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Scotland :
an authentic nature
A land of legends and traditions, endowed with a well-preserved countryside, Scotland is a major cattle farming country that is also geared to modernity and technology.
Located in the north of Great Britain, Scotland is separated from England by the Cheviot Hills, bordered by the North Sea in the east and by the Atlantic in the west. It has numerous archipelagos grouping close to 800 isles, the three largest of which are the Shetlands in the north, the Orkneys in the north-east and the Hebrides in the north-west.
The mountains cover a vast area and the highest peaks are Ben Nevis located in the Grampians mountain range, the highest in Great Britain (1343 m), Ben Mac Dui (1309 m) and Cairn Gorm (1245 m). Scotland has many lochs (freshwater lakes or fjords leading to the sea): Loch Lomond is the longest and Loch Ness the most famous, both of which are located in the Highlands.
Scotland has a surface area of 78 772 km2 and a population of about 5 168 500 inhabitants.
The capital and the financial and administrative centre is Edinburgh although Glasgow is the largest city with 580 690 inhabitants. English and Scottish Gaelic are the country's two official languages. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom with England, Wales and Northern Ireland and its currency is the pound sterling (£).
The temperate, oceanic climate benefits from the influence of the Gulf Stream. The rainfall is abundant, particularly in the north-west of the country and the winters can be very harsh, as Scotland lies on the same latitude as Saint-Petersburg and southern Alaska.
The first inhabitants arrived in 12 800 BC (at the end of the last ice age) and the first buildings date back to 9 500 BC. In the Middle Ages, Scotland (meaning “Land of the Scots”) was composed of people of different origins including Pict Celts, Bretons, Scots arriving from Ireland, Vikings, etc.
From the 12th century onwards, rivalry between clans and the fight against English influence dominated the country’s political life. The signature of the union treaty in 1707 gave birth to the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
In 1998, a Scottish parliament was set up by the Scotland Act and approved by the British parliament. Scotland is a constitutional democracy and the head of state is Queen Elisabeth II and the Prime Minister, David Cameron (Conservative Party), since May 2010. Alex Salmond has been the Scottish Prime Minister since 2007.
A modern economy
The Scottish economy, bound to that of the United Kingdom, is geared to technology (41 000 jobs) and services after a major shift at the end of the 20th century due to the decline of its heavy industry. The main sectors are agriculture, biotechnology, the whisky industry, gas and oil production and ship building. Glasgow is the 4th largest industrial centre in the United Kingdom with 60% of Scottish exports and Aberdeen is Europe’s energy capital (gas and oil).
Generating a turnover of £7.5 billion, the food industry sector accounts for 1 500 companies and 50 000 jobs, representing 21% of the working population. With 30 universities, Scotland is also a major research and training centre in the food field.
A well-developed agriculture
Three quarters of the land is devoted to agriculture, with 454 000 ha for cereals. The main crop is barley (320 000 ha for a production of 1.9 million tons) used to make whisky, beer and animal feed. Wheat represents 114 00 ha (948 000 tons) and oats 21 000 ha. Besides cereals, potatoes (30 000 ha and 1.28 million tons) and colza (33 000 ha, 115 000 tons) are still the main crops.
To the east, Scotland benefits from an excellent climate for cultivating berries. In 2008, strawberry production totalled 4 600 tons and raspberries totalled 2 400 tons. The country also produces various vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, turnips, cabbage, leeks, broccolis, mushrooms, etc.).
Renowned animal husbandry
Stock breeding is a major sector in the country’s economy, generating £1.7 billion in turnover (excluding poultry) and 27 000 jobs. In 2009, the sheep population numbered 7.2 million head, including 3 million ewes, divided between 13 150 farms, 4% of which represent over one third of the breeding population. The farming is organized according to three methods: hill, mountain and plain rearing. The principal breeds are Scottish Black Face, Texel, Cheviott, Scotch Mule and Scotch half-bred. The meat production from sheep represented over £147 million in 2008. Scotland is very well known for its cattle-rearing (521 000 head) thanks to its rich, carefully selected pastures and grasslands, where the cattle graze for about ten months of the year. The principal breeds are Aberdeen Angus, Highlander, Luing and Galloway. Beef production rose to £516 million in 2009 with 172 000 tons of meat. Scotland produces over 30% of the United Kingdom’s cattle herd and the beef industry is the largest sector in Scottish agriculture (27.5%). Scottish IGP-certified beef is highly appreciated for its tender, very tasty meat.
Concentrated in the north and east of the country on 700 farms, the pig population numbered about 450 000 head in 2008, or 10% of the population in the United Kingdom. The pork meat production totalled 58 000 tons worth £60 million.
Poultry is estimated at 14 million head, with 4 million laying hens and 10 million chicken produced for the meat (90 000 tons worth £75 million). The production of eggs in Scotland remains high with 930 million units for £30 million.
Large fishing and aquaculture industry
Fishing is an important sector as Scotland has 16 000 km of coastline and numerous lochs and fjords. With over 400 000 tons fished each year, it is one of the leading fish producing countries in Europe. The sector employs 12 000 people, including 5 200 fishermen and the fleet has 2 220 boats. It supplies over 70% in volume and over 60% in value of British fishing. Deep-sea fishing is particularly important in the north-west and in the three archipelagos. The largest ports are PeterHead (largest European port for white fish), Fraserburgh and Aberdeen. The main species fished are mackerel (105 000 tons), haddock (29 000 tons), herring (25 000 tons), monkfish (10 000 tons), coalfish (5 000 tons), whiting, dab and ling.
Shellfish (crayfish 30 000 tons, Saint-Jacques scallops 15 000 tons; crab 10 000 tons, lobster, etc.) represent 60% of the volumes fished in the United Kingdom. Scotland has 230 fish processing companies and 7 000 jobs, mostly in the shellfish sector, with a turnover of £700 million.
As pioneer in the aquaculture field, Scotland is the world’s 3rd largest producer of Atlantic salmon (12 million units exported to 60 countries). With a trade value of £1 billion, salmon holds special place in the country’s economy and it was the first foreign product to be awarded Label Rouge certification twenty years ago. The salmon industry generates 6 000 jobs and represents 40% of food exports.
Good quality cheeses
The Scottish dairy herd is estimated at 223 000 head (9% of the United Kingdom herd) and 1,132 million litres of milk are produced (£302 million). There are 1 740 dairy farms (110 cows on average), mainly located in the south-west. Scotland is a farming country that produces excellent cheeses, like the world-famous cheddar, a hard un-pasteurized cheese that is firm and oily, made from cow’s milk (cylindrical, 40 cm high, 35 kg, six months’ maturing); Bonchester cheese (AOP, soft cheese made from whole cow’s milk with a mould rind and the same shape, taste and texture as Brie);Dunlop (un-pasteurized hard cheese made from cow’s milk that dates back to Charles II), with a mild, slightly acid taste;
Cairnsmore ewes (hard, un-pasteurized cheese made from ewe’s milk, matured for six months, with a salt-caramel flavour;
Cuillin goat (fresh goat’s cheese, with a mild, subtle lemony goat flavour, cylinder 210 g); Caboc (dating from the 15th century, a semi-hard un-pasteurized cow’s milk cheese, cylindrical, matured in oat flour); Highland blue (blue-veined cow’s milk cheese that is creamy and mild with a soft texture); Clava brie (soft cow’s milk cheese with a mould rind and a subtle flavour of meadows and mushrooms, round 1.5 kg).
A traditional and innovative gastronomy
Traditional Scottish gastronomy comes from the art of rural cooking. The well-known dishes include the famous haggis. This national Scottish dish is made from the belly of the ewe stuffed with a mutton fry (liver, heart, lung, kidneys) and oat flour and spiced, often served with a turnip puree. It is usually served on New Year’s Eve or on Burns’ Night (25 January, birthday of the poet Robert Burns who wrote an ode to haggis). The other traditional dishes include porridge (mixture of oats or cereals with milk and sugar) served for breakfast, hotch potch (vegetable soup with lamp chops), cock-a-leekie (stewed hen with prunes), howtowdie (chicken stuffed with stale bread), fish tobermory (fish fillets on a bed of spinach), fish and chips (breaded fish fillets sprinkled with vinegar and served with pickles and French fries), cranachan (mixture of cream, oat flour and raspberry),
shortbreads (butter-biscuits), oatcakes (oat biscuits), scones (small butter pastries) or bannocks (small flat bread rolls with raisins). Game is also popular in season (grouse, woodcock, partridge or venison).
Many restaurants now offers a contemporary, innovative cuisine made from local products as shown by the growing number of chefs with Michelin stars like Andrew Fairlie (Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder - 2 stars), Tony Borthwick (Plumed Horse in Edinburgh - 1 star), Jeff Bland (Number One in Edinburgh - 1 star), Paul Kitching (21212 in Edinburgh - 1 star) and Geoffrey Smeddle (Tourbe Inn in Fife - 1 star).
Popular spirits
Beverages are the largest production sector in Scotland with whisky, the most widely sold spirit in the world (1 billion bottles exported in 2008, including 141 million bottles to France, which has the highest whisky consumption in the world). There are three types of Scotch whisky:
- Single malt (made from barley) from specific areas in the lowlands, highlands or Scottish isles; its colour varies from pale yellow to dark brown with a noticeably smoked fresh or full-bodied flavour. The best are aged for 8 to 12 years.
- Grain whisky is made from a blend of non malted cereals and malted barley. It is mainly used in blended whiskies.
- Blended whisky is a blend of malt and grain whisky of various origins and maturity. It is composed of about forty different whiskies,
and the proportion of malt can range from 5% to 70%. The “deluxe” brands have a higher proportion of old whiskies and malt (35% minimum), and a milder, rounder flavour than the standard brands.
Dating from 1745, Drambuie (meaning yellow drink) is a famous liqueur (40% proof) made notably from whisky (single malt), spices and heather honey.
Scotland also produces excellent plain and malted beers, notably with high fermentation, which include brews like Caledonian (pale ale, clear red, caramel aroma), Campbell’s (Scotch ale, amber-coloured, caramel aroma), Golden Promise (pale ale, clear amber, malt and hops aroma), Tennent’s (stout, ebony black, toasted full-bodied aroma), Traquair House (scotch ale, coppery, ample, malt-caramel aroma, long-life), and Bruichladdich (brown ale, pure malt and hops).
Francis Duriez
Source : Scottish Development International, Quality Meat Scotland France, Librairie Gourmande Paris, Seafood Scotland, Office Tourisme Ecosse, Seerad, NFUS, Scottish Entreprise Media Centre, etc
Credit photos :
Pro reviews
Crédit photo : FD
Robin Dunlop
(Purchasing Manager of Oakleaf - Rungis)
“We import all types of food products into the United Kingdom except fish. This represents over 60 pallets leaving Rungis every week. Most of the products are bought at Rungis, except the lettuces, which mainly come from the south of France. We supply about 150 clients in the United Kingdom (luxury hotels and restaurants) including a certain number in Scotland (10%) as well as in the Gulf countries and in the Caribbean. Scotland buys quite a broad range of products from us (fruit and vegetables, delicatessen products, dairy products, etc.). It’s a country that has a rich, well-preserved nature and it is well-known for its livestock farming, fishing and aquaculture with the famous Label Rouge salmon from Scotland, it red berries and its evolving gastronomy. Scotland is a country that respects its natural resources and it has a wealth of top quality products.”
Crédit photo : Lalauze
Julien Courtin
(Manager of Lalauze butcher’s- Paris)
“Our company has a refrigerated EEC-approved semi-wholesale cutting workshop with a floor space of 650 m2 that supplies over Parisian 400 restaurants and a retail butcher’s shop. We prepare just over 60 tons of meat a month, with 60% beef, one third of which comes from Scotland. We sell IGP-certified beef from Scotland, notably Aberdeen Angus, and other Scottish breeds, selected from the best head. We work directly with the Perth abattoirs according to specifications established to meet our requirements. Slaughtered at thirty months, the beef from Scotland produces a very tender, low-fat, slightly marbled meat that is juicy and tasty, which corresponds well to what the upmarket catering trade demands and with the best value-for-money. Scotland is a land of tradition and quality and it has managed to modernize without losing its traditional know-how and products.”
Crédit photo : FD
Serge Belloncle
(CEO of Savinor - Rungis)
“Our company started up at Les Halles wholesale market in Paris in 1959 and we have been at Rungis since 1987. Our business is importing and trading in lamb and beef. We import between 1 500 and 2 000 lambs a week, 80% of which from Scotland, as well as 250 tons of beef a month, with 80 tons from Scotland. Our clientele is composed of wholesalers at Rungis (60%) and from the provinces (40%). We work with the largest abattoir in Scotland, the supplier of Marks & Spencer, which provides with a steady supply of consistently top quality meat.
Scottish lamb is a tender, very tasty and low-fat meat because the lambs spend ten months of the year in pasture. The same is true for the beef from Scotland, which produces a tasty, relatively marbled meat that is perfect for the catering trade, such as Aberdeen Angus, in terms of flavour and the types of cuts. Lamb and beef from Scotland has IGP certification. Thanks to strict selection, a natural grazing feed and a respect for the animal’s well-being, Scotland produces high quality meat for which there is a growing demand. As a farming land with many natural resources Scotland is keen to promote a top quality production.”
Crédit photo : QMS
David Chiffoleau
(Manager of Quality Meat Scotland in France)
“We are a Scottish public body in charge of promoting the quality of our meat and securing the future of our farmers because they are an integral part of our landscape and our needs. It was initially a group of farmers and abattoirs who wanted to promote their specific farming approach and they were the first to create specifications in 1987. In 1995, we earned IGP certification for our entire herd (for lamb less than twelve months old, born, bred and slaughtered in Scotland, regardless of the breed, idem for cattle under thirty months old). Raised outdoors, on rich pastureland, they produce meat of excellent quality. Furthermore, a serious effort on selection and advanced cross-breeding has produced the best meat breeds and improved the stability and yield of the herd. 80% of the livestock is composed of tough animals that resist the cold and that comply with food standards. We have total traceability throughout the chain and tests are conducted several times a year. Scotland will have the distinction of supplying the fish (Scottish monkfish) and the meat (IGP lamb from Scotland) for the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon in 2011. Scotland is the contrast between modernity and respect for traditions.”
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