2C - Fruit (Part three - the fruit finale)
Berry Fruits
If you find yourself on Scotland’s east coast, travel north from Edinburgh, crossing one of the three adjacent bridges over the Firth of Forth, pass through Fife (stopping off at at the Michelin-starred Peat Inn near Cupar and St. Andrews (where I was born) for lunch). From there cross the new Tay Bridge over the Firth of Tay into Dundee. You’ve arrived at the eastern most point of Scotland’s fruit heaven.
Draw a line from Dundee westwards to Perth along the northern bank of the River Tay, Scotland’s longest, then finish with a loop taking in Blairgowrie to the north and back to Dundee.
You’ve just drawn a rough diagram of the best berry fruit growing area on our planet!
Here you will find what are undoubtedly the best strawberries you have ever tasted. The sweetest, strawberriest strawberries. I will brook no arguments. If you haven’t tasted them, you don’t know; shut up!
And this is not just personal opinion. The idle rich have long been scoffing Scottish strawberries during the tennis at Wimbledon, confident that the trust fund set up by Daddy will cover it. Her Maj, Mrs Queen swears by no others, I’m told.
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Image by Ivar Leidus; licenced under CC BY-SA 4.0
Scottish raspberries are equally famous and valued. Cranachan is almost Scotland’s national dessert and should be sampled, if you are in the region. This mixture of Scottish raspberries, cream, oats and good whisky is known as “The King of Scottish Deserts”. Why male, I have no idea.
I did once try making it here in China. The oats, cream and whisky were perfect. The Driscoll’s raspberries were a disgrace! They know nothing about fruit, that company!
But it doesn’t end there. The region also grows top-ranked blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, cherries, elderberries, blackcurrants, white currants, redcurrants and more. Nor is it Scotland's only fruit growing Mecca. Fife, The Isle of Arran, the Borders area and more are also world class.
