Scottish nibbles!

[Alex Black]

hi all,

 i'm doing some food for a buffet at my friends 60th birtday party.

 with her being super scottish i could do with some ideas.

 i've got haggis sausage rolls in my scopes so far

[Deryn]

Scotch eggs

Some kind of cheese-based (or other savoury) shortbread

Edited January 8, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[CatPoet]

You could do  Scottish breakfast  food instead?  Lorne sausage,  beef sausage, black pudding, fruit pudding and  use them as nibble.  Scottish lentil  soup is lovely.  I do have a Scottish  cookbook , my dear  Scottish mother in law sent me.

 

Oh for  sweets you  could make tablets!

[Chelseabun]

Unless its a surprise birthday party, you could try asking your friend. I would guess your buffet should be all the normal things you would normally have for a buffet.  The main food items I stock up on when I'm back in Scotland is Tennents larger, pasta and marmalade.  I like the macaroni pies and white pudding too.  

Edited January 8, 2015 by Chelseabun (log)

[djyee100]

I vote for Scotch eggs, too. Also Scotch Shortbread, which is distinctively creamed with the hands. The linked recipe comes from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts. My aunt taught me how to make a similar Scotch Shortbread when I was 11 years old. It's hard to wreck this recipe.
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/home_desserts/shortbread.html#axzz3OH9Yvlbd --Keep scrolling. Taste the dough before baking to make sure it's adequately salted.

 

Don't forget about Scottish salmon.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Finnan haddie was a favorite of my mother.

[liuzhou]

But Scotch Eggs aren't Scottish. They were invented by Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly, London in 1738.

[djyee100]

But Scotch Eggs aren't Scottish...

 

You're right.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10328855/Potted-histories-Scotch-eggs.html

 

But I say put Scotch Eggs on the table anyway, and call them a ringer.

[liuzhou]

You're right.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10328855/Potted-histories-Scotch-eggs.html

 

But I say put Scotch Eggs on the table anyway, and call them a ringer.

 

I'd consider making Scottish Scotch Eggs.

 

I sometimes do these. The sausage meat is 50% pork and 50% black pudding/blood sausage. Use a good Stornoway black pudding. The one pictured uses quail egg, so they are nibble sized.

[Lisa Shock]

I've done it with quail eggs, that's better for a party, IMO. The regular ones are a pretty large hunk of food.

 

You could make some small sized scones.

[CatPoet]

Scotch pies  and Irn bru is a must!  You cant have a  Scottish party without Irn bru.

 

You could try to get hold of  good  Scottish cheese,  sausages and cured meat ,  beer from williamsbrosbrew and  brew dog  and if you can  get hold of Cairn 'o Mohr  wines, get oak leaf!   Instead of doing what English  think is Scottish, celebrate the  good produce  Scotland does offer.

 

Gha I miss my family now and a good Innis&Gunn.

 

http://www.clarksfoodsonline.co.uk/cheese-c1/scottish-cheese-c2

http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/cheese.html

Edited January 9, 2015 by CatPoet (log)

[Meanderer]

To me, the quintessential dish of Scotland would be Cullen skink.

[liuzhou]

To me, the quintessential dish of Scotland would be Cullen skink.

 

But hardly a nibble.

[ChrisTaylor]

Well, a local-ish Brit butcher has started turning out (small) haggis pies. 

 

Sliced haggis, incidentally, can form a reasonable foundation for a hamburger. I just hope you're not putting any American/Australian/English/French (well, maybe that's just passable)/etc cheese in there.

 

EDIT

 

Also, that Scotch egg jacked with blood sausage? Genius.

[kayb]

I vote for Scotch eggs, too. Also Scotch Shortbread, which is distinctively creamed with the hands. The linked recipe comes from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts. My aunt taught me how to make a similar Scotch Shortbread when I was 11 years old. It's hard to wreck this recipe.

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/home_desserts/shortbread.html#axzz3OH9Yvlbd --Keep scrolling. Taste the dough before baking to make sure it's adequately salted.

 

Don't forget about Scottish salmon.

If you can find quail eggs, they make the BEST Scotch eggs!

[Chelseabun]

I've had buffet meals in both England and Scotland.  Its not something I ever put a lot of thought into, but I cant think that there is much if any difference.  Maybe it might depend more on the region than country, what your budget is and what type of function you are attending?

 

Bottles of Irn-Bru (as suggested above and something I shamefully forgot to mention earlier) would be a good start.  If you are based in England, I find Morrisons supermarket seem to stock a lot of Scottish products (Tunnocks, pies, beef, cheese and Salmon etc). 

 

Haggis is probably more for your Burns supper coming up (25th January).  We never ate the actual haggis but preferred the vegetarian haggis (which we thought was so much better).  But thats not to say you could include it in a buffet if you wished.

[naguere]

I believe a deep fried Mars Bar is very popular 'over the border', (google if you don't believe me).

 

Also, as i am on a roll... a plate of frites is known as a 'Glasgow Salad' this side of the border.

 

This is just said to amuse  you and not to insult.

Edited January 9, 2015 by naguere (log)

[CatPoet]

Irn bru and vodka shots,   my husband remember this from his youth.

 

The problem often is when some one not of the culture tries to do what every one  thinks is  of that culture, they most often end up with things that people in that culture dont eat or find naff.

 

If she LOVES  Alba so much, then  give her the produce of the land.

[naguere]

Irn bru and vodka shots,   my husband remember this from his youth.

 

The problem often is when some one not of the culture tries to do what every one  thinks is  of that culture, they most often end up with things that people in that culture dont eat or find naff.

 

If she LOVES  Alba so much, then  give her the produce of the land.

 

I must now Google 'Alba'

 

What a pleasure CatPoet.

[CatPoet]

Alba  is Gaelic for Scotland.  

 

Half of my family is Scottish and I do miss them a lot. 

 

I been recommended  Criffel cheese by my father in law, it apparently  heaven on yer tongue .

[Deryn]

Alex - You know your friend, but, you said SHE is 60 ... does she still eat 'heavy' food? I know that a lot of Scottish food is what I would call heavier, more masculine food (a la Haggis and rich beef dishes).

Just a suggestion but I were you, I might look at doing the traditional dishes in mini and/or much 'lighter' versions - and perhaps make sure you focus more on the seafood specialties that Scotland is renowned for - smoked salmon and scallops I believe being two of them. Maybe some oysters too. The mini Scotch eggs using quail eggs would be a great alternative to the standard size ones. My point - keep it a bit lighter than you might if cooking for a 30 year old birthday boy (even if a crowd of 30 year olds will be present - the party IS for her).

[Chelseabun]

Oysters, smoked salmon, scallops, Scotch quail eggs, Haggis black pudding shortbread - all washed down with Irn-bru.  I don't remember eating that good? 

 

I do however remember 8 pence (15 cent approx.) cans of baked beans and rice served with curry sauce when I couldn't afford the chicken and wondering around the streets of Glasgow in the pouring rain looking for work with wet feet because my shoes were leaking and I couldn't afford new ones LoL 

[rlibkind]

Arbroath Smokie

[CatPoet]

rlibkind:  I am now drooling, that is so scrumptious  and I am not a fish eater.  

[bethesdabakers]

I'm probably a bit late for the feast now. I was going to emphasise the need for a good supply of Scotch pies (mutton pies). Back in the early 70s when I was a youth I worked as a humble assistant stage manager at Dundee Repertory Theatre and lunch, at the local pub, consisted of hot scotch pies served with baked beans on top inside the rim of the hot water crust. Not only that, a bottle of worcestershire sauce was brought with it to the table which I thought very sophisticated. This, plus a couple of pints of Wm Youngers heavy made for a sustaining lunch in the winter cold.

 

I was reminded of this by a letter in the UK Guardian on Monday on the subject of HP Sauce which read, "You didn’t mention the vital role played by HP sauce in the best hangover breakfast ever - a roll and pie. A mutton pie, that is, hot, in a roll (soft or crispy), with loads of HP. In fact, a great start to any day." Perhaps for the morning after the buffet?

 

Mick