Scottish food is perfect for the winter when you want something warm and comforting to eat.
People are forever talking about the weather in relation to Scotland, and usually not in a favourable way. Scotland is often thought of as a wet, cold, dreich place (for those of you not in the know, dreich means sort of dreary or dull).
While I can confirm that is certainly not always the case, it is sometimes! And particularly in the winter, of course.
The good thing is we have the perfect Scottish recipes for winter! All the things that will help you feel warm and cosy when it’s cold outside, and with a taste of Scotland.
16 Best Scottish Winter Warmer Recipes
These Scottish recipes are the perfect winter warmers!
Vegetarian Scotch Broth is just as wholesome and every bit as tasty as its meaty inspiration, drawing its flavour from a wealth of vegetables, stock and barley.
This traditional Smoked Haddock soup is deliciously tasty and satisfying. It can be served as a starter or main, usually with crusty bread. The smokiness of the fish adds the flavour to the soup.
This Haggis Pasta recipe is comfort in a bowl! It uses our delicious whisky sauce recipe, which pairs perfectly with haggis.
Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties with a whisky sauce is a delicious combination. Perfect over the winter, especially for Burns Night in January!
This Scotch Broth recipe comes together perfectly to create a hearty and delicious soup. Made traditionally with mutton, this warming dish is the perfect partner to counter Scotland's not so warming weather!
A bit like a Scottish Christmas Pudding, Clootie Dumpling is a boiled fruit pudding that's also perfect for Hogmanay and Burns Night.
A tasty side dish with an intriguing name! Potatoes baked with cheese on top... Need we say more?
Cock-a-leekie soup is a staple dish in many Scottish homes and, if you've been brought up eating Scottish food, there is a high chance you'll be familiar with this warming chicken and leek based soup.
Traditionally served in the winter and named 'Scotland's National Soup' Cock-a-leekie is a thick and flavoursome soup consisting of leeks, chicken and rice traditionally garnished with prunes.
These delicious morsels of doughy goodness are cooked on the top of a flavoursome stew, or as the case often is in Scotland, on top of Mince and Tatties. They're really easy and can add a lot to your dish!
Mince and tatties is a warm and comforting meal that's perfect for the winter months. Like many Scottish recipes each family has their own take on this classic, and each one will tell you that theirs is the best!
This mince and tatties recipe is our own recipe, with tips from family, and we’re happy to share it with you. The best thing is, you can always change things up to suit your own tastes, and make this recipe your own!
How to make Scottish Stovies is actually a matter of debate. No Scottish Stovies recipe is the same! This hearty dish is a bit like a potato stew, and usually consists of onion, potatoes, other leftover roast vegetables, stock or gravy, and some form of leftover roast meat or sausage.
It's a nostalgic favourite of many and often eaten on a Monday after a big Sunday roast and served with crusty bread or oatcakes. Read on for our recipe and possible variations, including vegetarian and vegan stovies!
This microwave sticky toffee pudding in a mug is a little piece of heaven! This easy recipe only means you can have sticky toffee pudding in just 5 minutes, to be eaten straight from the mug or tipped out onto a plate.
Scottish Potato Soup, otherwise known as Tattie Soup, is a heart-warmingly delicious but simple recipe that is perfect for a winter's day!
Skirlie is a traditional oatmeal side dish, also sometimes known as “Scottish stuffing”. It’s also often mixed in with mashed potato to give it a little crunch.
It’s generally made with pinhead or steel cut oats, onion, seasonings, and some kind of fat like beef or vegetable shortening.
Every family has their own way to make it, and it’s the kind of recipe that you can experiment with to make it your own too.
Scottish Lentil Soup is a heart-warming recipe that's perfect for the cold winter months. This deliciously creamy soup combines red lentils, potato, carrot, swede (neep in Scotland), leek and either a ham stock or vegetable stock if you want a vegetarian Scottish Lentil Soup.
You can use a store-bought stock for the ham version, or make your own in the traditional way using a ham hock or a gammon joint. Our recipe has all the options for you and is simple to make!
Clapshot is a Scottish side dish that originated in Orkney. It combines neeps and tatties, two Scottish favourites, in a creamy mash with chives stirred through.
Is there anything else you would recommend?
Sonja and Phil x
Wonderful website – congratulations and thank you!!!
Barbara in Stockholm, (old lady from Chicago, my grandmother was from Troon).
Wonderful comment – thank you very much! – Phil