organic pub to one of the most renowned food markets around. 

On my last visit to London, I visited the city’s oldest food market, Borough Market.  It’s made up of 70 stalls and stands where producers from all over Britain bring a plethora of fresh produce including fish, meats, veggies, ciders, cheeses, breads, etc.  Not to be missed is a restaurant called Roast. It’s pretty much built inside the market.  Their Welsh Rarebit is out-of-this-world. 

Jump across town to the world’s first organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge.  It’s been around over 140 years and features dishes like butternut squash, almond and mascarpone and whole baked red mullet with haricot beans. Pair that with one of their organic lagers.  Sigh.  Since 1998, their menu has been locally sourced from independent producers.

For foodies looking for a view that’s just as stunning the resturant’s menu, check out The Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie.  It’s situated on the eighth floor of the Oxo Tower. The Restaurant menu is stylish and creative – top quality ingredients beautifully presented with an innovative twist.  Take the loin of cod with red pepper and a chorizo puree or the wood pigeon with open walnut ravioli.  Open kitchen, live jazz and and speedy service.  Check, check and check.

Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

Scottish craft brewery BrewDog has taken on the challenge of creating the strongest beer ever, Tactical Nuclear Penguin.  It’s 32% alcohol.  BrewDog’s owners Martin and James, who started the brewery when they were only 24, innovated a process that involved ageing an imperial stout for 14 months in whisky casks, then freezing it repeatedly, all while wearing a Penguin suit (ok, maybe only sometimes).     

Produced in small batches and at 32%,  Tactical Nuclear Penguin isn’t intended for chugging but rather sipping like a fine whiskey. Like their other beers, the offerings are more about enjoying craft beers and educating beer drinkers than getting ridiculous.  Thought when it comes to marketing the beers – ridiculous is the only appropriate term.

There’s word afoot that BrewDog plans to open pubs throughout the UK .  Martin and James recently bought the vacant Marischal Bar in Aberdeen and are hoping to have bars in Glasgow and Edinburgh by the end of 2010. However,  the best way to taste this brew must be at the original Aberdeenshire brewery (they do welcome visits) - because, who wouldn’t want to hang out with these guys:

Tactical Nuclear Penguin from BrewDog on Vimeo.

In what used to be a hydraulic power station in London’s East End, now stands a unique multi-purpose exhibtion and performance space.  Not to mention an award-winning restaurant housed in the station’s Engine and Turbine Houses.  What makes The Wapping Project distinctly innovative and downright cool is its undefined boundaries of space. 

Imagine dining in the midst of original 19th century hydraulic machinery while dancers perform a newly-commissioned contemporary piece.  Each year, it attracts visual artists, choreographers, composers, writers, poets, designers and film makers.

You can find The Wapping Project on the north bank of the Thames (east of Tower Bridge).  Keep an eye out for its tree decked out with yellow umbrellas.  You can’t miss it.  The Wapping Project opened to the public in October 2000.

Personally, nothing beats underground places to hang out.  Something unexpected and hidden, almost always turns out to be one heck of a night out.  Take Lounge Bohemia in Shoreditch, London.  I’ve been raving about this place ever since my first visit to Britain.  To get in, you have to press a button under a door’s mail slot, which grants you access to its bomb shelter-esque bar.  Think New York’s PDT (Please Don’t Tell).

Just recently, a former colleague of mine flagged down a list of the latest and greatest underground supper clubs in London.  Bless her heart for helping fuel my obsession with the cool unknown. 

Some argue The Secret Ingredient is one of London’s first underground supper clubs.  It’s housed in a flat in the neighborhood of Stoke Newington and serves up vegetarian Japanese inspired dishes at prices that made me do a double take.  Six courses starting at $25.  Insane! 

For those of you who don’t know what marmite is, let’s just say it’s an acquired taste.  Marmite is a bitter and potent spread made from yeast extract.  And that’s exactly what draws me in to Ms Marmitelover’s Underground Restaurant.  The owner is a former rock magazine photographer who hosts guests in her Kilburn home.  Can’t beat fresh local dishes with a celeb anecdote here and there.

Cross-dressing waiters and tarot card readers.  Enough said.  The Pale Blue Door is home to set designer and former chef, Tony Hornecker.  He welcomes guests to his London home for a night of robust comfort food and what The Times, London calls a cabaret extravaganza.

Writing this is making me hungry.  Marmite, anyone?

The Broken Hearts, also known as Amber and Nisha, are a performance duo group that have been making a name for themselves on the London style scene.  Their beats are just as quirky and outrageous as their pop burlesque outfits.  An article from the UK’s Guardian described them as ”a Hollywood musical on hallucinogenics.”  I like them already. 

With Halloween just a few weeks away, the Broken Hearts have placed their stamp on one of London’s hottest bars.  To the tune of an exclusive Broken Hearts handpicked soundtrack, the hyper-chic Met Bar’s ever-popular “Afternoon De-Light” will offer a new seasonal menu.  Take the edible artwork by illustrator of oddities and lover of the macabre, Rob Flowers. 3 PM to 6 PM daily, October 26 to November 11.  If you’re headed to London this Halloween, The Broken Hearts will be performing on October 29 at the Met Bar’s Halloween Party – “Death on the Dancefloor.”

Unlabelled Britain is born of a passion for all things independent, creative, and energetic that are popping on both sides of the Atlantic.

Written by Anglophiles out there to scoop some trends and reveal the side of Britain you might not know is there:  from indie fashion to where you should be crashin’, from pop to punk, from castle romps to celebrity cat fights…basically the whole cultural kit and caboodle. In what London speakeasies will you get to rub shoulders with the likes of Amy Winehouse and David Beckham, maybe Susan Boyle?  We’ll find out.  Where do you go shopping for nerdy-chic, eco-friendly cardigans in Wales?  There will be a post for that.  Take that, iPhone fanboy bloggers.

So who are we?  Unlabelled Britain’s editorial team is based in New York. Full disclosure here: some of us work for the British tourist office.  We’re a mix of Brits and Americans who share one thing in common – we’re transatlanticists with an addiction to the latest trends in Britain.  We work with insiders and tipsters based in the UK who serve as contributors every week.  If it’s going to happen in Britain, in many cases, we hear about it first. Think of us as a travel advisory board with an edge.  For all the dirt on us, check out our bios.

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