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LOCHCARRON OF SCOTLAND

With a story stretching back to 1892, Lochcarron of Scotland is the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan, and a label any Scottish person would be proud to have in their wardrobe. Lochcarron’s skilled craftspeople handmake its tartan and tweed in the company’s weaving textile mill in Selkirk, in the Scottish Borders. Woven using natural, renewable and biodegradable fibres, Lochcarron products are built to last a lifetime. Whether you’re looking for a traditional Highland dress, a beautifully soft tartan lambswool scarf, or a wonderfully warm tartan jacket for the winter, with over 500 authentic Scottish tartans on offer, Lochcarron will take you from kilt to catwalk. lochcarron.co.uk

FROM SCOTLAND, WITH LOVE

Take a little piece of Scotland home with you with one of these trusted Scottish brands

THE HIGHLAND SOAP COMPANY

Hebridean seaweed, Scottish bog myrtle, Highland lavender or wild Scottish raspberry; just a few of the natural and delicious scents on offer from family-run maker of soap and skincare, The Highland Soap Company. Handmade in its Highland workshop, which is nestled between 13th-century Old Inverlochy Castle and the River Lochy, and overlooking Ben Nevis’s north face, the products are inspired by the brand’s beautiful Highlands setting. Handmade using a centuriesold process, with many ingredients wild-harvested, each of the products are natural, organic and sustainable, and good for your skin. Choose from soaps, bath and body products, skincare, or home fragrances, or take home a selection of all, in one of the ready-made sets or gift boxes. highlandsoaps.com

SHORTBREAD HOUSE OF EDINBURGH

Coming from a Scottish family with a strong baking heritage, Shortbread House of Edinburgh is a baking dynasty, producing some of the finest, butteriest and crumbliest shortbread in all of Scotland. With parents and children alike in on the baking business, the company produces and sells its award-winning biscuits in the heart of historic Edinburgh, and now ships them all over the world. Whether you’re after a traditional and unbeatable Scottish shortbread round, or something a little different, such as the intriguing Earl Grey tea shortbread collection, or the Christmas shortbread, we’re sure you’ll be back for more time and time again. shortbreadhouse.co.uk; or for US readers, thescottishgrocer.com

ARRAN SENSE OF SCOTLAND

Celebrating the untouched, natural ingredients that can be found on the Isle of Arran, combining to produce vibrant, evocative scents that are uniquely Scottish, and, uniquely Arran, the ARRAN Sense of Scotland bath and body, hand care, skincare, fragrance and home products capture the true sense of wild and remote Scotland. The company’s aim is to help the world reconnect with nature, and its fresh, natural scents and ingredients will transport you to their island home, including seaweed and sage, Glen Iorsa lavender, and its signature fragrance After the Rain, which captures the scent of a summer garden after a rain shower on the island. The candles and reed diffusers, in particular, are the perfect way to bring Arran home with you. arran.com

THE BALVENIE

As the only whisky distillery in Scotland that still grows and malts its own barley, that uses traditional floor maltings and keeps both a coppersmith and a team of coopers on site, Balvenie whisky can claim to be the most hand-crafted of single malts in all of Scotland. The distillery’s whiskymaking process is dedicated to maintaining the Five Rare Crafts (home-grown barley, a malting floor, copper stills, cooperage, and a Malt Master) and their skilled craftsmen, which includes Malt Master David C Stewart MBE, have a dedicated understanding of their materials. Their commitment to craftsmanship brings skill and passion to the whisky, which can be tasted in every golden drop. thebalvenie.com TOP SCOTTISH SHOPS

Here are three of the best places to shop on your next visit to Scotland.

Multrees Walk

The definition of Scottish luxury retail, Multrees Walk, just off St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, is home to some of the finest designer brands, as well as Scotland’s only Harvey Nichols, and is where you can buy Shortbread House of Edinburgh. multreeswalk.co.uk

St James Quarter

St James Quarter is Edinburgh’s newest shopping area, and a haven for any shopaholic. Stop into its John Lewis to stock up on whisky and Scottish treats. stjamesquarter.com/shop

House of Bruar

Situated in rural Perthshire, House of Bruar is an essential pilgrimage for anyone with an interest in Scottish country fashion and goods. Shop clothing, gifts, food and, of course, whisky. houseofbruar.com

BRINGING SCOTTISH FOOD TO YOU

US readers can have a taste of Scotland delivered to their door with Scottish Gourmet USA

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Scottish Gourmet USA is the largest seller of haggis in America; a clootie dumpling is a traditional Scottish pudding; Scottish Gourmet USA also sells hearty Scottish treats like pies and sausage rolls; company founder Anne Robinson Scotland is more than haggis. It’s more than bagpipes and shortbread, too. And, as we all know, Scotland is more than single malt whisky, the Loch Ness Monster, Robert Burns, Highland coos and thistles. Many of us come by different paths to love Scotland, its history, its landscape, and its people, as well as its most well-known symbols. That love affair can be sparked by family, movies or books, or travel.

Anne Robinson started Scottish Gourmet USA in 2005 because, while being courted by a Scotsman from Inverness (whom she later married), she developed a fondness for Scottish heather honey. As a businesswoman with a background in international commerce, she realised that many American consumers, like herself, hungered for a taste of the exquisite foods from Scotland, but couldn’t find them easily in the US. What started as a mail-order enterprise offering Scottish Breakfast tea from Edinburgh, and heather honey from Struan Apiaries in the Highlands, has evolved into a dynamic catalogue and e-commerce business, offering over 800 items, and serving customers in all 50 US states. Sensing a huge demand for the national dish of Scotland in America, Scottish Gourmet USA began producing haggis in the US in 2009. Today, the North Carolina-based company is the largest seller of haggis in America, and along with haggis, customers can also enjoy black pudding, white pudding, meat pies, Scottish-style bacon, bangers, sausage rolls, oatcakes, bridies and kippers. Scottish Gourmet USA also sells clan-related mugs and tea towels, as well as cookbooks, and guides to tracing your ancestry.

As the holidays approach, families and friends gather to spend festive evenings together, enjoying fine food and company. Scottish Gourmet USA relishes the chance to connect people with delicious fare from Scotland, like the smoked salmon, cheesy cheddar bites, whisky-infused fudge, clootie dumplings and more. “Our customers frequently suggest new products or their childhood favourites, and they have helped shape the company into what we offer today,” says Robinson. “In fact, haggis was such a frequent request early on, we had to at least try and make one in America.”

December is a big month, with thousands of packages of holiday gifts and Christmas hampers shipped out from the Scottish Gourmet shop. But January is the busiest month of the year for the company. January means Burns Night Suppers, which means haggis. Burns Night, on 25 January, is a chance to celebrate Scotland, Scottishness, and the unique stamp that Scottish people have left on the world.

As people gather to eat haggis, recite poetry, and raise a toast to the memory of Robert Burns, Scottish Gourmet USA takes pride in helping to make these events really feel like home and heritage for so many. S