For a country of 5.5 million inhabitants — a little over half the population of London — Scotland has long punched above its weight culturally. Two of its finest exports — food and literature — come together every January 25 on Burns Night, the annual celebration of the national poet of Scotland and the finest Scottish ingredients.
Classic dishes include Cullen skink to start, a thick soup made from smoked haddock, potatoes and onions named after a town on the North Sea coast, and cranachan, a dessert of cream, oats and whisky traditionally eaten in June to celebrate the Scottish raspberry season in the days before polytunnels.
