Each year Scotland's official tourism agency, Visit Scotland, selects a theme around which to build promotions for international tourism. For 2015, that theme is the Year of Food and Drink. Scotland's food and drink industry is a multi-billion dollar contributor to the nation's economy with Whisky and Salmon as its two leading exports. However, the country's larder is far more varied that seafood and spirits. Scottish beef and lamb are among the finest in the world, and there is fruit and veg to match.
While whisky and seafood may lead the export trade, visitors to Scotland return with a yearning for delicious Scottish jams, jellies and honey. And there are spirits other than whisky at play. Gin production is enjoying quite a growth spurt and craft beers are abundant in Scotland. They call whisky the "water of life" and yet it is a Scottish water that is the top selling bottled still water in not just Scotland, but in the UK. And Scotland is the one country in the world where its own soft drink, Irn Bru, outsells Coca-Cola!
Fiona Richmond is the Project Manager for Scotland Food and Drink, the organization tasked with growing this segment of Scotland's economic infrastructure. She discusses the campaign in place to promote tourism this year, the sharing of Scotland's food and drink through social media, the value to Scot businesses of sourcing food from local vendors and the marketing of those sources to their clients. Richmond also visits with host Glen Moyer about iconic Scottish foods including haggis, Arbroath smokies, and the notorious legend of the deep fried Mars Bar.
For more on Scotland's Year of Food and Drink, from recipes to dining experience, please check these online links...
• Regional Scottish Food Guides
As a concerned citizen, former journalist Ruth Watson has launched the social media campaign #KeepScotlandTheBrand to protect the identity of Scottish produce and products in this time of #Brexit